Moving to a new country pre-covid 

The decision to move overseas is never a light one, & it takes a lot of bravery to get on the plane. My most recent move was probably the scariest it was the end of February when I moved over to Dubai. It’s been fun but it hasn’t been a completely smooth transition & that’s okay too.

 

First of all, there was the small hiccup of a worldwide pandemic…

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I flew from Brisbane to Singapore to Dubai just weeks before all of the safety precautions were enforced so I worked for 3 weeks & then it all stopped for a few weeks to let the worst of Covid pass. That meant that all of the usual settling in to a new place, exploring & meeting new friends had to stop, or be virtual. Instead, I spent some time sorting through five years of photos and starting A wandering redhead which has been my creative outlet ever since.

 

But it just meant I had to get more creative, luckily zoom in Dubai works like a dream! The number of friends I have met online in the past 6 months has far exceeded any other year haha. It’s kind of slightly scary meeting people through online platforms like Facebook or bumble but it’s also really fun and so far, I have met great people and have no complaints! As well, all of my friends back home in Australia were free at all times and no one could use the excuse of work, because everyone was at home ;).

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Then there was Summer, which in Dubai is kind of a rough time haha. Summer kind of mainly consists of finding the air conditioned spots and not leaving, especially me being redhead and with pale skin. But at least there are always malls, like so so many malls and each of them have different attractions so you can choose depending on your mood. Although, this has made my bank account cry, you can’t go to a mall and not pick up unnecessary homewares or clothing.

 

I’m also in a management in training program so that has taken up a lot of my focus but it has been honestly fantastic. I love my work team, I have met really genuinely lovely people, I am being challenged which is forcing me out of my comfort zone and I am part of a really exciting project. Pre-opening team is like nothing I have ever experienced but I know that all I am learning I will take forward into the rest of my career.

 

Now I have been in Dubai for 6 months, the weather is cooling off just a touch, it’s nice enough to go outside and stay outside, I have a great group of friends that are just hilarious, and I am settled into my program/work life. I am so excited to see what the next 12 months have in store for me

 

What have I learnt?

I love Summer, but Dubai takes it to the next level.

I need to really reel in my shopping habit if I want to leave with any money.

I work with some pretty fantastic, supportive people who I am so happy to have met.

I will be an absolute sook when I move to somewhere cold again.

I still have so much to see!