Todd: So, Greg you taught in the Middle East.
Greg: Yeah, I lived in the United Arab Emirates for awhile.
Todd: Wow, that's a lot different than most places.
Greg: Ah, it's very different. I'm glad I went to experience another culture, another way of life.
Todd: Yeah, what do you remember about it?
Greg: Well, one thing that's so unique about the United Arab Emirates is that actually there are people from all over the world there.
Todd: No kidding.
Greg: The native population is maybe 30% of the population.
Todd: 30%.
Greg: And the rest are foreigners who have come in to work in various ways.
Todd: Where do these foreigners come from?
Greg: From all over the world. You know, you have a lot of English teachers from the U.S. and England and Australia and New Zealand and Britain, and so on. You have a lot of Philippinos working as shopping, in shops, in stores, and you have people from India coming and working in construction. People from all over the world, and actually it's very cosmopolitan.
Todd: Oh, what's the biggest city in UAE?
Greg: Ah, it's probably Dubai.
Todd: What's Dubai like?
Greg: Actually, I never spent that much time in Dubai because I lived in Abu Dhab. I just went to the airport in Dubai. Abu Dhabi though, I tell you, it's really amazing. The architecture is really beautiful. The Arabic architecture is just amazing. The mosques. The marble on the building, really, beautiful.
Todd: In Abu Dhabi though, did you live in a house, or did you live in an apartment?
Greg: I lived in an apartment on the 14th floor.
Todd: The 14th floor.
Greg: The 14th floor. Oh, it's, Abu Dhabi is amazing. You know, maybe 50 years ago, there were just some small villages, but after oil was discovered, and the country became rich, there was like an explosion in the population and new buildings were going up every day. They're growing like mushrooms. I could see the ocean, though from my apartment. I remember how beautiful the ocean was.
Todd: Hey, what's the cuisine like?
Greg: Ah, the food is amazing. Because you have people from all over the world, you have food from all over the world.
Todd: What's the local food? Is it rice based?
Greg: Oh, they eat rice, and a lot of, camel meat, camel meat is unusual and the cheeses are really salty.
Todd: OK, camel mea, cheese, and rice.
Greg: And a lot of Mediterranean foods too. Dates, the dates were fantastic.
Todd: Really.
Greg: I never liked dates before I went there, and the olives. The olives are also wonderful. Out of this world.
Todd: You're making me hungry.
Greg: Yeah, I lived in the United Arab Emirates for awhile.
Todd: Wow, that's a lot different than most places.
Greg: Ah, it's very different. I'm glad I went to experience another culture, another way of life.
Todd: Yeah, what do you remember about it?
Greg: Well, one thing that's so unique about the United Arab Emirates is that actually there are people from all over the world there.
Todd: No kidding.
Greg: The native population is maybe 30% of the population.
Todd: 30%.
Greg: And the rest are foreigners who have come in to work in various ways.
Todd: Where do these foreigners come from?
Greg: From all over the world. You know, you have a lot of English teachers from the U.S. and England and Australia and New Zealand and Britain, and so on. You have a lot of Philippinos working as shopping, in shops, in stores, and you have people from India coming and working in construction. People from all over the world, and actually it's very cosmopolitan.
Todd: Oh, what's the biggest city in UAE?
Greg: Ah, it's probably Dubai.
Todd: What's Dubai like?
Greg: Actually, I never spent that much time in Dubai because I lived in Abu Dhab. I just went to the airport in Dubai. Abu Dhabi though, I tell you, it's really amazing. The architecture is really beautiful. The Arabic architecture is just amazing. The mosques. The marble on the building, really, beautiful.
Todd: In Abu Dhabi though, did you live in a house, or did you live in an apartment?
Greg: I lived in an apartment on the 14th floor.
Todd: The 14th floor.
Greg: The 14th floor. Oh, it's, Abu Dhabi is amazing. You know, maybe 50 years ago, there were just some small villages, but after oil was discovered, and the country became rich, there was like an explosion in the population and new buildings were going up every day. They're growing like mushrooms. I could see the ocean, though from my apartment. I remember how beautiful the ocean was.
Todd: Hey, what's the cuisine like?
Greg: Ah, the food is amazing. Because you have people from all over the world, you have food from all over the world.
Todd: What's the local food? Is it rice based?
Greg: Oh, they eat rice, and a lot of, camel meat, camel meat is unusual and the cheeses are really salty.
Todd: OK, camel mea, cheese, and rice.
Greg: And a lot of Mediterranean foods too. Dates, the dates were fantastic.
Todd: Really.
Greg: I never liked dates before I went there, and the olives. The olives are also wonderful. Out of this world.
Todd: You're making me hungry.
