YOU KNOW YOU LIVED IN DUBAI WHEN:
You love Zaatar W Zeit.
You have never ridden a public bus.
You laugh at how small malls in America or Europe are compared to Dubai.
Taxi drivers play really loud Indian music and won't turn it off.
Ferraris and Lamborghinis are a totally normal sight.
You know some phrases in Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, and/or Arabic.
You have a maid/know some people with maids.
Your dentist's office is in some villa in Jumeirah.
You've smoked shisha.
You've eaten in the bathroom at the mall during Ramadan.
A thunderstorm makes front page news.
You've gotten lost in Madinat Jumeirah.
You have Mall of the Emirates memorized.
You can get cheap Indian food anywhere.
You don't know how to pump gas.
80 degrees Fahrenheit is cool.
70 degrees Fahrenheit is chilly.
You spend Halloween night at the Lakes/Meadows/Springs.
People who aren't from Dubai always ask if you've been in the Burj Al Arab.
You get groceries from Spinney's and Choithram's.
Shawarmas are fast food.
You can't imagine life without A/C.
Everyone has a cell phone.
In McDonald's, a hamburger is called a beefburger.
Your house doesn't have carpet floors.
McDonald's has McArabias.
When you start memorising arabic commercials, like "Mafi Philadelphia, Mafi Masrouf!" (thanks to Megan Kate Potter)
When Dubai defines a "nanosecond" eg - The time between when the traffic lights go green and driver behind you beeps (thanks to Austyn Campbell)
-When using the hard shoulder as an extra lane comes naturally
-You've dared argue with a local who queue jumped you in the bank
-You seen the convoy of learner drivers all crash into the back of each other one by one like dominoes
-you haven't made your own tea/coffee at work ever (thanks to Dan Kelly)
When you go to Etisalat or any government office, you NEVER line up at the counter with an arab woman behind it. She spends more time on the phone with her friends and flipping her scarf! (thanks to Sharon Fong)
When you wear a sweater when it's less than 27 degrees Celsius. (thanks to Nayana Prakash)
Where else in the world do you order KFC/Burger King to be delivered to your house? (admittedly only at 3am after a big night out!) (thanks to Katherine Allaway)
When the new official bird for the region is called a 'crane'! (thanks to Steve Johnston)
When the plumber or electrician is coming and they say they are coming the next day at noon, they really mean like sometime in the next few months.. and they carry their tools around in a choitrams bag (thanks to Atlanta Neudorf)
When you could give directions to the closest Spinneys to your house. (thanks to Jude Salem)
-When your pizza comes faster than the ambulance.
-When you've rarely witnessed a minivan.
-When your milk has a short expiry date. (thanks to Koushawn Monajemi)
When the police put on the sireens to get through a traffic jam... and you follow closely behind to get out of the jam. (thanks to Daniel Heijl)
When the answer to "where are you from" depends on the person you're talking to and becomes a deep in-depth conversation, [usually including the phrase "and then we went to" at least 5 times] (thanks to Shireen Toubbeh)
When you go to facebook groups that have the title: 'You know you live in -insert your country of origin here-' and you get none of the jokes because you lived here so long (thanks to Kerris Davies)
When somebody in a different country asks you if you go to school by camel or in the past has asked you if you live in a war zone... (thanks to Kate Burns)
-When your school is closed because of the rain.
-When you go on summer holiday and come back and find a new building built (thanks to Adam Mélone)
When people ask you wheter you have been bombed or when they ask you what it's like to live in a place covered in sand. (thanks to Danii Millership)
-When you know somebody who has bought their drivers liscence
-When you have over 5 "Booze Guy" numbers on your phone
-When they changed our weekend from thursday friday, to friday saturday :)
-When you have/know people who have gone clubbing at age 14/15 etc (: (thanks to Megan Flook)
When George Bush comes and visits, everyone has a day off (: best day ever (: (thanks to Amiiee Hamadeh)
When paying 24 dhs for a coke seems ok. (thanks to Martine Chetcuti)
When you go to a different country and the first thing you notice is there aren't speedbumps every second. (thanks to Lily Lily B)
When your sleeping at night and then all of a sudden you hear screeching on the road form cars flying over the spped bumps. (thanks to Sarah Zaatar)
When your driving on the road and you see a cop talking on the phone and speeding and you laugh. (thanks to Hannah Zaatar)
When sitting down to dinner between 10pm-12 is normal! (thanks to Kim Christie)
When you get days off when it rains.
When it rains, everyone runs outside.
When foreigners are sunburnt, but they think it's a tan. (thanks to Kareem Ghanam)
When camels no longer seem as interesting as they did before you moved there. (thanks to Noelle Berghamn)
When people compliment your tan (: (thanks Madeleine Latti)
When you're not surprised when the recyling company doesn't recyle. (thanks to Aditi Shrikhande)
You have accidentally said "close" or "open" the light.
A Lamborghini speeds by your car and you don't even blink.
You've crossed really big roads, 4 lanes and above!
When you go overseas, you get kind of scared of thunderstorms since you rarely see them in Dubai.
When you have a few extra days off, you go to Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, or Muscat.
You find American news/American CNN to be highly idiotic---you watch CNN International/BBC News/Al Jazeera instead.
You watch MTV Arabia.
One word: SHAWARMAS.
You love the fact that most places are open 7 days a week.
You love that the malls close really late.
People get excited when it's really cloudy.
When it rains, newspapers always do a 2-page spread showing people walking in the rain.
People overseas are always asking about the beaches.
If you don't speak Arabic, the only words you know are "yallah!" "habibi" and "khalas!"
You call all your friends habibi/habibti, even if you don't speak Arabic.
You have developed a high heat tolerance.
You can go skiing one day and tanning the next. (thanks to Nesa Rassouli)
-If you think 9 pm is a normal time to go play golf because all golf courses have floodlights
-You dont really know why or how taxes work or you try to forget.
-You think the speed limit is only advisory, and you dont follow it since you know where all the radars are.
-You think Midnight is a perfectly normal time to be at the mall.
-You find it weird that the same movies are not released in all the cinemas in a city at the same time
-You are always on the lookout for new sheesha places
-You find Alcohol excites you more than it should (thanks to Haaris S Ahmed)
When you move our of dubai you accidentally use yala and habibi without even realizing then you realize everyone is staring at you because they haven't the faintest clue what you are on about. (thanks to Kaitlin Louise Polkinghorne)
-When you give directions to your house based on landmarks and not street names?
-When you can jay walk-and even RUN across the road and not get into trouble (thanks to Savannah Fernandes)
When the cops are patrolling by and sense something illigal going on, and they ask for your 'butakha' (I.D.) and you know what it means... (thanks to Jades Incarnazion)
You've never actually been dehydrated, thanks to all of the ACs and supermarkets every 2 minutes xD (thanks to Reem MA)
When you see almost everyone wearing ed hardy (thanks to Storm Khan)
When you get a month off when someone important dies (thanks to Jack Radcliffe)
When the water that comes out of the cold tap is hotter than the water that comes out of the hot tap. (SO TRUE! thanks to Natasha McClure Ahmed)
When you see a car crash and its a big one you blame the sharjah-ains or the abu dhabi-ains. (lol so true. thanks to Banna Sifri :])
When someone from another country asks if you live in a tent in the middle of the desert. (thanks to Francisca Vinder)
You can never see the stars in the sky, so when you go overseas and see them, you are always fascinated.
IF YOU GO TO DAA (i dont know about other schools) - you can see the burj al arab and jumeirah beach hotel from some of your classes :)
When you go overseas, you are surprised and slightly annoyed at how slow everyone drives.
You know you have lived in Dubai when everyone in England asks do you speak Dubaiish.. (thanks to Emma Byford)
You know you have lived in dubai if you or your parents have bought gold during dubai shopping festival hoping to win a kilo of gold or that Nissan Patrol. (thanks to Roycin Dsouza)
When almost every kid strolls around in heelys.. (thanks to Ghina Xcena)
When in a different country you complain to yourself about how long it takes for the shower to heat up. (thanks to Adam Mélone)
When you are called 'My Friend' even though you aint his/her friend! (thanks to Farida Bardianah)
When u go to pay at the cash register in a grocery store, but realize you forgot to weigh your fruits/vegetables (thanks to Negeen Farsio)
When you buy a pair of jeans that are too long because it's very easy to get them fixed (most shops have their own tailor) (thanks to Christine Linge)
You don't blink an eye when someone pulls up abruptly and flicks on their hazards....its a legitimate way of parking right? (thanks to Renee Spence)
When being a woman gets you served quicker in banks thanks to the women only queue! (thanks to Donna Wibberley)
-When visiting Mall of the Emirates becomes a necessary part of life, and if a week passes by without you visiting it, it is VERY abnormal.
-When you see teenage boys with abnormally big, black and frizzy wigs.
-When you see a celebrity look-alike in MOE.
-When you see atleast one person wearing the same shirt you're wearing.
-When you go to Virgin Megastore and find atleast one potential date.
-When you pass by a group of Abaya-wearing women and literally suffocate from the strong smell of their perfume.
-When you see Burj Dubai atleast once a day, staring at you from afar and waving HELLO! (look at me, I'm tall)
-When you hear someone bought a mobile for 12,000 Dhs and think it is totally normal.
-When you see cars with country flags on their bumpers.
-When you get stopped by a policeman you're at total ease, because you know of Dubai policemen's friendliness (thanks to Zeina Haddad)
When you're ashamed of your un-pedicured feet (true! thanks to Sheila Brown)
-When you find the Emirates Airline music homey
-When you know exactly how to say "Fasten your seatbelts" in the funny arabic man's voice on the plane, and everyone stares at you. (thanks to Verity Brown)
When you have missed your exit and had to drive for kilometres on end before you could turn around. (thanks to Rene Rodger)
When you watch the news & it's all pretty much GOOD news! (Watch Emirates News & you'll see what I mean!) (lol! thanks to Andrea Currie)
Krispy Kreme is the new Dunkin Donut. (lol! thanks to Ghina Fahs)
-When you see AC rooms in the middle of the side walk and its usually filled with indians :)
-when you see indians on sidewalks all wearing wither blue, red or yellow jumpsuits, building a new tower or something.
-when locals say they go first in line because its their country :P
-when you go out till 3-4 am and its totally safe :)
-When you go to USA, and you say your from dubai, they say " ohhh the big island with man made buildings? " lol :P
-where even the plam trees are man made :) (thanks to Ariana Minai. We miss you too!)
When you know that even if a you see a school's name followed by the word "college", it's not actually a college.
You attempt to fast during Ramadan.
You are never surprised to see the police speeding by in a Mercedes, BMW, or even a Hummer.
When you're WAY cooler than everyone who doesn't live/hasn't lived in Dubai.
You love Zaatar W Zeit.
You have never ridden a public bus.
You laugh at how small malls in America or Europe are compared to Dubai.
Taxi drivers play really loud Indian music and won't turn it off.
Ferraris and Lamborghinis are a totally normal sight.
You know some phrases in Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, and/or Arabic.
You have a maid/know some people with maids.
Your dentist's office is in some villa in Jumeirah.
You've smoked shisha.
You've eaten in the bathroom at the mall during Ramadan.
A thunderstorm makes front page news.
You've gotten lost in Madinat Jumeirah.
You have Mall of the Emirates memorized.
You can get cheap Indian food anywhere.
You don't know how to pump gas.
80 degrees Fahrenheit is cool.
70 degrees Fahrenheit is chilly.
You spend Halloween night at the Lakes/Meadows/Springs.
People who aren't from Dubai always ask if you've been in the Burj Al Arab.
You get groceries from Spinney's and Choithram's.
Shawarmas are fast food.
You can't imagine life without A/C.
Everyone has a cell phone.
In McDonald's, a hamburger is called a beefburger.
Your house doesn't have carpet floors.
McDonald's has McArabias.
When you start memorising arabic commercials, like "Mafi Philadelphia, Mafi Masrouf!" (thanks to Megan Kate Potter)
When Dubai defines a "nanosecond" eg - The time between when the traffic lights go green and driver behind you beeps (thanks to Austyn Campbell)
-When using the hard shoulder as an extra lane comes naturally
-You've dared argue with a local who queue jumped you in the bank
-You seen the convoy of learner drivers all crash into the back of each other one by one like dominoes
-you haven't made your own tea/coffee at work ever (thanks to Dan Kelly)
When you go to Etisalat or any government office, you NEVER line up at the counter with an arab woman behind it. She spends more time on the phone with her friends and flipping her scarf! (thanks to Sharon Fong)
When you wear a sweater when it's less than 27 degrees Celsius. (thanks to Nayana Prakash)
Where else in the world do you order KFC/Burger King to be delivered to your house? (admittedly only at 3am after a big night out!) (thanks to Katherine Allaway)
When the new official bird for the region is called a 'crane'! (thanks to Steve Johnston)
When the plumber or electrician is coming and they say they are coming the next day at noon, they really mean like sometime in the next few months.. and they carry their tools around in a choitrams bag (thanks to Atlanta Neudorf)
When you could give directions to the closest Spinneys to your house. (thanks to Jude Salem)
-When your pizza comes faster than the ambulance.
-When you've rarely witnessed a minivan.
-When your milk has a short expiry date. (thanks to Koushawn Monajemi)
When the police put on the sireens to get through a traffic jam... and you follow closely behind to get out of the jam. (thanks to Daniel Heijl)
When the answer to "where are you from" depends on the person you're talking to and becomes a deep in-depth conversation, [usually including the phrase "and then we went to" at least 5 times] (thanks to Shireen Toubbeh)
When you go to facebook groups that have the title: 'You know you live in -insert your country of origin here-' and you get none of the jokes because you lived here so long (thanks to Kerris Davies)
When somebody in a different country asks you if you go to school by camel or in the past has asked you if you live in a war zone... (thanks to Kate Burns)
-When your school is closed because of the rain.
-When you go on summer holiday and come back and find a new building built (thanks to Adam Mélone)
When people ask you wheter you have been bombed or when they ask you what it's like to live in a place covered in sand. (thanks to Danii Millership)
-When you know somebody who has bought their drivers liscence
-When you have over 5 "Booze Guy" numbers on your phone
-When they changed our weekend from thursday friday, to friday saturday :)
-When you have/know people who have gone clubbing at age 14/15 etc (: (thanks to Megan Flook)
When George Bush comes and visits, everyone has a day off (: best day ever (: (thanks to Amiiee Hamadeh)
When paying 24 dhs for a coke seems ok. (thanks to Martine Chetcuti)
When you go to a different country and the first thing you notice is there aren't speedbumps every second. (thanks to Lily Lily B)
When your sleeping at night and then all of a sudden you hear screeching on the road form cars flying over the spped bumps. (thanks to Sarah Zaatar)
When your driving on the road and you see a cop talking on the phone and speeding and you laugh. (thanks to Hannah Zaatar)
When sitting down to dinner between 10pm-12 is normal! (thanks to Kim Christie)
When you get days off when it rains.
When it rains, everyone runs outside.
When foreigners are sunburnt, but they think it's a tan. (thanks to Kareem Ghanam)
When camels no longer seem as interesting as they did before you moved there. (thanks to Noelle Berghamn)
When people compliment your tan (: (thanks Madeleine Latti)
When you're not surprised when the recyling company doesn't recyle. (thanks to Aditi Shrikhande)
You have accidentally said "close" or "open" the light.
A Lamborghini speeds by your car and you don't even blink.
You've crossed really big roads, 4 lanes and above!
When you go overseas, you get kind of scared of thunderstorms since you rarely see them in Dubai.
When you have a few extra days off, you go to Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, or Muscat.
You find American news/American CNN to be highly idiotic---you watch CNN International/BBC News/Al Jazeera instead.
You watch MTV Arabia.
One word: SHAWARMAS.
You love the fact that most places are open 7 days a week.
You love that the malls close really late.
People get excited when it's really cloudy.
When it rains, newspapers always do a 2-page spread showing people walking in the rain.
People overseas are always asking about the beaches.
If you don't speak Arabic, the only words you know are "yallah!" "habibi" and "khalas!"
You call all your friends habibi/habibti, even if you don't speak Arabic.
You have developed a high heat tolerance.
You can go skiing one day and tanning the next. (thanks to Nesa Rassouli)
-If you think 9 pm is a normal time to go play golf because all golf courses have floodlights
-You dont really know why or how taxes work or you try to forget.
-You think the speed limit is only advisory, and you dont follow it since you know where all the radars are.
-You think Midnight is a perfectly normal time to be at the mall.
-You find it weird that the same movies are not released in all the cinemas in a city at the same time
-You are always on the lookout for new sheesha places
-You find Alcohol excites you more than it should (thanks to Haaris S Ahmed)
When you move our of dubai you accidentally use yala and habibi without even realizing then you realize everyone is staring at you because they haven't the faintest clue what you are on about. (thanks to Kaitlin Louise Polkinghorne)
-When you give directions to your house based on landmarks and not street names?
-When you can jay walk-and even RUN across the road and not get into trouble (thanks to Savannah Fernandes)
When the cops are patrolling by and sense something illigal going on, and they ask for your 'butakha' (I.D.) and you know what it means... (thanks to Jades Incarnazion)
You've never actually been dehydrated, thanks to all of the ACs and supermarkets every 2 minutes xD (thanks to Reem MA)
When you see almost everyone wearing ed hardy (thanks to Storm Khan)
When you get a month off when someone important dies (thanks to Jack Radcliffe)
When the water that comes out of the cold tap is hotter than the water that comes out of the hot tap. (SO TRUE! thanks to Natasha McClure Ahmed)
When you see a car crash and its a big one you blame the sharjah-ains or the abu dhabi-ains. (lol so true. thanks to Banna Sifri :])
When someone from another country asks if you live in a tent in the middle of the desert. (thanks to Francisca Vinder)
You can never see the stars in the sky, so when you go overseas and see them, you are always fascinated.
IF YOU GO TO DAA (i dont know about other schools) - you can see the burj al arab and jumeirah beach hotel from some of your classes :)
When you go overseas, you are surprised and slightly annoyed at how slow everyone drives.
You know you have lived in Dubai when everyone in England asks do you speak Dubaiish.. (thanks to Emma Byford)
You know you have lived in dubai if you or your parents have bought gold during dubai shopping festival hoping to win a kilo of gold or that Nissan Patrol. (thanks to Roycin Dsouza)
When almost every kid strolls around in heelys.. (thanks to Ghina Xcena)
When in a different country you complain to yourself about how long it takes for the shower to heat up. (thanks to Adam Mélone)
When you are called 'My Friend' even though you aint his/her friend! (thanks to Farida Bardianah)
When u go to pay at the cash register in a grocery store, but realize you forgot to weigh your fruits/vegetables (thanks to Negeen Farsio)
When you buy a pair of jeans that are too long because it's very easy to get them fixed (most shops have their own tailor) (thanks to Christine Linge)
You don't blink an eye when someone pulls up abruptly and flicks on their hazards....its a legitimate way of parking right? (thanks to Renee Spence)
When being a woman gets you served quicker in banks thanks to the women only queue! (thanks to Donna Wibberley)
-When visiting Mall of the Emirates becomes a necessary part of life, and if a week passes by without you visiting it, it is VERY abnormal.
-When you see teenage boys with abnormally big, black and frizzy wigs.
-When you see a celebrity look-alike in MOE.
-When you see atleast one person wearing the same shirt you're wearing.
-When you go to Virgin Megastore and find atleast one potential date.
-When you pass by a group of Abaya-wearing women and literally suffocate from the strong smell of their perfume.
-When you see Burj Dubai atleast once a day, staring at you from afar and waving HELLO! (look at me, I'm tall)
-When you hear someone bought a mobile for 12,000 Dhs and think it is totally normal.
-When you see cars with country flags on their bumpers.
-When you get stopped by a policeman you're at total ease, because you know of Dubai policemen's friendliness (thanks to Zeina Haddad)
When you're ashamed of your un-pedicured feet (true! thanks to Sheila Brown)
-When you find the Emirates Airline music homey
-When you know exactly how to say "Fasten your seatbelts" in the funny arabic man's voice on the plane, and everyone stares at you. (thanks to Verity Brown)
When you have missed your exit and had to drive for kilometres on end before you could turn around. (thanks to Rene Rodger)
When you watch the news & it's all pretty much GOOD news! (Watch Emirates News & you'll see what I mean!) (lol! thanks to Andrea Currie)
Krispy Kreme is the new Dunkin Donut. (lol! thanks to Ghina Fahs)
-When you see AC rooms in the middle of the side walk and its usually filled with indians :)
-when you see indians on sidewalks all wearing wither blue, red or yellow jumpsuits, building a new tower or something.
-when locals say they go first in line because its their country :P
-when you go out till 3-4 am and its totally safe :)
-When you go to USA, and you say your from dubai, they say " ohhh the big island with man made buildings? " lol :P
-where even the plam trees are man made :) (thanks to Ariana Minai. We miss you too!)
When you know that even if a you see a school's name followed by the word "college", it's not actually a college.
You attempt to fast during Ramadan.
You are never surprised to see the police speeding by in a Mercedes, BMW, or even a Hummer.
When you're WAY cooler than everyone who doesn't live/hasn't lived in Dubai.
