Hola habibis,
It’s been a while since my last Dubai expat life update and that’s because I haven’t been here! I’ve been in Sri Lanka on holiday with my actual habibi, living the all-inclusive high life. And before that, I had a flurry of visitors to keep me busy.
I got to live like a tourist in this sandpit I call home for a while; lounging at the hotel pool, brunching and wandering around the mall. It was also great to have some time off work and show my loved ones around Dubai, because I don’t get to see them often.
Sri Lanka was unreal and there’s a post coming soon about the amazing resort we stayed at and the things we got up to. (There’ll be pics of sea turtles, so stay alert and sign up to my email list!)
Ahoy there
Watch my full Dubai expat recap on Youtube
I’ll be honest: I wasn’t thrilled about coming back to Dubai. After ten days of pure relaxation, the stress of the daily struggle in this big dusty city loomed over me like the Burj Khalifa. Hope you enjoyed that Dubai themed simile.
Also, Colombo Airport is chaotic AF.
Luckily, the day after Tom and I landed back in the UAE, we had something planned that reminded me why I moved to Dubai in the first place. We’d been invited to a yacht party for my friend’s birthday!
Just a typical weekend in Dubai.
Chartering a yacht is on my Dubai bucket list so I was highly excited. An opportunity to drink Jager in a one-piece and sail around the Burj Al Arab? Yes please. The yacht party was just what I needed, one of those IS THIS REAL LIFE days that only happens in a city like Dubai. Like, how have I got to a place in my life where partying on a yacht in the Arabian Gulf is a standard weekend activity?
The birthday girl fell head-first into the drinks cooler and Tom lost his Raybans, so it was a pretty wild day.
Get the yacht party look
A night out is good for the soul
A killer hangover and back-to-work blues weren’t helped by the fact that Tom had to leave a few days later, so I was left feeling a bit lost. Again. I’ve written before about how I’ve struggled at times to get used to living in Dubai. It can be lonely and frustrating and you can wonder what you’re doing here, in the desert on your own.
As I’ve also said before, living in Dubai has its perks. We’re all in this together (I sang that High School Musical style in my head), so there’s always someone ready to be your new best mate.
On Tuesday I met up with girls from the Brits in Dubai Facebook group after a new expat Googled ‘How to make friends in Dubai’, ended up on my blog then posted in the group because I’d recommended it. Soon, around ten girls had introduced themselves as newbies on her post and they arranged to meet for drinks. How could I not go along?
We descended on Pier 7’s Ladies Night like the beyhive around Beyonce. It was so great to make some new friends and kind of poignant for me because we met in Asia Asia, which is where my first meeting with strangers took place. I took the plunge, walked up to a table of women I’d never met before, ordered a drink and ended up making friends who have made this whole experience much more enjoyable.
Like my first ‘blind’ Ladies Night, I stayed out much later than planned this time and spent the whole night chatting and dancing. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to create my own Facebook group specifically for women looking to meet friends in Dubai. If you’re a new expat or you’re just looking for new people to brunch with at the weekend, you can join Dubai Social Ladies.
My visitors have all left, my holiday entitlement is (almost) used up and it’s back to reality.
Dubai’s version of reality anyway. I caved and bought a Gold card for the Metro today. Dubai princess training complete.
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