Dubai: The Peruvian community in the UAE is small but colourful. With barely 40 citizens from the South American country residing in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, the Associacion de Peruanos en Dubai, or Dubai's Peruvian Association is in the process of being formed.
Carolina Gildemeister, 42, works in real estate and is among those getting the community together. "We have already started to list ourselves with who knows who but there are some Peruvians I haven't contacted yet. The idea is mainly so we all know who we are," said Gildemeister.
"When you arrive in a foreign country you can feel lonely. Especially for wives and children who have to start from scratch," she said. So far the list has about 30 names and birthdates on it. A family event is being organised for sometime in the future and in the last few weeks two more families have come in from Peru. "Children don't often have the chance to speak Spanish outside the family home either so this is the opportunity," she said.
There is no embassy or consulate in the UAE representing Peru so Peruvians depend on the one in Egypt. According to Omar Moya, 31, another Peruvian who met Carolina in Dubai, "There is a consulate in Lebanon and one in Cairo and we fall under the one in Cairo but there are so few of us here that there is no consulate here yet," he said "Hopefully in the future more Peruvians will come out here," he added.
Within the small community, groups of friends have formed and meet up often for dinner, parties or to celebrate national holidays or special occasions.
Carol Querol, 32, followed her husband Claudio, 33, a consultant to the UAE. They live in Abu Dhabi but travel to Dubai to meet up with their friends.
Trickling in
- Peruvians have been relocating to the UAE over the last two years.
- Employment is broad and ranges from consultancy, property realtors, construction industry.
- Known population is between 30 and 40.
- They live in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah
- The Peruvian Association of Dubai is currently being formed.
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