By Kelly Clarke
February 22. That’s the last time I saw my parents and brother in person. April 12 — my dad’s birthday — was the last time I saw them over Skype.
Continue reading It’s lonely and expensive for us expats without video chat
Category Archives: UAE
Discrimination goes beyond that one nursery, let’s get real
By Kelly Clarke
I am sure you read the news this week. That nursery; that advert and those two unfortunate words. To recap, here’s a quick rundown. While on the hunt for new staff across its nursery branches in the UAE, an education group saw it fit to post an ad that was dotted with discriminatory references. It had no qualms about specifying the exact type of candidate it was looking for.
Continue reading Discrimination goes beyond that one nursery, let’s get real
It’s not boring or highbrow. Go see this exhibition just for fun
By Nivriti Butalia
George Orwell said, “Whatever is funny is subversive, every joke is ultimately a custard pie.”
There’s a lot that’s clever-funny about an exhibition in Abu Dhabi, and it’s not highbrow or inaccessible, if that’s your worry. It’s even free.
Continue reading It’s not boring or highbrow. Go see this exhibition just for fun
Can’t UAE stores go silent for an hour to help those who need it?
By Anita Iyer
Five years ago, trying to escape the noise at a shopping mall, 16-year-old Calvin ran towards a stranger and grabbed her hand. The stranger, caught unawares, shouted at the boy. Seeing the commotion, Calvin’s mother, Meena Noronha, rushed to explain to the shopper that her son was autistic but it didn’t help. Meena was asked, “How could you leave your child alone in a mall? Why haven’t you left him at home?”
Continue reading Can’t UAE stores go silent for an hour to help those who need it?
Need special skills to make friends in Dubai. Have them?
By Anita Iyer
As I turned on the mobile network one morning last week, my cellphone beeped continuously. My first thought was, “Is everything fine at home?” Unlocking it, I was relieved to see a flood of messages from people I don’t usually hear from, wishing me happy friendship day. A few messages had genuine warmth, enquiring what’s new in my life, but most were forwards.
Continue reading Need special skills to make friends in Dubai. Have them?
Why I’ve decided to say no to those ice cream spoons
By Anjana Sankar
For the last couple of years, I have routinely bought big tubs of chocolate from an ice cream parlour near my house in Khalidiya. I love chocolate, so I never deviate from flavour, but of late, I have tweaked my buying pattern.
Continue reading Why I’ve decided to say no to those ice cream spoons
Bye-bye, ASIMO, the original robot, retiring after 18 years
By Keith Pereña
Wow! An astronaut! I told my grandmother as ASIMO, a humanoid robot, appeared on our boxy television’s screen. His white figure walked in measured steps to reach a spotlight where he finally waved hello to the rest of the world. Grandmother adjusted the antenna on the tube so that my brother and I could view the spectacle clearly. The advert ran for a minute before regular programming of the news and afternoon dramas resumed. Continue reading Bye-bye, ASIMO, the original robot, retiring after 18 years