Expatriates and locals do mix

Who says Emiratis and expatriates cannot be friends ( Life lessons: Let us – Emiratis and expats – join together as friends, December 31)? Someone did an incorrect survey. Some people have a language problem, but still they make friends. Saeed Ali, Dubai Just be yourself, show genuine interest and keep away your prejudices, and you can be friends with Emiratis. Also you have to understand that not all locals are alike. Just like expatriates, they come from different backgrounds. Mohamed Abushaker, Dubai Many of my closest friends are Emiratis. We speak with mutual honesty and respect. I think of them as family and treat them as such.

I know this is generalising, but really their kindness, generosity and love of laughter and people is heart-warming. Tracy Wilson, Abu Dhabi I asked that question to an Emirati man I met on a course in the United States.

He had the impression that in order to socialise with expatriates you have to frequent bars and drink. Maybe there is a point to that. Linda Lo, US The truth is that most expatriates live in some distorted reality where they just hang out with people from their country or with similar backgrounds. They live in areas where similar people live; they give zero effort as far as learning the local language and culture is concerned. Many of them land at the airport with a negative bias towards locals and don’t do anything to form their own opinion.

Because of these phenomena, Emiratis shy away from taking the first step. They are also afraid of being taken advantage of.

As such, Emiratis are welcoming, giving and caring. The amount of pride they take when they understand how genuinely you care about their language and culture is extraordinary.

In friendship, in love and in life, there is only one rule: you get what you give. G Vidale, Dubai