Dubai, So Near And Yet So Far

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. You've probably never heard of it.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates. You've heard of it

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. You've heard of that one too. You're hoping someone will buy your football team.

There are seven Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

• Abu Dhabi
• Ajman
• Dubai
• Fujairah
• Ras Al Khaimah
• Sharjah
• Umm al-Quwain

If I'm honest, I though Al Ain was an Emirate, but realised that it is a city in Abu Dhabi. I've never there, but I will. It is the garden city.

However, I live in Sharjah. It is on the north Dubai border. If you were to look out of our kitchen window, you can see houses in Dubai. If you look out the window of the back of the building, you can see Ajman. That is on the Sharjah north border.

I am a teacher and we are provided accommodation very close to the school. It is not the most attractive place, it is on the edge of the industrial area. It gets nicer as it runs into the school area and then to Sharjah University City. That is really nice.

We live close to National Paints. That is how you find addresses here. You have to describe where it is using a landmark that everyone knows. For example, I live in the building opposite the new Nesto supermarket. That is also how taxis find their way to your house.

Sharjah is the most conservative of all of the Emirates. The Al Majaz park and waterfront is very nice. It is a much more family oriented place than Dubai.

However, Sharjah was one very irritating problem.

Traffic.

There is no rail or metro service. That starts and ends in Dubai.

I live closer to Dubai’s Etisalat metro station, than I do to Sharjah city center. However, if I get a taxi I have to pay extra to cross the border. I then have to make sure that it is not a peak time, otherwise I’ll be stuck in traffic.

On a Friday morning it will take no time for the taxi to reach the station. But if you return during the rush hour, expect it to take at an hour or two to get home. That means more money for the taxi driver and a small child that starts to get cranky.

Research has just been published on the possibility that the Dubai metro is extended to Sharjah. They would need to build a big metro station, bigger than Union in Dubai. I hope this happens, but I think they'll need more than one station. Perhaps they can connect Ajman as well.

When you are a teacher, accommodation is provided. It is near the school. On school in the area will accommodate their staff in Mirdif, Dubai. That is not far. It is just a couple of miles away, inside the Dubai border. That means those staff can get a quick and cheap taxi to the Dubai metro.

Alternatively, Ajman is appealing. I know one school that accommodates their staff there. I love walking along the Ajman sea front with karak tea.

On the topic of Dubai, if you are a resident, myself and @nuridin would like to know you. We have set up a Discord channel, but we want members that will collaborate with us to move it forward. Community is a key part of Steemit. I've learned that now.

So there we are. Sharjah is my home, but if you are going to live in the United Arab Emirates, it would be nice if other places like Dubai were more accessible. I'm sure in the future it will be. Things move quickly around here. Very quickly.

All pictures taken on my Lenovo K5 Plus smartphone.