Tips on how to dress, greet and use social media without getting into trouble with the law, are being offered to foreign teachers who began arriving in the UAE last weekend.
Five hundred new non-Arab teachers, most of whom have never been to the UAE or the Middle East before, are being schooled on the local lifestyle through practical lessons and field visits, ahead of the upcoming academic year.
The teachers – who have come from Europe, North America and South Africa to teach at public school across the country – are being given cultural training during a two-day awareness programme held by the Ministry of Education.
“We did an in-house induction the past few years, and what we found is that we were doing it from a western perspective,” said Geraldine Craven, a specialist at the Ministry’s training department and who is in charge of the programme.
“There are some things that teachers can do in their own country, but when they come here, they see these things are not culturally acceptable. So we want to give them training from an Emirati perspective.”
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"People often come and think that the UAE is just about Dubai, so they have a very particular view. But our teachers will teach all over the Northern Emirates, where there is a much more traditional culture," she said.
Alternatively, they may have heard of other Middle Eastern countries where women dress and work differently, “but here they notice it is very welcoming and people are very open about their culture.”
“It is not difficult to live here,” Ms Craven said.
The programme takes an interactive approach in explaining why certain things are deemed unacceptable in the UAE by explaining the difference between UAE law and that of their home countries.
“There is a great deal of misconception around the legal use of social media. So we have to talk to them about how you shouldn’t slander or be disrespectful or talk about someone as it could get you into trouble,” Ms Craven said.
However, the programme is not limited to explaining a list of rules. On the second day of the workshop, the teachers are taken to the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding in Ajman, where they learned the A-B-C’s of the local lifestyle from Emirati students and volunteers.
“They go to the majlis, they see how families use their rooms differently… and the etiquette about the coffee and the dates.”
“They also get to go inside a mosque and ask about some religious practices… some may have never heard about this before,” she said.
Upon completion of the training for the first batch of 80 teachers on Monday, Daphne Ho said she noticed some similarities between the UAE and China, where she used to teach.
She noted “the level of respect towards teachers and elders and each other." She also remarked that "the image is a very personal thing and people do care about what other people say and see.”
Despite it not being her first experience with Middle Eastern culture – having previously tutored Saudi Arabian students while living in the US – Ms Ho, 32, who will be teaching English in Ras Al Khaimah, said “it was interesting to learn about the history and how people are nowadays and how it is different from what I know.”
When Luke Loveitt arrived in Sharjah on Saturday, it was the first time he set foot in the Middle East.
“I did a little bit of research before coming out from expat forums, but literally since being here in the country I’ve been welcomed and it is very nice to learn about the country, a little bit of traditions like the dress stance around here, and local food.”
He said the Ministry’s programme was more of an eye opener and showed the teachers what the environment would be like.
The 26-year-old Briton will be teaching physical education at a secondary school for boys in Sharjah.
“We were told what to expect from the students and families from around the local areas. Protocols in schools. One about being respectful was the main thing -- while in shopping in malls, on the street.”
Among other things he learned was to only shake hands with men, unless the woman offers.
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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I Feel Pretty
Dir: Abby Kohn/Mark Silverstein
Starring: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Rory Scovel
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
