Monday September 17, 2007 Chris Saul's Blog
Monday September 17, 2007 10% of the UAE population on its way home
The UAE recently held an amnesty for illegal workers, allowing people to return home without being fined for residency irregularities. Most illegal workers had absconded from their original jobs and sponsors and were working illegally elsewhere.
What's amazing about this is that the number of people returning home represents almost 10% of the population here.
I wonder if this will lead to a shortage of workers, or to better conditions for those staying on legally now that the labour pool of 'cheap' illegals is diminished?
( Sep 17 2007, 02:05:30 PM GST ) PermalinkAl Sinjab has a good post on the Arabic mix spoken in this part of the world.
It makes me feel less guilty about not having learnt much more than a few words since arriving here. It also makes me understand why many Arabs seem quite tolerant of the fact that a lot of us Brits don't learn - when the choice of what to learn seems pretty bewildering, it's probably pretty hard to choose what to invest your time and effort in.
Sure, English has plenty of accents, but learning a 'standard' business English version and getting used to a few accents must be easier than learning the local Arabic mix here, which seems like the equivalent of having to master Biblical English, Shakespearian English, Indian English, Brummie, Geordie and a few others.
I'll stick with pidgin Indo-Arabic-English when appropriate to get around -
- You come my house frontside now, ok, khallas!
- I want delivery, one litre milk, 6 egg, 6 bottle water, bas.
- When it will come? Tomorrow too late, I want today. Ok, ok, you come now, 5 minutes.
- How long you in Dubai? 2 year only? You like Dubai? Yes, yes too much traffic Dubai, always mushkillah for taxi driver.
( Sep 17 2007, 01:54:07 PM GST ) Permalink