"Home Sweet Sharjah: The Teacher Accommodations"

“Move to a new country and you quickly see that visiting a place as a tourist, and actually moving there for good, are two very different things.”
― Tahir Shah, Travels With Myself

I had arrived to what I would call home for the next year and a half or so. It was late into the night and I had no Wi-Fi connection yet, so all I had time to do was shower and rest before having to be to work the next day by 12pm. But I was totally satisfied with my accommodations.

Now, I will say to keep an open mind. Sometimes, some people will automatically assume that all emirates and cities are a representation of the glitz and glamour that Dubai has to offer when in reality, it can be the complete opposite depending on where you are recruited to. A friend admitted to making the mistake of looking into certain accommodations that were sky rise towers with a modern contemporary inside arrangement of furniture and appliances before coming here and setting the expectations extremely high only to be let down upon arrival. I personally made the mistake of using YouTube to come across an accommodation video that did nothing but complain about bug infestation in the building. My point is, you really do not know what you are going to encounter until you actually get here, so keep an open mind an adjust yourself accordingly. Living arrangements in the UAE as a teacher all depends on where you teach and what that particular school provides and the majority of the time it is not always a perfect combination of desire and convenience. You could either have a really nice apartment but live far away from everything or an ok apartment but in walking or taxi reach of not being sheltered or bored.

Notice how close Sharjah is to Dubai!

I live in Sharjah and it is one of if not the most conservative emirate in the UAE. It is rich in traditional architecture (such as mosques used for daily prayer). A woman must be covered or you will be considered offensive (no bare skin shown above the elbow or knee); this does not include having to wear a hijab or abaya, although many locals and nationalities prefer it. (I wear a hijab sometimes when I am out running).

This is also a dry emirate in that it does not serve alcohol nor allow you to drink it or purchase it, but you can smoke cigarettes and purchase them from certain stores. Also, many restaurants, buses, schools, gyms, and clinics for example are segregated by gender.

  

What I like about Sharjah is that it is very suburban like the area I live in; Al Ramaqia has beautiful villas (what the call homes), neighborhood parks for the children, a walking trail with exercise equipment if you want to workout outside, and local grocery stores where you don't have to trouble yourself with catching a cab all the way to Dubai just to shop for food and necessities. Oh yeah, and that's another thing: Sharjah is right smack in the middle of being 15-20 minutes away (depending on traffic) from Dubai or Ajman in either direction. Many often live in Sharjah because it is cheaper and work and play in Dubai because there is plenty of fun to get into there (beautiful malls for shopping, but that's another post).

This is a local track (1900 meters to be exact). Good for walking in the mornings, but many utilize it in the evenings.



Dinner on the beach with colleagues in Ajman

Ok. So what do my accommodations look like you ask? Here a  few pictures that I took on the morning I woke up from my 15 hour flight. I also am attaching a link that gives a virtual tour!

Teacher Accommodations

It also should be noted that my particular building is directly behind one of the community mosques, so at the same times every day, prayer over a loud speaker can be heard. It bothers some, but many like myself  are able to tune it out.



The mosque is the tall building to the left

This a tutorial my friend sent me on how to use the gas stoves and ovens here:

Overall, I am very happy with where I reside. It is a one bedroom flat that is just big enough for me (and my daughter when she arrives next year) and it is directly across the street from the school that I work at, which comes in handy on the days when I desperately need and/or want to sleep in. Although I live alone, I am surrounded by familiar faces of colleagues. My apartment was fully furnished, which included Wi-Fi connection and utilities. I walk to the store that's a mile away every Saturday to do my weekly grocery shopping, which also has the bank that I decided to sign up with for my pay that is direct deposit only. If I want to go somewhere out of walking distance, I use a taxi (I will decide on leasing a car in the future once my daughter arrives). I will warn that cats are the choice of strays around here and they can be very needy depending on who is feeding them lol. But all in all, I have no complaints and just grateful that my steps have been ordered thus far for me to be able to enjoy this opportunity with no worries.