Every time I go out, whether it's to the supermarket, the mall or a coffee shop, my phone has to come with me. Not incase I need to call someone. No because without my Oanda app, I feel lost.
Maths has never been my strong point and mentally doing the sums to translate 100 dirhams into English pounds really isn't worth the effort. It is one of the things I have found the hardest to get my head around; different money and a completely different exchange rate which leaves me perplexed that said 100 dirhams is only £15.86.
I think it is those two pesky little zero's that confuse me, because when you hear hundred your brain immediately thinks of a large sum of money. But here, 100 dirhams is not much money in the grand scheme of Dubai.
And after three weeks of Oanda-ing everything, I think I am getting the hang of the prices. Although money is a whole different story. The coins have no English on them and they have very few denominations. Just a couple of coins and that means usually the change ends up in the tip jar or charity box.
When planning a move to Dubai, you don't think about things like the exchange rate and how you will navigate the supermarket when you have no realistic perception of how much stuff costs (we found out the hard way after our first shopping bill was phenomenal). But planning your move to Dubai is important and you should consider as many factors as possible to ensure your transition is smooth.
The third article, Researching and Planning a move to Dubai, in my Moving to Dubai series is now live on Expatsblog.com.
I am the absolute worst at converting! I can do it fairly well between dollars - US, AU, FJ, NZ but other than that I'm useless. I try not to convert (obviously because I can't!) and just go with what the local prices are. Nothing gets me more than tourists comparing prices in one country to prices of things back home etc. I know Patrick wishes I would pay more attention but I really am useless at it - thank goodness for apps!
ReplyDeleteI know I shouldn't convert and compare prices, but I really needed to get to grips with how money works here. 100 dirhams sounds like a lot but its only £15 or so. I think I am getting the hang of it now.
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