Exploring the Unseen Side of Dubai: An Erasmus Experience

2023-07-31 08:56:00

Laurent, 28, studied commercial engineering at ICHEC. In 2018, he learned that his preferred destination was accepted. The young man therefore left for six months on Erasmus in… Dubai. “It’s an unusual choice, but I wanted to discover Dubai other than through tourist tricks,” he explains. “I had been there on vacation a year before, and the difference hit me, so I wanted to deepen the experience and rediscover it as a student.”

What marked him during his Erasmus in Dubai?

The thing that struck him the most was the difference in treatment between locals and expatriates. “Normally, in Dubai, alcohol is prohibited, except for ‘expats’ (those who have the Western way of life and who are there for holidays, studies or for work). Expats therefore have the right to consume alcohol, but not to possess it. When you wanted to party, you had to go to bars in hotels that are used to this different culture from that of traditional Dubai. Some products are, as in all Muslim countries, also prohibited in Dubai, but in supermarkets there is always a small section where expats can buy them. In spirit, it reminded me a bit of the X-ray of old video stores. Another example of these “said” and “unsaid” rules, I was living with other expats, but normally it is forbidden in Dubai to stay with someone who is not a member of his family. However, they are much more tolerant with tourists. Almost all foreign students stay in a roommate.”

If today, Dubai is well known for its infrastructure that is out of the ordinary (the most luxurious hotel in the world, the Burj Khalifa, the tallest tower in the world, its ski slope in a supermarket, etc.), the city is sometimes described as “artificial”. A feeling that Laurent also had, even if he explains that he enjoyed his stay there. “It’s a city with 2 speeds, between those who are privileged because they come from rich countries and the others who have to work long hours non-stop, taxi drivers for example drive 12 hours a day and they share a taxi 2. The vehicle therefore runs 24 hours a day and has accumulated several million kilometers on the odometer. It’s so hot that everything is air conditioned. The pools are also cooled. For tourists, it’s nice, but one can wonder regarding the social and ecological impact of all this.”

Laurent is also well aware of the problem of human rights in the United Arab Emirates. “For tourists, it’s super safe. But the law is very strict. While I was there, to take the most impressive example, there were two death sentences! I was still happy to return to Belgium.”

A photo taken by Laurent during his Erasmus in Dubai. ©dr

What anecdotes during his Erasmus in Dubai?

However, Laurent has very good memories of the evenings when he was able to meet local students. “When we met, we were all young people who wanted to have fun.”

”I also remember a jaunt in the desert during which our buggy rolled over. One of our friends had his arm broken. The nearest hospital was in the middle of nowhere. We were forced to leave him in this “desert hospital” for several days before we might look for him to bring him back to the heart of the city. At the time it was a terrible experience but what we shared made us all very close and we remember it today with a sense of relief that everything ended well.

What advice for an Erasmus in Dubai?

Laurent advises to prepare well in advance. If you want to drive on the spot, the former student also reminds that, when you are under a student visa, the international driving license is not enough. “Upon arrival I was unable to drive the rental car I had booked, I absolutely had to have a local driver’s license. So I ended up taking an Uber, but it didn’t accept Paypal. I finally had to pay for a taxi with the money I had on me, but I didn’t have enough to get to my destination. I had to finish on foot. If you want to drive there, you have to retake your local license but, in the end, you know how to do everything by public transport.”

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