German expats in Dubai

With a 10,000 strong community Germans are one of the biggest expat groups in Dubai. Time Out talks to German expats about life in Dubai Discuss this article

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Johannes Roos, 32

Dubai’s business industry is booming so much, it’s just incredible – especially in the oil and gas industry. Combine this with its fascinating local culture and multicultural mix of people and my life here feels so exciting. I especially appreciate the entertainment here. Whether it’s clubbing at a great place, such as Zinc at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, or doing different sports, this place always keeps my spirits up.

I came to Dubai this year on July 1 – right in the middle of summer. I work as a sales executive for a German company, Thyssen Krupp Mannex, in the steel-processing industry. Back in Germany, I used to play hockey at a very high level. There are actually some hockey tryouts and pick-up games here next week, which I’ll definitely attend. Hopefully they’ll lead to more games.

There are things I don’t enjoy here. Most people here just can’t drive a car properly; there are always fatal accidents, which is horrible. Furthermore, there are a lot of unqualified people here, in different areas of life, which can be really time-consuming. Also, I never ask someone about directions anymore, as everyone seems to have a different version of how to get to a place, instead of admitting they just don’t know how to get there. I’m starting to miss the four seasons we have in Germany; the summer here is just brutal. Nevertheless, I went golfing the other day. I’m just a complete sports-addict!

The restaurants here are amazing, although I still miss the good old traditional Alt beer from my hometown, Düsseldorf. Hofbräuhaus restaurant at the JW Marriott seems to pretend to be a German restaurant, but it’s actually Bavarian, which always had its own unique and almost separate culture within Germany.

I’m definitely not homesick, the city is way too dynamic to get depressed. But true friendship is still hard to find here. Everything in Dubai is geared towards a business contract, designed for a specific period of time. My contract lasts until 2010. After that I’m planning to go back to Germany.