United Arab Emirates

I particularly liked the chapter on Culture Shock. The stages of shock as described by Ms. Crocetti are worth reading no matter what country you visit. The Emirates are a bit unusual in that they are a conglomeration of many cultures with a distinct minority as the dominant one. Ms. Crocetti clearly grasps the 'things are not as they seem' society and gives sound advice for coping.

The author is right, things are not always what they seem. Like the desert, the culture is a mirage. Following western customs seems to be acceptable but heed Ms. Crocetti's warnings, espectially if you are a woman. It is better to err in behavior in the Emirates on the side of conservatism. And she is also right, you are in for a lot of fun living in this country.

I lived in a larger city than Ms Crocetti did and felt initially that this book did not pertain to my experience. As time passed and I went through the cycles of adjustment described, I decided to re-read this book. Not only did I find the cycles of adjustment were as described, but also that the values of the Emirati culture were manifesting themselves in my life. The understanding I gained about them from this book helped me to be more patient, relaxed and respectful. I thought, too, that the book was negative because I had so much hope and expectation for my time working in the UAE. I see now that this author has really given us a realistic view of what to expect from living in the Emirates. I have read numerous Culture Shock! books and can confidently say of the writing- this is one of the best.

Culture Shock! United Arab Emirates gave me a realistic view of what to expect from the many aspects of life in the UAE. Due to the large number of guest workers in the country, there are many cultural directions from which conflicts arise. Ms. Crocetti's insights into the juxtapositions of the many cultures and the overall flavor of the native culture influencing interactions prepared me well for my own interactions during my stay in the Emirates-both the good and the difficult.

This book should be the compulsory complement to the plane ticket to Dubai and to United Arab Emirates. There are a lot of things to know and to discover having the first cultural contact with those places and that population. Madam Crocetti has been able to concentrate an experience of living into few pages. Madam Crocetti gently introduce the occasional tourist and the becomer resident to the Emiratis culture and particularly to the Emiratis way of life. This guide is not only useful to avoid blunders very easy to do !, as I can state personally, but to find the proper way to live also and above all. Are you considering to spend an holiday at the Dubai beaches ? Are You going to be assigned to Dubai or Jebel Ali branch office ? First of all read this very nice, very sensitive "carnet" and then ... find your way to the people and to this country. Dr. Ezio Lucenti