141 out of 194!

International Living has recently published its 2010 Quality of Life index. The list presumably gives you the list of the best places to live based on 10 criteria. So apparently I've downgraded... a LOT. France was #1, as it has been for the last 5 years. And the UAE...141...that's below Kenya (with it's election violence and poverty), Kyrgyzsatan and North Korea. North Korea!! I can take being below Kyrgyzstan...but I really draw the line at North Korea!

Apparently 'we' lost points in the freedom and climate categories. Seriously are we lower than North Korea in freedom?? I have to admit that it is disconcerting to live somewhere in which you're unsure of your rights--or actually, sure that you don't have many. I am pretty skeptical though of the idea that I'd feel any better in North Korea or Kyrgyzstan.

Now climate...that's truly a joke. After 11 years in Paris I'd say the number one reason for leaving was climate. Unless of course you're a fan of damp and gray. Whereas the climate here is lovely. Beautiful days with a breeze. Chilly enough for a sweater in the morning and evening. Is it hot in summer? You betcha. I'd be willing to wager though that the days we're kept indoors do to heat are fewer than the days les francais are bemoaning the rain. France received 87/100 for climate while the UAE received 10/100. Wow.

Now one place the UAE can really improve is health. (They received 76/100). Yesterday I had my first experience with a 'specialist' at the Sheikh Khalifa Hospital when I went to see the dermatologist. I have been unlucky enough to have already had 2 melanomas excised in previous years. That coupled with my fair skin leads me to be careful and to get body checks on a regular basis. Yesterday I was severely underwhelmed. The doctor (a local woman) did not even ask me to take off all my clothes. She never looked at my legs. She had a dermatoscope that hadn't been charged so she didn't use it--instead using a small magnifying glass. Her nurse asked me if my melanomas were benign. Really. I explained that by definition they were not. And she nodded. Hmmm. I'm not feeling confident about that. I then had a 20 minute lecture on covering up completely, like say, by wearing an abaya. Again....hmmm.

So does the UAE deserve to be number 1? No, I don't think so, but it could sure move up a few notches. We'll see next year....