I’m trying to pack for a trip to Paris. Predicted temperatures in the French capital over the next few days range from minus 2 to 13 degrees – and I am woefully unprepared. My UAE-winter wardrobe is no match for a beast-from-the-east-battered Europe.
A colleague that travelled to Moscow last week faced similar troubles – and barely escaped with all his toes. He, much like myself, is an avid sandal wearer, but my collection of sliders, gladiators and diamante-dotted flip flips is not going to cut it over the coming days.
I’ve worn a pair of boots all of once this “winter”. They were Uggs. I pulled them on one hazy morning before work – largely because it was one of those days, and that was the closest I could get to wearing my slippers to the office. My Canadian colleagues scoffed. “Expecting snow?” one of them asked. I got their point – wearing wool-lined boots in the UAE is always a risky endeavour. The day might start out on the chilly side but, by lunchtime, you’ll likely be sweating through your socks.
Getting your winter wardrobe right when you live in the middle of the desert can be tricky – it can be hard to justify spending lots of money on warm clothes when you hardly ever wear them, plus they take up lots of already-limited closet space. So you choose to abstain, making do with those staples you already have. And you spend winter breaks looking like a homeless person.
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Having grown up in the Mediterranean, and then spent the last 10 years living in the UAE, I never really received basic winter wardrobe training. I lack that instinctual sartorial knowledge that makes other women look unfathomably elegant as they swath themselves in pastel-coloured cashmere coats coupled with tailored trousers tucked into sturdy ankle boots, or such-like. I did go to university in Manchester, but spent three years wrapped in a knee-length bomber jacket that was essentially a duvet with sleeves and made me look like the Michelin man. I was too busy fighting a constant case of the sniffles (my immune system is even less able to deal with the cold than my wardrobe) to care about how unstylish I looked.
But a trip to Paris in my mid-30s demands more (even though bomber jackets are apparently back in vogue and I still own that same one). I have decided that it is finally time to invest in some proper cold-weather staples. The secret of a UAE winter wardrobe, as I understand it, is that it needs to eschew trends. If you are going to invest in a decent coat that you’ll only get to wear a couple of times a year, it had better be fashionable for the next decade. You need to invest in solid, honest materials – fleece, cashmere, wool and so on – as any economy here is a false economy. Shoes need to be waterproof and exceedingly comfortable, so you don’t spend your next three holidays trying to break them in. But I’ll probably start with a decent pair of Marks & Spencer thermals (I believe they were the only thing that stood between the aforementioned colleague and a bad case of frostbite).
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
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
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Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
More coverage from the Future Forum
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
