As I pack up my belongings after nearly 12 years living in Abu Dhabi, I am reflecting on the books I read here and recall flashes of the path I walked. My time in the UAE has been positively influenced by a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, friends' stories and even a trendy series.
Ellen Fortini is listings editor at The National
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
I know for a fact that this is the first book I read when I arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2008. I remember bringing it everywhere, before realising that there was so much to experience that a book wasn’t necessary. I thought my time here would be similar to Elizabeth Gilbert’s journey, but it never really was. That said, the spirit in which she wrote it informed a lot of my cultural exploration and still has me longing to see Bali.
Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer (2005)
I have no idea why I read these books other than that they were popular. I remember buying at least one in The Dubai Mall when it opened and devouring it the whole way home. I watched all of the movies, too, making sure to finish each book before its film was released. It was a nice way to be part of a literary conversation among friends, with sparkly vampire chatter taking place locally and on social media.
Between a Heart and a Rock Place by Pat Benatar (2010)
I reviewed this once for The National as part of a round-up of rock autobiographies, which is my favourite genre. Pat Benatar was a childhood hero of mine and learning about her background and classical voice training made her music even more meaningful to me. Now, 40 years after her album, In the Heat of the Night, was released, she remains someone I look up to personally and professionally.
You Knew He Had Kids When You Married Him by Lisa Adams (2014)
My friend Lisa Adams wrote this book based on the real-life experiences of her friends who are stepmothers. Reading it helped me feel closer to my own stepdaughter, who lived on another continent the entire time her father and I lived in Abu Dhabi. The book is purposely accurate to the cliches and falsehoods that many stepmothers endure.
Dryland: One Woman’s Swim to Sobriety by Nancy Stearns Bercaw (2017)
Nancy Stearns Bercaw and I met the day she arrived in Abu Dhabi and the energy with which she embraced life here, as well as her remarkable transformation, is like nothing I’d ever seen. I don’t want to give too much away, but Abu Dhabi plays a big role in Bercaw’s story, and her expat experience – with all its joys and sorrows – is beautifully expressed and relatable.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
