Following your life partner in the United Arab Emirates

Member since 14 January 2019

LoïcViP18 March 2020 08:59:55

1777

Hi everyone,

If love can move mountains, it also makes people move abroad, in countries such as United Arab Emirates.
Following your life partner in a country with different customs and rules is an act of absolute trust and may require a period of adaptation.
This is why we would like to have your opinion to answer these questions and thus help future expats who are preparing to follow the same track by moving in the United Arab Emirates.

What preparation do you have, or do you advise, to do before your departure in order to make the best of this experience?

What challenges have you faced? In what areas (finding a job, socialization, well-being)? How did you overcome them?

What is the outcome of this experience for you? Would you do it again if the opportunity arose?

Has your relationship with your beloved changed since your expatriation in the United Arab Emirates? Do you have any advice on this subject?

If your expatriation involved children, how did you manage to maintain a family balance in the face of this life change?

Thanks for your contribution!

Loïc

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helendebrahampofo Member

Member since 03 December 2019

helendebrahampofoMember25 March 2020 03:36:50

Wow! This topic has definitely struck a nerve!

I’ve been living in Abu Dhabi for almost four years now and if someone told me then that I would be a ‘trailing spouse’ for all this time, I would have laughed in their face.

I’m not laughing now though.

I was never supposed to be moving here ‘with my husband’s job’ for very long. We were both teachers back home and were told by our agency that I wouldn’t be able to get a job as a teacher initially because my degree is in a different subject to my PGCE. However, they assured me that it wouldn’t be long before I should be able to work as a teacher here.

But the reality has been quite different. The opposite in fact. I have applied for many schools and have not been able to secure a job as an English teacher anywhere in Abu Dhabi. So I’ve had to find other ways to make money a one of which is running my blog ***.

It has been a challenging experience, especially as I’m quite an independent woman and have had to rely financially on my husband (which I was not used to doing before).

But it has also been a liberating one. I have been able to explore my creative side with writing and generally return to the things that I love doing. I have been blessed with time to learn new skills and understand that my worth doesn’t come from what I do but who I am. No, we may not have reached the financial goals we set out to achieve but I do feel like I have grown so much more as a person because I’ve had to carve out a path for myself out here. I was forced to make the shift between “how can I make money?” to “where can I add value?” This birthed one of my other ventures afrohairuae.

I’ve met some great people, especially women who are in similar situations to myself and they are doing amazing things out too.

It’s definitely a sacrifice and an adjustment but one I would make again.

I hope this has been helpful!

****

Take care! Helen x

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