My Own Home takes you inside a reader-owned property to ask how much they paid, why they decided to buy and what they have done with it since moving in
Veena Menon has called the UAE home since 1999. The Indian has spent most of her life here with her family. While she moved to India for higher education, she soon returned to Dubai, got married and started a family of her own.
Now she lives in a three-bedroom apartment in the Midtown community of Dubai Production City, with her husband, daughter and parents. They chose this location because it is easy to slip out onto the motorway and head to Abu Dhabi, where she works as a programme lead at Zayed International Airport’s air traffic control centre.
While they only bought the place in January, they had already been living in the property for two years. They loved it so much that they decided to make it their own.
The National takes a look around.
Please tell us about your home
Because I stay with my parents, my mum was very particular that we have a closed kitchen and not an open one. And this has a layout with a closed kitchen, and that works well for us. It's the style of our cooking, with a lot of oil and spices, flavours, fragrances and all that. It's better if it's closed so that everything is contained.
We have three bedrooms. We have a maid's room as well, which we've conveniently converted into a storeroom. I have a six-year-old, so she has her own room with her toys and her stuff.
We also have a pretty big balcony, which looks over the community children's park. So, if my daughter goes out to play, I just have to go to the balcony and I can see her playing downstairs.
Everything in the community is on the first floor. On the ground floor is where the car park is, so we can easily leave the kids in the community and not worry about them going into the roads or anything.
When did you buy this property?
December 30 was when the registration was completed, so we technically bought it in January. We had been a tenant in the same apartment since 2023, so we thought we’d make it our own because we like the community.
We like where we are at, where we are staying, so we didn't want to move. We were very particular about getting this apartment.
How much did you buy it for?
We bought it for Dh2.3 million. We just bought it, so I haven't seen if that’s changed, but the area is so popular right now. I'm sure it's going to appreciate soon, once the new airport opens in Dubai World Central.
Why did you choose this neighbourhood?
I work at the Abu Dhabi airport, so I do the commute every day from here. Because of the location, it is an easy commute. It just takes me about 45 to 50 minutes to get to the airport and the same coming back.
The commute to Abu Dhabi was my number one priority. I wanted that to be easy. We were initially staying in Sports City, which isn't far from here as well, but then we found this community. My husband works in Dubai Industrial City, so for him, as well, this is an easy exit.
I also love the community and how many friends there are for my daughter. There are a lot of different nationalities and people from all over and they all meet downstairs in the evening. About 4pm or 5pm, the community becomes really lively, with people walking. There's a jogging trail, there's a swimming pool, a gym, and all of that going on.
I come back from Abu Dhabi and I just go out for a run. I don't like to go to the gym, but there are easy jogging trails and all sorts of sports equipment out there in the community like rowing machines, scooters, bikes and things like that, so I make use of all of that.
For my daughter, it's easy because she goes down and I don't have to worry at all because she has friends. We know who her friends are. We all meet downstairs in the park. We know she'll come back home when it's time.
What renovations have you done?
When we moved in, it was in pretty good condition, so we haven't had to do any renovations. We were a tenant here, so there were minor maintenances here and there we had to organise, but no renovation was required.
Maybe after three or four years, we might consider doing some renovations, but at this moment, I don't see a need.
How would you describe your interior design style?
My style is more homely and very warm. We have a lot of photographs. We travel quite a bit, so there are photos all over the place. There are also little things that we collect from our travels. It’s very minimal, but very homely.
How long do you want to stay in this property?
We're not planning to move out any time soon. This is home. The UAE is home. My husband's got a business, so he has settled. My parents have retired, but they're staying back so they can support us. They keep travelling to India, but after spending maybe one month there, they want to come back.
Having experienced this community now, I can't think about moving out from here, even if I was working somewhere in Dubai. We're so settled here, especially with my daughter having a lot of friends from different nationalities, and I can see her enjoying all of that.
And there are so many festivals celebrated here, not just Indian, although there are a lot of those, but also Thanksgiving and Eid. We get a flavour of all of it.
Do you want to see your home featured in our series? Email kgillett@thenationalnews.com for more information.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
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British Grand Prix free practice times in the third and final session at Silverstone on Saturday (top five):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:28.063 (18 laps)
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) 1:28.095 (14)
3. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1:28.137 (20)
4. Kimi Raikkonen (FIN/Ferrari) 1:28.732 (15)
5. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Renault) 1:29.480 (14)
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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I Care A Lot
Directed by: J Blakeson
Starring: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage
3/5 stars
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FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
The years Ramadan fell in May
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
