Look Out UAE, She Can Drive!!

     As soon as I knew I would be moving to Al Ain, I also knew I would want to immediately rent a car, which is why I got my UAE driver's license last Monday! It was shockingly easy to get my license. Sure, I can drive in New York, but they don't make you do anything. Perhaps this is why there are so many horrible drivers roaming the streets of Abu Dhabi. I don't think I'm one of them, especially comparatively speaking, but still, they could make you do more to acquire the right to drive.
     All I needed was my translation of my NY license, passport, visa, and UAE id card application. They make you take an eye exam, which is kind of a joke. You literally name four letters on each eye and look at one picture for the color blind test. You pay 25 Dhs for the exam, and 200Dhs for them to take your picture and print it out. That's it, done, I can drive here now.
     Not that I'm complaining at all. I'm glad it was this easy, I just thinks it's funny that it was. I've been driving around since Thursday and it's been great having my own car again. I haven't had my own car since the end of January and it sucks not being able to go wherever you want whenever you want. I'm proud to say that I now know how to get to two of the malls in Al Ain, as well as Etisalat (phone company), Lulu, and my apartment! I bought a GPS in case I need to go anywhere else!
     Here's the thing about driving here though. The place has a round about at pretty much every intersection. No, I'm not exaggerating. It's crazy. I constantly have to go around circles and pray that everyone else is driving it correctly so I don't get hit. It's not the most pleasant driving, but at least it keeps me on my toes! They have named all of the round abouts, so directions sound something like this. Go straight at the Sheikh Bin Zayed r/a and left at the deer r/a. Or go through four round abouts and left at the horses. Street names exist, but are kind of a joke as no one actually uses them. Business even have their location listed in relation to other places rather than an address. For example, the UAE exchange is opposite ADCB bank and located in Al Ain gift mart. (Not to be confused with Gift City, which is right next door!)
     So, that is what driving here is like in a nutshell. It's a bit odd, but way better than taking taxis everywhere. I can't wait to buy a car when I come back from summer vacation!