Modern Arabs like drawing boundaries. They prefer living a private life, one that is often deemed as a refusal to communicate with strangers. Maitha Essa, an Emirati woman, has taken upon the task to dispel all myths and misunderstandings about the Arab society. Three days a week, she hosts expatriates and tourists for 3-4 hours at her home in Abu Dhabi for a dinner preceded by a candid chat session—the Emirati House Experience. I attend one of her sessions along with five other Indian women, my colleagues. Under the beams of streetlights, I walk in a peaceful neighbourhood in Abu Dhabi city clustered with several beige coloured houses. Maitha answers…