Blonde in the Emirates: Arab men, short shorts and search for beets

24-year-old Natalia Gabovskaya moved from Moscow to the United Arab Emirates three years ago and now works as a tourism manager. The girl told Eva.ruwhy it is better for a Russian bride not to rely on marriage with an Arab man, who knocks on neighbors in the UAE, and where to find food for borscht and Mishka in the North sweets.

- Natalia, how did you find yourself in the Emirates?

- My then future husband was offered a job in this country. And we, without thinking twice, accepted the offer, having decided that it was an interesting experience for development and career. My young man flew first, and I moved in a few years after graduation.

It should be understood that unmarried couples are not allowed to live here together, although it is practiced. But we did not take risks, and I finally moved after we registered the marriage.

- But this rule, as I understand it, does not apply to tourists?

- Now this rule does not apply to tourists - unmarried couples, of course, can live in a hotel together.

There was a time when unmarried tourists were not settled in one room. And it turns out that we lived illegally for some time. This may continue for the time being, since the neighbors will almost certainly come up with such a couple. And then they will not only be fined, but also evicted from the apartment.

An interesting fact: if a man who came to work in the Emirates has a salary below four thousand dirhams - that's about 1100 dollars, then a visa for his wife will not be opened. Therefore, many men live here without their women, they are mostly Pakistanis and Indians, because their salaries are below this level. But a woman can also come to the Emirates and get a job. Then they will open a work visa for her and she can live here peacefully.

- And how much of the local residents spread the practice of informing?

- It all depends on the emirate in which you live. For example, in Sharjah, the very, let's say, the Muslim and strict emirate, alcohol is strictly prohibited, there they strictly watch what you are wearing. There are quite a lot of traditional Arab families living in this emirate. We also lived there for a while and, to be honest, it was scary to endure even small disagreements outside the walls of the villa. Moreover, even to go to the store in short shorts or a T-shirt, when on the street plus 47 degrees, was simply unthinkable. And in this emirate there is no pronounced squealing, but people still try to follow each other. But if you do not violate the freedom of another person and do not insult his feelings, then no one will deliberately report on you.

- Is such ubiquitous observation justified? Does it really help keep order?

- In my opinion, this is justified. Emirates - a country in which you really feel safe. Here you can completely calmly, walking into the store, leave your previous purchases at the doorstep and go further with free hands. And do not worry that you have stolen left unattended things.

Also, unattended, you can leave baby strollers, phones on the beach, and so on. Of course, thefts happen, but they are usually made by some guest performers. Hands for theft here, of course, are not cut off, but if the thief is caught, he will be punished within the law. In addition, on the streets there are no drunken, some loud scandals, fights.

In the Emirates, there is the so-called morality police - civilian policemen who are among us. Therefore, you never know who is following you and where. But, if somewhere there is a traffic accident or an administrative offense, the police appear instantly. They even say that they know more about us than we do about ourselves.

- When you first went to the Emirates, you probably had certain ideas about this country. Which of them were justified, and which were completely untrue?

- I experienced serious stress, first flying to the Emirates. I was 19 years old, I'm not married, I'm traveling alone, without parents. Plus, I have a stamp in my passport about visiting Israel. I gathered in my head all the myths, prejudices from Google, as I call them, and was so alarmed that I even burst into tears in a long line at the border in Dubai. However, in the end, nobody asked me about anything.

Therefore, the myth that single girls and those who visited Israel are not allowed into the United Arab Emirates has been debunked. As time goes on, everything changes. Now even canceled visas for Russians, Ukrainians and Kazakhs. Previously, a visa cost 90 dollars, but now you can be free in the Emirates 30 days. So this country is becoming more open and loyal to tourists.

I also thought it was dry. But it turned out that in the Emirates, a rather vigorous nightlife, especially in tourist places - in Dubai, Abu Dhabi. And, probably, the main myth that women here do not have any rights, that they are the shadow of a man and that is why they wear black national clothes, abayahs, was also debunked. In fact, local women have a lot of rights, they feel great. And wearing a hijab for them is more likely a blessing than an infringement of rights. And many Arab women even sue their husbands and win these courts.

The reason for the claim may be, for example, if one of the wives finds that the man is not performing his marital debt well enough or if he finds out that the other wife received an expensive gift. That is, a local woman can safely file for divorce, and the court will be on her side.

- So, in the Emirates, there are nightclubs?

- Almost in every emirate there are, if not clubs, then closed bars, mainly at hotels where you can drink, listen to live music, dance and socialize. And, by the way, the regulars of these institutions are not always tourists, and the locals.

“Can local women go there?”

- At the entrance no one will refuse them. It all depends on whether their family, husband, lets them go. There are plenty of local women in Dubai clubs.

- How is your life? Do you cook, clean? Or is it done by specially trained people?

- The industry of providing public services is simply awesome here. As for the wealthy locals and Europeans, these people do nothing with their own hands. Every morning I observe how they leave for work, and a whole delegation from the cleaning company is sent to their homes. When we lived in a villa, we also had to use the services of a Hindu gardener who took care of our lawn, palm trees, and flowers. Now we live in smaller apartments, and we do not have such an economy, therefore we do not need the services of a gardener.

Also here, many have nannies, housekeepers. Some Arab women come to the point that even the stores are accompanied by housekeepers who serve them for fitting. I rarely invite a housemaid, mainly to clean the mezzanine and balcony, mostly by myself, because I have quite a flexible schedule.

As for food. We had experience when we constantly ate food delivered from the restaurant. But it is not very well reflected in the shape and health, so now I try to cook on my own.

However, if you miss home Russian cuisine and want to cook, for example, borsch, then you have to go through a quest in search of beets.

The same goes for sour cream. Here there is only imported Ukrainian, and it still needs to be searched. But we are happy to go through all these trials to enjoy your favorite dishes.

- In addition to sour cream and beets, what else is impossible to buy in stores from what they are used to in Russia?

We have a whole list of products that we always ask to bring our friends and relatives or we carry them from vacation. For example, smoked sausages, which we love very much. They are sold here, but not as tasty as ours. Also buckwheat: it appeared in local stores, but costs 5 dollars per 800 grams.

Cottage cheese and sour cream are only President brands, local counterparts are not very popular. Also, please bring jelly, kvass. In the Emirates, there is not even such a thing as kvass, so cooking a simple dish like okroshka is quite difficult here. So a bottle of kvass, brought from Russia, is perceived as manna from heaven and is stored to the last.

- Where does the Ukrainian sour cream come from in the Emirates?

- Imported goods are not prohibited here. We buy cottage cheese, sour cream in supermarkets, in which there are so-called Russian shelves.

When a new product from Russia appears in the store, it becomes a whole event. Recently, for example, brought candy - "Bear in the North." So they lined up a whole queue, and the day bought the entire batch.

Also, there is no real marshmallow, only the similarity of marshmallow type. Therefore, they are very reluctant to share the information that he appeared in a store, fearing that they would buy everything quickly again.

In addition, some entrepreneurs from the former Soviet republics open shops here, selling all kinds of pickles, smoked fish, squid, jam, and more. As is known, in the Emirates, as in other Muslim countries, pork is forbidden. Therefore, dishes from this meat are served only in closed restaurants at hotels. Sausage, pork ribs, etc. are sold in stores that look like ordinary grocery stores, but in closed sections. And the purchases are wrapped in packages so that it is not visible what is inside. And there is pork here, of course, more expensive.

- How different is the mentality of local men from Russians?

- Arab men are very different from Russian. This is especially true driving style. On the road, the locals behave quite aggressively, often do not turn on the turn signals, overtake. And the fines that are provided for it, they are not at all confused, although the amounts start from 150 dollars. Being late for an Arab man is the norm, part of etiquette. They are rather reserved in their feelings, but at the same time they are sociable, friendly and smiling. This is what lies on the surface, but somewhere deeper Arabs simply do not allow outsiders. They are always very decorous, welcoming, open to others. But this has a downside that we don’t know about, as the Arab men hold their lives behind a veil of secrecy.

- What should be ready Russian woman who dreams to marry a resident of the Emirates?

- In addition, it will be extremely difficult to do this - it’s almost impossible to get a marriage proposal here. Like the approval of his family, and this is a very important aspect.

Also, our woman, if a divorce happens, may be on bird rights. On the other hand, the Russian wife of the Arab men are waiting for generous gifts, idle and somewhere monotonous life, idleness, because many are not allowed to work. But you also need to be prepared for the fact that if a person is still not close to you in spirit, then it will be difficult to find great happiness.

“I read that if a local man marries a foreign woman, he will not have to give gifts to all women of her kind up to the seventh knee, as is the case with local women.”

- It's true. Moreover, a foreign woman will not become a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, even as the wife of a local resident. This is the rule for everyone except, of course, members of the royal family. In this case, children born in marriage with non-residents of the Emirates, still get citizenship, but after passing through a variety of various checks.

- How often does polygamy occur in practice?

- Rarely enough. Only very wealthy local Arabs have a few wives, because every wife should feel good, everything should be the same. They do not live in a harem, they have separate houses. In principle, they are pretty happy women. And those who are unhappy dissolve marriages and leave their husbands with empty pockets.

“Can a divorced woman in a Muslim country remarry?”

- Of course, it can. The only condition is that it must take at least three months after the divorce to make sure that the woman is not pregnant.

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