My Abu Dhabi Rent takes you inside a reader's home to have a look at what they pay each month, see who they live with, and ask what they like and don't like
When choosing where to live in Abu Dhabi, it was all about location for mum-of-three Sajida Aljaber.
Working full time as a dentist with changing shift patterns, it was important that her family lived close to the children’s school so they could avoid the headache of peak-hour traffic during pick-up and drop-off times.
After spending three years living on Reem Island, Sajida, from Jordan, enrolled her children in a new school, Al Yasmina Academy. She subsequently moved to a large, four-bed villa in Al Raha Gardens, which was right on the doorstep of their new campus.
Six years later, she said life has been good in their new compound and they plan on staying in the area for years to come.
Although the family pays a premium for their villa because of its location and amenities, Sajida said she wouldn’t change it for the world.
Here, she invites The National into her home.
Where do you live?
We moved to Al Raha Gardens in Khalifa City six years ago. Before that, we spent three years in a villa on Reem Island and seven years in Kuwait.
Tell us about the property you live in
It’s a four-bed, standalone villa with private parking. We have our own swimming pool, too. That was the cherry on top when we viewed the villa before moving in. In that first year, there was so much excitement about the swimming pool.
The children would play in it all the time and have their friends around, but for the past two years we have hardly used it. We still have to maintain it regularly, though.
The villa itself is nice and spacious and there’s enough room for us to socialise together as a family but also to have time to ourselves.
How much do you pay per month?
We rent the villa for Dh185,000 a year, so that is about Dh15,500 per month. On top of that, we pay about Dh3,000 to Dh4,000 on bills.
If you take this villa and compare it with a similar villa in a different area of Abu Dhabi, we do pay quite a high price, but it’s all about the location for us. It’s close to the children’s school.
We could have rented a similar villa in another compound for Dh130,000 a year but we wanted to be based here.
Why did you choose to live here?
The one and only reason was to be close to the children’s school. The campus is literally minutes from our front door, so the kids can walk or bike to school on their own.
I have a 12-year-old girl and 17-year-old twin boys and it’s just so convenient for them. The shifts my husband and I work change sometimes, so it would have been difficult trying to plan school pick-up and drop-off times.
I wasn’t keen to send the children on a school bus either, as that adds hours on to their day. When we enrolled the children in their school, I knew immediately that I wanted to live in the Raha Gardens compound.
What do you like about the area?
First and foremost, its location. It’s convenient for us as a family as it’s not too far from work and, as I mentioned, right on the doorstep of the school.
It has great amenities, too, such as coffee shops, restaurants and supermarkets. My youngest loves playing outside and there are a few parks and lots of walking tracks in the compound.
It’s super safe and I love that I can leave my car unlocked without worrying if anything will happen to it.
Anything you don't like?
We used to live in Kuwait and the compound we lived on was a lot smaller and a lot more social. We would be in and out of each other's homes a lot. I like this compound but it's not as close-knit because it's huge. That would be the only downside.
How have you made your house a home?
We planted some lovely trees in the backyard, which have become more mature over the years. That little extra bit of greenery adds a nice touch to the garden.
We haven’t made any structural changes to the villa, but we’ve added wallpaper and paint to make it more colourful.
I think any house that has kids in it feels homely, so the children’s belongings scattered around makes it a home too I guess.
How did you find the villa?
When I toured the children’s school before they enrolled, I was keen to find a property nearby so I searched on Google for homes in Raha Gardens.
We viewed about three in total but we settled on this one because it was so spacious and had the swimming pool.
Do you plan on staying in the villa long term?
My two boys head off to university next year, so I think we will downsize as there will only be three of us at home. We will stay within this area, though.
If we can’t find a villa in the compound, we will just stay put.
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
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Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie
Four out of five stars
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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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”.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Poacher
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Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets