Throughout the years that I have been working in the Emirates I have always lived in Abu Dhabi; I have come to call it home. My work has taken me all over the UAE – to deserts, islands and mountains, as well as to other cities. I’ve seen it all, changing, developing and growing, each emirate at its own particular pace.
However, I’ve never quite fallen in love with Dubai as many of my friends have done. Indeed, my daughter is happily settled there.
To some extent that’s because I’ve never become familiar with it in the way that I have done with Abu Dhabi. I’ve rushed in and out on short visits, or driven through it, or now, thanks to the Emirates Road and the outer bypass, I drive past to other destinations. I will go to great lengths to avoid a trip to its malls. And like many Abu Dhabi residents I’ve been mildly miffed over the years by the feeling that somehow Dubai (and Sharjah) residents looked upon us as country cousins – a bit behind the times. I remember a member of the Sharjah ruling family telling me in the mid-1980s that although he was in Dubai almost every day, he hadn’t been to Abu Dhabi for ten years, and didn’t feel motivated to drive down the road. I haven’t seen him here since.
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