2010/08/01

Living in the UAE is like...

living in Alabama. At least, according to this map, which matches up US states with the nation with the closest population. (But by life expectancy, it is like living in Oklahoma.) It also has pretty much the same GDP as Alabama ($195 billion vs $199 billion).

Come to think of it, they are both on a gulf. The people of both are religious and conservative. It is hot both places.

And, I'm pretty sure a lot of the people in both places would be offended by the comparison.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

...and both have funny accents when they speak English

Brn said...

Hey! We Southerners do not have funny accents. It is everyone else that does. ;)

Actually this is a good addition to the list.

shanwhit said...

Well, as an Alabamian about to live in the UAE and a linguist, I'll tell you this, there are many different dialects of English in Alabama. Most people tell me I talk funny, because I don't sound like most Southerners. Just depends on your upbringing. And, yes, there is the segment of the population who would take offense to the comparison, but there are also those that would say, "Hey, they actually used Alabama. Wow" They would take in the vein that it was meant.

rosh said...

I find this post interesting, because there are similarities between the (real) America (meaning taking out NYC) and the real UAE (meaning taking out the new Dubai, and replace with the old Dubai) I sense the subtle similarities often when traveling to the towns and burbs of Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, NC / SC – I don’t know what it is exactly, but there is a sense of familiarity – like it's not all foreign.

I’ve always been a sucker for Southern accents. I think it’s a unique and charming aspect to being American.