I was BBM-ing my Thai friend few days/weeks back, when suddenly she sent me a pic asking me to guess where she was at that time. It was a pic of a cafe with some Arab magazine, the Maktoums on cover. So I was like, "you in Dubai?" She laughed. She said, "No I'm at my favorite Arabic coffee shop, drinking my favorite Arabic coffee." (!!!!) So I was like huh?! Arabic coffee - what was that?
Honestly, it made me ponder big time and realized something... been in Dubai for 6 yrs or so but I've never been in Arabic coffee shop nor drink Arabic coffee while her in Thailand and never had set her foot in any Arab countries telling me she's drinking her favorite Arabic coffee is so embarrassing!!!
Oh and I've never been to any Arabic resto (unless Al Safeer is counted) neither in any Arab house.. How uncool is that?!
Again I've realized that I have never had any Arab friends to hang out with in the Emirates.. the only people I'm hanging out with -all the time- are my fellow countrymen and other Orientals/Asians.
Is there anyone out there who shares the same feelings with me? Or have you been "Emiratified" or "Arabified" already? Tell me about it.. I wanna know.
P.S. Emiratified or Arabified is not about going to Burj Khalifa or belly dancing or sand-boarding in Dubai... because it is so touristy. It's about eating shawarma, drinking chai karak from hole-in-the-wall places and stuff like that.. something natives really do.
P.S. Emiratified or Arabified is not about going to Burj Khalifa or belly dancing or sand-boarding in Dubai... because it is so touristy. It's about eating shawarma, drinking chai karak from hole-in-the-wall places and stuff like that.. something natives really do.
