Marhaba! Welcome to Moving To Dubai series. Here, I will be sharing some stories about my life in the Gulf and the many reasons why I decided to move here. Please note that these stories are written based on my own personal experiences and are not reflective of the entire expatriate community in the UAE. Some names in the stories may be changed to protect the identity of the people involved.  Ultimately, I hope this series inspires you to move places and become the person you have always dreamed to be. Thanks and happy reading!

THE BIG MOVE

The decision to move to a different city was very abrupt. I remember sitting in my work area late last year and realizing how much of a dead end my life felt like in Manila — inefficient public transport, long hours of traffic jam, poor government system, round-the-clock work, the heat and pollution — I can go on for days. Thinking about it now, the city really did exhaust the shit out of me. 

As most of you know, I can never stay idle in one place for too long. I have to constantly move. When the capitol announced a nationwide lockdown early last year, I was doomed. Like everyone else, I was locked up inside a four-cornered flat alone for three fecking months. Imagine being robbed off of everything that keeps your sanity in a snap. Not to mention I lived miles away from my family. And some people even had it worse. I still cringe in disbelief how I survived that year without banging my head on the wall. Being jailed in my flat for months probably made the decision to move so easy to make. 

"Go out there and be in pursuit of what brings you joy and satisfaction in life, even if it means you have to leave home."

When my siblings first flew out of the Philippines a few years back, I knew in my heart that, sooner or later, I’d fly out too. I just didn’t have a timeline yet. In fact, my sisters never thought I’d fly out here this soon. They figured I can comfortably live a drunk-ass life off of my stable job in Manila, and while it’s partly true, my life last year felt like a sinkhole I had to get out from. I am not discounting the fact, though, that my prime years were also spent in the same city - the job, lifestyle, circle of friends, vices (which I should probably start getting rid of), the Friday nights I couldn't even remember, and the non-stop grind just to give myself the "life" I think I deserved. That kind of lifestyle really IS fun, if that’s the only argument, but doesn’t it get tiring at some point? 

Growing up, I have always seen my dad leave the country for work. It was so frequent that at some point, leaving home has become a norm in our household (and thank God it did!). I am very blessed to have parents who are so supportive of our decisions in life. "Find your luck," my dad would always say at the dining table every time we get asked about our plans in x number of years. He would always tell us to go out there and be in pursuit of what brings us joy and satisfaction in life, even if it means we have to leave home. After all, to me, home is a feeling. You can take it with you anywhere you go.

When I told my dad I want to fly out, I instantly got a thumbs up. No fuss. My mom, though, was kind of hesitant when I brought up the idea. She didn't bluntly ask me not to go but I could feel she was trying to hold me back. I countered her with the usual "I can do it. I'm old enough to survive the world, mom." and it worked. I got her nod. After a while, I asked myself (and ask yourself, too) “Fuck, can I really survive the world?” 

THE JOURNEY TO THE GULF

When I was little, I remember having to endure that Oscar-award-winning airport scene where my dad waves goodbye before entering the departure area. It was excruciatingly sad as a kid. Since then, my mind has been programmed to believe that airports are a place for sad people. It’s a place where everybody leaves everybody. Surprisingly, the “leaving” process was quite easy and bearable to me. In fact, it didn’t feel like I was leaving at all. Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten so used to seeing people leave that I have become numb.. or maybe I was just straight out nervous. I couldn’t tell.

Our flight was moved to a later time—almost midnight. This means the universe is giving me more time to say goodbye to the people I love. To be honest, not a lot of people knew I was leaving. Maybe just a handful. I figured nothing's final yet until I get past immigration and officially land in the UAE. And it was not that much of a big announcement anyway. I was thinking, my friends see me leave all the time so maybe, just maybe, they would see this as another fancy summer vacation. Just a little longer. 

My parents took us to the airport just a few minutes before the check-in counter opened. No crying. And thank God no crying! I didn't give my mom the chance to do that Oscar-award-winning moment all over again. Just hugs, kisses, and lots of see-you-soon's. The airport was empty and the entire process from the check-in counter to the boarding gate was unexpectedly smooth. I honestly thought I was gonna get held off at the immigration but thank God they didn't give me a hard time. Whew! Finally, that's off the list. At the boarding gate, I sat in silence and thought of the worst things that could happen when I land in the UAE. I shook the idea off of my head because what's the point of obsessing over it anyway? I took out my laptop instead and sent out a parting message to my employer before the boarding gate opened. 

The whole 8-hour flight was swift and steady. We were two passengers in the row, the middle seat was vacant due to COVID-19 restrictions. They served Asian food which was good enough for a plane meal. I wanted to get alcohol halfway through the flight but I figured it wasn't the best idea to be intoxicated in front of an immigration officer in the UAE so I just shrugged it off. 

We landed at Dubai International Airport around 5 in the morning. As I walked through the plane tunnel, I turned to my twin sister and smiled, "Fuck, we made it." We both felt giddy and thrilled -- the same feeling we get every time we receive toy meals from McDonald's when we were kids. The flight information screen says our luggages are at Carousel #2. We followed the stream of people to the carousel, took our bags, and quickly breezed through a swab test (a requirement for all passengers entering Dubai). We went to the immigration, proceeded to the exit gate, and went straight out of the airport. As a tropical guy, the weather here is pretty chilly. I came just in time for the transition from winter to summer. 

My sisters welcomed us at the airport with warm hugs and big smiles. I could feel their excitement for me. We quickly slid our bags in the trunk, went to the back seat, and sped through the highway. First thing I noticed: no traffic jam. Yup, I am officially out of Manila. I sat quietly as the city slowly woke up. Buildings stand tall in sunrise silhouette and there weren’t much cars nor people yet. I looked to my right and saw a tall bright building that seemed familiar. I looked closer and realized, it's Burj Khalifa. Wow, it looks just the way I imagined it. Somebody pinch me.

Since I landed, I have been seeing quite a lot of Filipinos here. I thought to myself, "brings me closer to home". Then I thought deeper: "Actually no. This can be home, too." My twin sister popped the thought bubble, tapped me at the back, slowly opened the car's sunroof, and said, 

"Welcome to Dubai."

I FINALLY MADE IT HERE. NOW, WHAT?

I am not gonna lie. I am afraid as fuck. In the last 24 years, I have only lived in two cities, both of which I've grown familiar with since I was young. When I decided I wanted to fly out, I didn't have a plan at all. I just knew I wanted to leave. The opportunity came to me and without a doubt, I hitched it open arms even without a hint of what lies ahead. 

"That should be fine, I'll figure it out when I get there," I tried to convince myself. 

To be quite honest, planning was never in my DNA. I always make decisions on the fly. I remember when I went to the Cordilleras alone two years ago, I had no itinerary. All I had were my bus ticket, which I booked a day before, and my trusty backpack. That's it. And in a week, I managed to stay with a local family in Sadanga, breathlessly climb a mountain in Maligcong, eat good local food, top load a jeepney, meet some like-minded people, among many other things. I attempted to follow a schedule when I went on a solo trip to Taiwan but, you guessed it right, 80% of my plans never happened. Maybe planning just doesn't work for me. It's like setting myself up for disappointment. I figured if you're not expecting anything, there's nothing to be disappointed about

So far, Dubai has been nothing but good to me. The nerves and anxiety still creep in every now and then but everytime it happens, I just go back to my purpose, the very reason why I even flew out here—I wanted more stories to tell. Through my writing, I hope to encourage you to see the world exactly as it is—huge, infinite, possible, full of surprises. I am not asking you to live life the way I do because we are different people with different priorities. All I ask of you is to realize that there is more to life than just existing. The world is too big of a home and you need not to be cramped up in that small little bubble for the rest of your life. Imagine the amount of people you will meet, the places you will see, the food you will eat, the experiences you will never forget. You see, the world favors the brave and your life will only change if you dare begin. I started the year with the mission to TRY. And here I am, trying. It’s not going to be easy and it will never be. But even if it fails, least I can go on storytime with my grandkids and tell them that I chose to live my life the best way I know how. And I hope they do, too. Now I ask you, when was the last time you tried? The last time you felt most alive?

I sincerely hope that someday we come across each other somewhere in the world and share stories from our own respective journeys. As I write this, I recall a line from a movie called "Before Midnight" (from the "Before Trilogy") that says, "Not knowing isn't so bad. I mean, the point is to be looking, searching, to stay hungry, right?

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Next Episode: Biryanis, Karak Tea, and the Many Realities of Living As An Expat in the UAE

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