Abayas- basically long black flowy dresses that can be worn alone or over clothes. I don't own one because we are not required to wear them at my school; however, most teachers do wear them. Some of them are very basic, and others have beautiful lace or sequins on them.
Brunch buffets- this is THE thing to do in UAE on Fridays. Most of them are expensive (on average $100 a person) but that includes a TON of food and some include drinks from the bar. We have only been to one so far and that's because we won tickets from my favorite magazine.
Bidets- mini toilets that are used to clean your privates. Europe has them too, but definitely strange to Americans! Sometimes there is just a hose by the toilet. I still haven't figured out the logistics.
Carwashes- there are people everywhere who will hand wash your car for 25 dirhams (about $7). We got our first UAE carwash at the Emirates Palace parking deck, but now the cleaning guy in our apartment building does it for 100 dirhams a month (about $30) whenever it's dirty.
Camels- I absolutely love these creatures and it always makes me smile when I see them in the back of a truck.
Deserts and Desserts- obviously I live in a huge desert...but this place is full of desserts too. There are tons of sweets shops everywhere and candy galore...that's why all the kids' teeth are rotten. One difference is that sweets like cupcakes and cakes aren't as sweet as at home.
Etisalat- this is one of the cell phone/cable/internet providers here. The other one is Du. I think more people go with Etisalat. There are post-paid plans like at home, but we do pre-paid. It's pretty easy...you can buy a card at any hypermarket and you just enter the code on your phone to load credits which are then deducted when you make calls or text. We also have a code that allows us to use unlimited facebook, twitter, and whatsapp for about $15 a month.
Fashion- I've mentioned before that we have tons of clothing stores here. Everything from the US (Aeropostale, GAP, American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M, etc) plus stores from Europe and Asia. I think it's kind of ironic because the women here wear abayas, but I guess they were "regular" clothes when they are at home. There are also all of the designer names here (Jimmy Choo, Valentino, Versace, etc)
GPS- pretty much a necessity here. We bought one the same day we got our car, but unfortunately it fell onto our hard tile floors and cracked the screen. We tried to make due with me reading a map, but it's nearly impossible. GPS is definitely the way to go (and we just got a new one yesterday).
Hospitals and hypermarkets- are everywhere! I swear in Abu Dhabi there are at least 20 hospitals! And guess what...it's cheap! Hypermarkets (Lulu's, Carrefour, Megamart, Geant, etc) are attached to every mall and then some are stand alone stores. You can get everything you need there (kind of like super Walmart).
Impatience- it's ironic that everyone tells you to be patient when you move here because if there's one thing that the locals are not, it's patient. They don't want to wait their turn in line and they DEFINITELY are impatient drivers. They ignore stop signs, cut you off in the parking lot, and even pass you very dangerously on whatever side of the road suits them.
Jobs- in the US most low level jobs are done by high schoolers. Here, fast food and "minimum wage" type jobs are done by Asians for the most part. Custodians, construction workers, etc. are usually from Pakistan or India. I will definitely be writing more about this later (i.e. after I leave the country)
Kandoras- white linen robes worn by men, sometimes with a head scarf of various colors, and other times with a baseball cap
Kisses- men do Eskimo kisses (rubbing the noses together) which makes me giggle and the women do air kisses on the side of the cheek. I have not received an air kiss, which I think means I am not "in", but I'm ok with that because it makes me nervous. I've seen single kisses and as many as 4 and I would have no idea when to stop.
License plates and luxury cars- the lower the number, the more important the person is. Seriously! So I forget if mine has 5 or 6 digits...but if you see a single digit, they are royalty! The lowest number I have seen in person is 145. And you don't need to be royal to have a luxury car...we see many "average" people with BMWs, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, etc.
Malls- I've already mentioned malls, but they are crazy big and in every city. Some cities like Dubai have at least 10 malls. Even in Al Ain there are 5.
Mosques- are also EVERYWHERE. For every mall there are probably 10 mosques. You will be driving in the middle of the desert and see one. I always wondered how they determine which one you go to...can you just pick? Because some are really nice and others aren't. They are actually building a mosque in my apartment complex.
Mansions- some of the houses here are ridiculous. They are all made of cement and have huge cement walls around them with beautiful gates. One day I hope to be invited inside of one.
Nannies- most locals (and lots of expats) have one...and some have one per kid! They are usually from Asia. They wear outfits similar to nursing scrubs. Sometimes they are like nannies to the local
mothers because they carry their bags through the stores. I personally think they usually look very unhappy which makes me sad.
Oud- this is the name of the perfumes/scents here. Most malls have several stores or kiosks that sell it (sometimes right next to each other!). They usually have someone outside the store who wants to spray you with something.
Park(s)- there are quite a few parks in the cities and some of them are very nice with playgrounds, fountains, bike rentals, even snack bars. Some parks are just for ladies (woot woot!)
Park(ing)- as mentioned with impatience...if you get tired of driving around looking for a parking space, just park on the median, in the no parking spaces, on the sidewalk...wherever you want really.
Quiet- well other than at my school, for the most part this is a very quiet society!
Roundabouts- you will see your life flash before your eyes most times that you are in one
Radio- in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, there are stations that play top 40 hits...but in Al Ain there are not
Speed cameras- you don't really see police anywhere, but the speed cameras are hidden and will take your picture. I know one took our picture last night, so I'm nervous to see what the fine is.
Stray cats- are also everywhere...we have at least 4 in our complex
Time Out- my favorite magazine here because it tells you what's going on in Abu Dhabi and Dubai te next week and always has helpful articles; they also have awesome contests!
Understanding- pretty difficult to do when people don't speak the same language as me
Victoria's Secret- so far I have not seen one that sells undergarments...they only have body products like lotions and perfumes. It's not that fancy panties and bras aren't sold here...there are several stores that do...I just haven't seen a VS that does. Maybe in Dubai.
Westerners- the term for people from Europe and the US
Xpatriates (I know this is spelled wrong LOL)- people who have moved here to work (i.e. me)
Yas- an island on the eastern end of Abu Dhabi that has Yas Waterworld (amazing water park!), Ferrari World (home of the world's fastest roller coaster), IKEA, Formula 1 racing, Du Arena, and soon will have a HUGE mall
Zoos- are very nice and inexpensive here (there's one in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Al Ain)
There's so much more to tell you...this was just a hodge podge of information :)
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