Ladies be careful when out on your own!

Dubai is generally a safe place, it has a very low crime rate mainly due to the harsh punishment that is a part of UAE legislation. And you can walk around on your own as a woman and generally feel safe in public areas. This is a very nocturnal City so you will find a lot of people stay out very late, so you are unlikely to be walking around in secluded areas if you are around places like Marina, Downtown areas & Sheikh Zayed Road (I haven’t had experience with other areas) at most times of the day up till midnight. However there is something that I have experienced in my short time here that has been concerning, I have been followed around on three separate occasions by Indian men, followed to the point of stalking in these very public places. These have been at various times but usually after sundown, though these men haven’t approached me personally I did have to confront one of them after I was followed to an outdoor restaurant and saw that the same man had waited outside, circled the perimeter of the restaurant for an hour until I came out and then followed me after and waited as I went to the toilets!

So if you are out on your own in Dubai just be alert, there is no need to be concerned as there is plenty of security out in the main tourist areas and if you feel you are being followed it is always best to alert the security and let them deal with it for you. Stay Safe x

I Found a Church!

I am a Christian so the first thing on my agenda when I was moving to Dubai was to find a good church and I found one on Instagram! What happened is after trolling the internet for information on different churches in Dubai and not finding one that stood out I searched #churchdubai on Instagram and there it was. The church is called Gatekeepers and has a really nice fresh vibe, everything is visual from the lighting to the stage design, the live worship music has a fresh Hillsong/Bethel type vibe and the Preaching by Pastor Ben Richard is very inspiring and bible centred. Here are a few facts:

When

Churches in Dubai are on usually on Fridays as Friday and Saturday is the weekend here in the Middle East (usually work Sunday to Thursdays). There are two services 11am and 2pm

Where

JSS International School Auditorium in Al-Barsha

How to get there

This place is pretty difficult to get to without a car or taxi, there are no bus stops or trains near by. However there is hope! Gatekeepers Church offers a free bus service that comes from Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Dubai and from Al Nahda, check out the different stops here

Last Words

I would definitely recommend any new Christians or the curious to check Gatekeepers out (there really is no excuse with the free bus service covering most areas), the people are very friendly and when you are new you are handed a welcome bag filled with goodies and plus there is free food and teas & coffees after the service. There is also a visitors lounge which allows you the opportunity to connect with some of the church members, which is good if you are trying to meet new people.

 

Check out some of the Gatekeepers sermons here