Review: Dubai Vs. Teesside

What inspired this Dubai vs. Teesside review was when I wanted to go for a walk at 11 pm, and my husband explained why that wouldn’t be a good idea here. Oh, my days of leisurely walking at night are over!

I want to dedicate this post to my friends in the UAE who want to know the significant differences between Dubai and Teesside.

Disclaimer:
1. Both cities are beautiful.
2. This post is about my experience in Dubai and Teesside.
3. Dubai is a tourist destination, so don’t expect anything less.
4. I am not implying that Dubai or Teesside is terrible.

Background: I moved to Dubai in 2016 to pursue a master’s degree in business psychology from heriot watt university, graduated in 2018, got married that same year, and remained in the UAE with my family. The modernization of Dubai has a way of growing on someone without them realizing it. I moved to Teesside a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to experience all God has for me here.

So, let’s get into the main gist cause I know you can wait to read about it.

Dubai Vs. Teesside: Difference and Similarities.

• Security: I don’t want to make this point about the stories I have read online but about what the locals told me. Short story, when we checked out of Premier Inn Middlesbrough, my husband wanted to arrange the bags in the car park and get other bags. When the receptionist saw this, she advised him not to because of “what happens” regularly. Dubai is extremely security conscious that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once tweeted, “If a woman wanders alone at any hour of the day or at night without fear, you know she is in the Emirates,” and that is true. I usually do my major outdoor tasks at night in the UAE to avoid sun exposure for too long during the day. For instance, grocery shopping or visits to the pharmacy.

• Nature: I felt like I had stepped into the real world when I left the airport in Newcastle, especially when it started raining. This point is mainly about the rain because I can count how many times it rained this year in Dubai (maybe 20 times or less, most of which were artificial rain). In my opinion, Dubai is a fantasy world, a real-fantasy world.

• Weather: The humidity in both cities is usually high during the summer, but the difference is that the weather in Teesside is a lot colder than in Dubai. If you are familiar with the “Dubai winter,” I can tell you that the summer in Teesside is what we call the winter in Dubai.

• Buildings: I forgot not all that glitters is gold ( I will blame it on the “mommy brain”). Of course, I wasn’t expecting to see tall buildings with gyms, rooftop swimming pools, and a fancy skyline, but argh!!!! The UAE spoiled me.

• Right-hand drive manual cars: I already knew what to expect, but it had been a while since I was in a right-hand drive car. Unlike Dubai, most vehicles in Teesside are manual. It took me two days to get used to the cars and roads again.
• Friendly store attendants: Short story again, lol, so the day we landed, my husband had an unfriendly encounter with someone at the convenience store; he told me how rude and unhelpful the person was. In the UAE, you will find extremely friendly staff always willing to help at the mall, beach, hospitals, and so on, but we have had friendly people attend to us.

• Places of attractions: Dubai is popularly known as a city of tourists for tourists, so don’t blame me for being a little biased. I can’t begin to tell you how many places of attractions are in Dubai. I am sure that I will be in awe of the new developments. However, most people who relocate to Teesside are students and professionals. That isn’t to say tourists don’t come up North. There are a few tourist attractions in Teesside.

• Malls: I think the malls and hypermarkets are similar to some small malls in Dubai, especially in design; I didn’t feel different when I visited the Cleveland Centre.

• Postcode: We don’t use “postcode” as the primary address in the UAE or Nigeria; in fact, in Dubai, if the taxi driver doesn’t use Google Maps, y’all will be going “rounding rounding” (a common Dubai slang) before you get to your destination.

• Women & Children section: I’ll go straight to the point without being emotional; In Teesside (and I guess the rest of the world), there are no designated areas for “women and children” in public places. So if you are in a queue and your child is doing the most, well, you will be stuck there unless kind people let you go first, or in public places, there are no designated areas for women and children. Ladies who are used to the female section in public areas might find it a little awkward when they leave the Arab world, but with time, they will get used to it.

Other similarities include:

• The recreational parks in some neighbourhoods in Dubai are ungated, small, and have few facilities for kids; this is the same in Teesside.

Differences include:

• The Dubai airport is a lot bigger than Teesside airport.
• The view from the sky is a lot different when the plane is landing or taking off; Dubai has a glorious view.
• The train and train stations in Dubai are more classy than that of Middlesbrough, Teesside.

• The House hunting process is quite daunting in Teesside.
• Time difference: Dubai is GMT +4, and Teesside is currently GMT +1.
• Unlike Teesside, the Laws & Fines in Dubai are a little extreme.
• The shopping centers in Teesside close pretty early, between 5 and 7 pm, while the malls in Dubai close at 11 pm. You’ll find lots of stores that operate 24/7. The timing in Dubai makes it easy to go grocery shopping at any time of the day or night.
• Bonus difference, the Premier Inn in Middlesbrough, Teesside, doesn’t have a fridge and desk phone, unlike the Premier Inn in Silicon Oasis, Dubai.

I have to stop now 🙂 So far, Teesside is peaceful, and the weather has been more favorable, with more days of sunshine. If you plan to visit or relocate to Teesside from the UAE, I hope you’ll find this blog post worth reading.

If you love this blog, kindly share the posts with your friends and loved ones. It will mean a lot to me to know your thoughts in the comments. Love, Grace