"As far as I'm concerned, they can't do that. And if we can't work this out... we may need to give them a blasting."

Spoken like a true Westerner. In this case, the issue is legal, longterm, computer software suddenly showing the message, 'Your system will outdate in three days..." and my coworkers are, understandably, not amused. Especially one who has been in influential circles in the business world and knows quite well the limits.

Yesterday I experienced what seems to be expatriates' number one pet peeve here - the infamous Dubai traffic, backups and road configurations that can turn one missed exit into a full hour of detours and waiting in heavy traffic. Today I'm experiencing the second pet peeve- government and/or business systems that do not tend to operate on Western logic.

I also need to decide, within the next month or so, whether I'm going to come back to the UAE after Easter break in the Netherlands with my family. I'd have to say there is a fair amount of things I like here, and the things I don't like are more of slight annoyances than problems. So we'll see, but I think I'll be coming back...