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The Register, UK
Oct 19 2014
'Hmm, why CAN'T I run a water pipe through that rack of media servers?'
Leaving Las Vegas for Armenia kludging and Dubai dune bashing
By Simon Sharwood
eXpat Files Welcome once again to The eXpat files, our Vulture Weekend
feature in which readers who've well and truly left the nest explain
what it's like to ply their technological trade in another land.
This week - we're going weekly by popular demand - meet D. Hayes
Blanchard, who made the move from the US to Armenia, and then Dubai.
The Register: How old are you and where do you live in the US, when
you're there?
Blanchard: I am 37 years old, born in Louisville, Kentucky, but spent
most of my life in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is also where I went to
university. I only return to the US once a year or so to visit my
family.
The Register: What kind of work do you do and with which technologies?
Blanchard: At University I studied film and computer science and I
have spent (most of) my career working on bridging those two
disciplines. I spend about 70 per cent of my time working on IT
infrastructure for media projects/companies and 30 per cent creating
the media.
The Register: Why did you decide to move to the Armenia? And then to Dubai?
Blanchard: In Las Vegas I was working for a local TV channel which was
quite bureaucratic and after a while I needed a change. I decide to
take two years and teach English abroad and the organisation I joined
sent me to Armenia. After two years teaching, I stayed in Armenia and
went to work for an art museum, going back to the IT and media path.
That project finished and I came to Dubai to visit a friend, after two
days I tripped over a job and stayed here.
The Register: How did you arrange your expat gigs?
Blanchard: I first went to Armenia with the Peace Corps. When I was
teaching in Armenia, I made many local friends and, just as my
teaching job was about to end, one of them told me he knew of this art
museum project that needed someone to design and install their IT and
media infrastructure. In Dubai, it was also through the personal
connections of my friend.
The Register: Pay: up or down?
Blanchard: In Armenia I took a large pay cut as compared to the US. In
Dubai a significant pay increase as compared to the US, astronomical
as compared to Armenia.
The Register: How do workplaces differ between the US and Armenia? And Dubai?
Blanchard: In Armenia most of the people in the museum were
Soviet-trained, still had that mentality, and were resistant to
change. The museum founder was an Armenian from the US and wanted us
to build and operate to US standards. The local Armenians on my staff
had never heard of lights out management, or half of the other IT
concepts that I wanted to implement, and there was only one company in
the city which could install and terminate fibre optic cable.
None of the media servers or equipment was available in market,
leading to many arguments with the customs' officials. And a general
contractor didn't understand why he couldn't run a water pipe through
the cabinet containing a rack of media servers (the pipe wasn't on the
blueprints).
I could give hundreds of examples but it comes down to this: Armenia
has a culture of kludging things together and working to western
standards was my biggest challenge.
In Dubai, the biggest difference is the diversity of the place and
working habits. There are people from all over the world in our office
(eight people, six nationalities), while everyone speaks English
(Dubai is an English speaking city) there are different accents, work
ethics, religions and expectations. For the most part everyone gets
along well but there is the inevitable clash of culture from time to
time.
The Register: Will your expat gigs be good for your career?
Blanchard: Absolutely, yes. The experience that I have gained, both in
Armenia and Dubai, of working with different people with different
competencies and backgrounds has made me a more effective manager. The
challenges I faced on the various projects have also taught me to
"think outside the box" (I don't like that expression but I can't
think of a better one) and there is always a solution to a problem,
you just have to find it.
The Register: What's cheaper in Dubai? What's more expensive? I'm
going to assume everything is cheaper in Armenia?
Blanchard: Housing is certainly cheaper in Armenia, so is
locally-sourced produce (which is some of the best in the world).
However, because of Armenia's high and quite arbitrary customs'
duties, imported products are more expensive than in the US or Dubai.
This includes food items, electronics and all kind of everyday things
you never thought about as being imported. There are also many things,
everyday products in the West that are simply not available in Armenia
at any price, like peanut butter and Marmite.
Housing in Dubai here is very expensive (no one is quite sure why) but
other things are less expensive, petrol for example. Food is generally
less expensive if bought in a store or at a "normal" restaurant. There
are expensive and eye-wateringly expensive restaurants if you want.
One thing, which is a bit shocking, is the low cost of and prevalence
of domestic help. Most flats and houses have "maid's rooms" and most
families have at least one maid or nanny. For people who have
children, school fees here are quite expensive.
The Register: What do you miss about the US?
Blanchard: My father, my sister and Eastern North Carolina Barbeque.
The Register: What's your top tip to help new arrivals settle in to
Dubai? And Armenia?
Blanchard: For Armenia, my top tip is: don't fight the system. The
immigration authority, customs' authority, government offices all have
their own way of working, the rules are never clear, are enforced
haphazardly, but in the end it will work out.
If you are in management and your staff tells you "No problem", in one
week you will have a problem.
Everyone here in Dubai is from somewhere else and there are going to
be differences of opinion and culture (especially when driving). It's
best to save your energy and sanity for the things that really matter.
People here, for the most part, are friendly and polite. If you are as
well, your life will be much easier.
The Register: What advice would you offer someone considering the same moves?
Blanchard: Go for it, there is a huge world to explore and learn about
and lots of challenges to face. Living and working abroad can only
make you a more knowledgeable person, no matter whether you enjoy the
experience or not.
Specifically for Dubai, I would say think about what kind of lifestyle
you want to have here. Salaries are higher and there are no taxes so
you can live a more luxurious life or you can save lots of money but
you can't do both.
The Register: And, because this is the weekend edition, what can you
do on weekends in Armenia and Dubai that you could not do in the US?
Blanchard: In Armenia, a typical weekend would see me doing a pub
crawl with my friends or going to a concert. Not much different from
the US, except Yerevan is small enough to walk everywhere so there was
no need to concern myself with driving or where to park the car.
In Dubai there is some good (if expensive) night life, as well as
desert camping, desert driving (dune bashing), scuba diving, sky
diving and a whole range of outdoor activities.
If you are an expat, or know an interesting one, let us know so we can
share your/their globe-trotting tale.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/19/expat_files_why_cant_i_run_a_water_pipe_through_th at_rack_of_media_servers/
Oct 19 2014
'Hmm, why CAN'T I run a water pipe through that rack of media servers?'
Leaving Las Vegas for Armenia kludging and Dubai dune bashing
By Simon Sharwood
eXpat Files Welcome once again to The eXpat files, our Vulture Weekend
feature in which readers who've well and truly left the nest explain
what it's like to ply their technological trade in another land.
This week - we're going weekly by popular demand - meet D. Hayes
Blanchard, who made the move from the US to Armenia, and then Dubai.
The Register: How old are you and where do you live in the US, when
you're there?
Blanchard: I am 37 years old, born in Louisville, Kentucky, but spent
most of my life in Las Vegas, Nevada, which is also where I went to
university. I only return to the US once a year or so to visit my
family.
The Register: What kind of work do you do and with which technologies?
Blanchard: At University I studied film and computer science and I
have spent (most of) my career working on bridging those two
disciplines. I spend about 70 per cent of my time working on IT
infrastructure for media projects/companies and 30 per cent creating
the media.
The Register: Why did you decide to move to the Armenia? And then to Dubai?
Blanchard: In Las Vegas I was working for a local TV channel which was
quite bureaucratic and after a while I needed a change. I decide to
take two years and teach English abroad and the organisation I joined
sent me to Armenia. After two years teaching, I stayed in Armenia and
went to work for an art museum, going back to the IT and media path.
That project finished and I came to Dubai to visit a friend, after two
days I tripped over a job and stayed here.
The Register: How did you arrange your expat gigs?
Blanchard: I first went to Armenia with the Peace Corps. When I was
teaching in Armenia, I made many local friends and, just as my
teaching job was about to end, one of them told me he knew of this art
museum project that needed someone to design and install their IT and
media infrastructure. In Dubai, it was also through the personal
connections of my friend.
The Register: Pay: up or down?
Blanchard: In Armenia I took a large pay cut as compared to the US. In
Dubai a significant pay increase as compared to the US, astronomical
as compared to Armenia.
The Register: How do workplaces differ between the US and Armenia? And Dubai?
Blanchard: In Armenia most of the people in the museum were
Soviet-trained, still had that mentality, and were resistant to
change. The museum founder was an Armenian from the US and wanted us
to build and operate to US standards. The local Armenians on my staff
had never heard of lights out management, or half of the other IT
concepts that I wanted to implement, and there was only one company in
the city which could install and terminate fibre optic cable.
None of the media servers or equipment was available in market,
leading to many arguments with the customs' officials. And a general
contractor didn't understand why he couldn't run a water pipe through
the cabinet containing a rack of media servers (the pipe wasn't on the
blueprints).
I could give hundreds of examples but it comes down to this: Armenia
has a culture of kludging things together and working to western
standards was my biggest challenge.
In Dubai, the biggest difference is the diversity of the place and
working habits. There are people from all over the world in our office
(eight people, six nationalities), while everyone speaks English
(Dubai is an English speaking city) there are different accents, work
ethics, religions and expectations. For the most part everyone gets
along well but there is the inevitable clash of culture from time to
time.
The Register: Will your expat gigs be good for your career?
Blanchard: Absolutely, yes. The experience that I have gained, both in
Armenia and Dubai, of working with different people with different
competencies and backgrounds has made me a more effective manager. The
challenges I faced on the various projects have also taught me to
"think outside the box" (I don't like that expression but I can't
think of a better one) and there is always a solution to a problem,
you just have to find it.
The Register: What's cheaper in Dubai? What's more expensive? I'm
going to assume everything is cheaper in Armenia?
Blanchard: Housing is certainly cheaper in Armenia, so is
locally-sourced produce (which is some of the best in the world).
However, because of Armenia's high and quite arbitrary customs'
duties, imported products are more expensive than in the US or Dubai.
This includes food items, electronics and all kind of everyday things
you never thought about as being imported. There are also many things,
everyday products in the West that are simply not available in Armenia
at any price, like peanut butter and Marmite.
Housing in Dubai here is very expensive (no one is quite sure why) but
other things are less expensive, petrol for example. Food is generally
less expensive if bought in a store or at a "normal" restaurant. There
are expensive and eye-wateringly expensive restaurants if you want.
One thing, which is a bit shocking, is the low cost of and prevalence
of domestic help. Most flats and houses have "maid's rooms" and most
families have at least one maid or nanny. For people who have
children, school fees here are quite expensive.
The Register: What do you miss about the US?
Blanchard: My father, my sister and Eastern North Carolina Barbeque.
The Register: What's your top tip to help new arrivals settle in to
Dubai? And Armenia?
Blanchard: For Armenia, my top tip is: don't fight the system. The
immigration authority, customs' authority, government offices all have
their own way of working, the rules are never clear, are enforced
haphazardly, but in the end it will work out.
If you are in management and your staff tells you "No problem", in one
week you will have a problem.
Everyone here in Dubai is from somewhere else and there are going to
be differences of opinion and culture (especially when driving). It's
best to save your energy and sanity for the things that really matter.
People here, for the most part, are friendly and polite. If you are as
well, your life will be much easier.
The Register: What advice would you offer someone considering the same moves?
Blanchard: Go for it, there is a huge world to explore and learn about
and lots of challenges to face. Living and working abroad can only
make you a more knowledgeable person, no matter whether you enjoy the
experience or not.
Specifically for Dubai, I would say think about what kind of lifestyle
you want to have here. Salaries are higher and there are no taxes so
you can live a more luxurious life or you can save lots of money but
you can't do both.
The Register: And, because this is the weekend edition, what can you
do on weekends in Armenia and Dubai that you could not do in the US?
Blanchard: In Armenia, a typical weekend would see me doing a pub
crawl with my friends or going to a concert. Not much different from
the US, except Yerevan is small enough to walk everywhere so there was
no need to concern myself with driving or where to park the car.
In Dubai there is some good (if expensive) night life, as well as
desert camping, desert driving (dune bashing), scuba diving, sky
diving and a whole range of outdoor activities.
If you are an expat, or know an interesting one, let us know so we can
share your/their globe-trotting tale.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/10/19/expat_files_why_cant_i_run_a_water_pipe_through_th at_rack_of_media_servers/