Jonathan Turner from the UK with his albums by Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and wearing his Aston villa football top. Courtesy Jessica Hill
Jonathan Turner from the UK with his albums by Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin and wearing his Aston villa football top. Courtesy Jessica Hill

Little reminders of home



There's not much you can't buy somewhere in the UAE, if you look hard enough. But for an expat, nothing beats the ritual of packing a suitcase at the end of the summer with little delights you know are tough to come by here.
And unzipping the suitcase when you're back in UAE, in your own bedroom, is like unwrapping a present that you know is filled with the things you love, treats that remind you of home, food smells that evoke memories of family meals shared and sentimental items that are steeped in the culture and history of home. We asked some Abu Dhabi-based expats what they couldn't resist filling their suitcases with before heading back to the UAE this summer.
Nerisa Loyola, a maid from Taytay, Rizal in the Philippines
I always bring back a broom made from the branches of a coconut tree, to clean the front yard of my madam's house. It makes it much easier for me to clean the garden, and when I use it. it reminds me of home. I always like to pack fruit that is in season in the Philippines at this time of year; lanzone, guava and coconut, which is green in the Philippines now but here it is brown. I also love to bring century eggs, which are dried, salted duck eggs. They are preserved for several weeks in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, lime and rice. You can only get them here in special Chinese stores, and they are very expensive in the UAE.
Lorena Ortiz, a housewife from Ecuador
I bring back various grains - quinoa, yellow and white dried maize - and a bean called chocho. For my children, I pack Spanish books, Ecuador football tops and national flags. For me, I always pack a couple of panama hats, which are actually from Ecuador but became known as panama hats when the workers who built the Panama Canal wore them. This year we had a stopover in Argentina, where we brought home 'mate', an infused herbal drink rich in caffeine which is served in a special cup with a metal straw.
Jonathan Turner, from Birmingham in England, teaches at HCT in Madinat Zayed
This year, I brought back heavy metal records by Deep Purple and Led Zepplin. I always pack stamps and envelopes from home, so when people come to visit me here I can give them letters to loved ones back home with stamps already on them, so it's easy for them to post when they get back to the UK. I also packed an Aston Villa football top, and lots of second hand DVDs.
Diana Ghorayeb, a housewife from Lebanon
I always bring back Lebanese sweets when I'm in Beirut, as gifts for friends in Abu Dhabi - baklava, different types of caramelised nuts, and small boxes of ma'amoul, which are shortbread pastries filled with pistachios, dates and semolina paste. I also bring homemade Lebanese cooking ingredients - zaatar, crushed wheat used for kibbeh, local pine nuts and olive oil and olives from my family's orchard. The dry ingredients alone weigh about 30kg! It lasts me the whole year. I also bring locally-made ornaments and decorative soaps, because it's like taking a piece of home back with me. The only indispensable thing are my Fairuz albums. That's the only thing I packed when I first left Lebanon 15 years ago, apart from clothes and photos, and now it's still the first thing I pack. Every Lebanese person packs Fairuz cds!
Shakeel Safdar, a security officer from Pakistan
I bring back leather jackets, shoes and a wallet. It's very good quality leather in Pakistan, it lasts a long time and it's cheaper than here. And I bring cigarettes, bed sheets, traditional Pakistani sweets, fresh fish, red chilli powder and a certain type of brown sugar we have in Pakistan that I can't find here. We can get Pakistani food here in special restaurants, but it's not hygienic. Whenever I eat at hotel restaurants here I get a stomach ache. So I try to bring as much food as I can back with me. I also bring sports items; a football, cricket balls and a cricket bat.
Elaine Mazarello, a housewife from Goa in India
I bring a lot of coconut oil from home because it's not processed there, it's fresh. I use it for so many things - when the kids have colds it keeps their noses moist, I use it for baby massage, as a conditioner for hair and to soothe nappy rash. I also bring back a Goan coconut-flavoured layered pudding called bebinca. And I try to make room for ayurvedic shampoos and lotions, and books, as I get more of a variety of Indian writers to choose from back in Goa.
Editha Mtipa (known as Happiness), a maid from Tanzania
I bring back maize flour for making ugali, which is very popular all over Africa. I add water to it to make a thick dough, like porridge. I also mix it with maharage beans (like kidney beans) to make makande, a maize and bean stew popular in Kenya and Tanzania. And I bring back kanga and kitenge, which are colourful materials I use to make skirts and blouses. The kanga, I also use as a towel. I also get wooden hand-carved dolls and animals for the girls I look after here.
Virginie Gerrard, a nursery school French teacher from Nice in France
I bring back about two kilos of tins of Cassoulet: a bean, duck and sausage casserole at friends' requests. I also buy honey from the Provence region, children's' vitamins and spray balsamic vinegar, which you can't get in UAE. At my husband's request, I brought back 30kg of mechanical kit this year, including brake pads. It created great interest at customs, they couldn't stop laughing. It's harder to get certain mechanical parts here, and double the price. My parents brought a spare tyre with them for us when they came to visit. Last year, I brought back 13kg of playmobil sets for my children, mostly bought at car boot sales. And I bought a lavender spray from some street vendors at the side of a road. When I spray it in my house it's like being at home again.
Aaron Sorensen, a teacher from Wisconsin in America
I bring back a lot of educational toys that I think my kids would like, such as electronic circuit kits and hard-to-find board games, like King of Tokyo and Settlers of Catan. Most importantly, this year I brought back my own 'toys': a MacBook Air and a Kindle. As a cyclist, I tend to bring back nutritional supplements that are hard to find in UAE. My family has become experts at packing our suitcases to the limit of what we're allowed.
Mineko Maekawa, a housewife from Japan
One of the main things that we bring back from Japan is comfort food. A lot of the seasonings and sauces for various Japanese dishes are hard to get in Abu Dhabi since the restrictions on Japanese imports after the Fukushima disaster. Also, we bring back Japanese books for myself and my kids, and Japanese manga goods like puzzles, thermoses and ice cube trays that my kids like. At the moment, my children are into the character One Piece. Even though One Piece is popular in the UAE, the goods are much more expensive here.
Sally Dunlop, a swimming teacher from Australia
I buy cooking items such as red and white wine vinegar (that are great in salads), organic chicken stock cubes and sun-dried tomato purée in a tube. I also stock up on the kinds of old-school sweets (lollies as we call them) that would feature at a 1970s kids birthday party; freddo frogs, freckles, jaffas, minties and snakes. I also bought vitaweats cracker biscuits that you can't buy here; great for a healthy snack with vegemite on it. With the high cost of clothing in Australia these days, charity shopping has become very popular. St Vincents De Paul (now commonly known as Vinnies) is my favourite charity shop. I found some great clothes for my daughter for around US$1 (DH3) a piece. Two other items I brought back for my 2-year-old were my original 1970 Fisher Price School House and Tea Set.
artslife@thenational.ae

Grand slam winners since July 2003

Who has won major titles since Wimbledon 2003 when Roger Federer won his first grand slam

Roger Federer 19 (8 Wimbledon, 5 Australian Open, 5 US Open, 1 French Open)

Rafael Nadal 16 (10 French Open, 3 US Open, 2 Wimbledon, 1 Australian Open)

Novak Djokovic 12 (6 Australian Open, 3 Wimbledon, 2 US Open, 1 French Open)

Andy Murray 3 (2 Wimbledon, 1 US Open)

Stan Wawrinka 3 (1 Australian Open, 1 French Open, 1 US Open)

Andy Roddick 1 (1 US Open) 

Gaston Gaudio 1 (1 French Open)

Marat Safin 1 (1 Australian Open)

Juan Martin del Potro 1 (1 US Open)

Marin Cilic 1 (1 US Open)

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo

Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic

Power: 242bhp

Torque: 370Nm

Price: Dh136,814

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali

Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
NEW%20PRICING%20SCHEME%20FOR%20APPLE%20MUSIC%2C%20TV%2B%20AND%20ONE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20Music%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20individual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2410.99%20(from%20%249.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20family%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2416.99%20(from%20%2414.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EIndividual%20annual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24109%20(from%20%2499)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20TV%2B%3Cbr%3EMonthly%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%246.99%20(from%20%244.99)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAnnual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2469%20(from%20%2449.99)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EApple%20One%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20individual%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2416.95%20(from%20%2414.95)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20family%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2422.95%20(from%20%2419.95)%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMonthly%20premier%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2432.95%20(from%20%2429.95)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en