Pinay Expat Moving To The Middle East - United Arab Emirates

You probably have wondered and think about the idea of moving to Dubai. Let me share my experience on how I made it through in setting foot in the glamorous and enormous emirates state of Arab. Just a heads up – some confuse Dubai as a country however it is not a country. It is one of the seven emirates that make up the country which is United Arab of Emirates.

Eight months ago, I made a tough decision which I know would greatly change my life forever. In January 2014, I quit my job in the Philippines and leave the comfort zone that I had grown up with for the past years. To tell you the truth, I had no plans of leaving the job and the Philippines at all (there were times though) but due to some personal reasons and wanting some changes in my life, I left the job. I worked for Call Centre for almost 5 years and the decision to leave the company was never been easy but my journey doesn't stops there.

Ready for take off!

The whole plan is to visit Dubai and with the help and support of my dear sister I was able to receive my visit visa as quickly as expected which took a month to process. It may sound selfish but no one is aware of which part of the continent I am going to, except my mom and my sister and a few close friends. The thought of moving overwhelmed me and as I draw closer to my departure date I felt anxious somehow but ecstatic, considering what kind of life is waiting for me out there and in short time I will be leaving my family and friends not seeing them in 2-3 years or more so whatever the future holds. I was quite prepared for the decision I made then. I wanted to achieve the experience of being alone and independent in a foreign land. The thrill and excitement of living is ahead of me though I wasn't sure on how life works once l arrives but I always think: “I will cross the bridge when I get there.” I took a direct flight from Manila, Philippines to Dubai. It was a 9-hour long stressful flight and the plane ride was insanely cold that I can barely sleep.

All set to take on a new adventure.

Finally, arrived safely and sound – Marhaba! A local friend says. Hello and welcome to Dubai!  The airport is wide but Hong Kong is the far biggest I've seen so far. All passengers bound to Dubai are required to queue for an eye scanning. My sense of direction is poor so next thing to do - download the map (public transports) and I'm good to go.... 

The idea is to come to Dubai under a visit visa and maybe find something else - a job probably while using a month’s duration. You can also choose to stay for more than a month and may need to pay for extra. Most cases some will just extend for another month and pay for it. In my case, I got a job in less than 2 weeks of stay. I started to work the next day so haven’t got the chance to explore the country that much, but during my job hunting eras I met new people, see new places, getting used and familiar with the roads and being conscious of the culture and environment. 

I land a job and have to travel once more to change my visa status from visit visa to employment visa. So I had a short trip to Oman-Muscat and had my visa stamps on my passport then taadaaa – Officially UAE residence. But then I thought this will be a boring and a lonely place to live in. Yet, I'm still on the hunt of what else Dubai has to offer. 

May Allah bless me!
Inshalla....

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