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LifeStyle- Dubai
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Dubai Navigation |
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| ۞ Lifestyle |
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There are as many different lifestyles being played out in Dubai as there are grains of sand on Jumeirah Beach. Disposable income plays a big part how people live in DubaAt the top end of the pay scale is the proffessional and wealthy bussiness class. Good salary package or income, nice car,
(Mercedes or BMW), a large villa with a maid or two and a lifestyle that allows them to travel overseas for two months a year to escape-the heat of summer. Housewives left with little to do at home spend much of their time with other women in similar circumstances. It's fair to say these women keep the cosmetics and spa industries alive and the coffee shops ticking over during the day. These expats are generally Western, but there are plenty of Indians and Iranians that fall into this category. |
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There is another category of professional expat - the academics, health professionals, media and IT people - who earn much the same as they would back home in gross terms, but with no tax, free housing, good holidays and other benefits, such as free schooling and health care, they come out way ahead in financial terms. These expats are also generally Western, but there's a large number of Indians working in the IT field. Depending on how many children they have, some families have a full-time or part-time maid or nanny. Some are here to put away as much money as possible to pay off a place back home, while others enjoy the lifestyle and often leave without saving a cent, but having had a great time. |
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Dubai has a huge service sector and traditionally workers come from India, Pakistan and the Philippines, but now there are workers coming from other Asian countries as well. Working as line cooks, waiters and in supermarkets, these expats stand to make much more money in Dubai than at home, usually working six days a week and staying in relatively cheap accommodation with several others from the same company. Their one day off is generally spent with friends or emailing home. Many of the Pakistani and Indian men have organised cricket matches as well as meeting places where they catch up on news from home.
There is a huge number of maids employed in Dubai - check the classifieds of Gulf News. Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan live-in maids are generally paid between Dh500 and Dh800 a month, usually living in a tiny room in a villa or a large apartment. While the money earned is one tenth of a Western professionals' starting money, it's still much more than unskilled work pays back home. Depending on the family, some of these maids become an integral part of the family structure, forming close bonds with the children.
For around the same money Indians, Pakistanis and workers from other Arab countries go about the hazardous business of construction. These men usually work six or six and a half days a week on 12 hour shifts and live in compounds provided by the construction companies. While conditions have improved, the heat is still oppressive and the pressure to complete buildings in Dubai is enormous.
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