Only a few weeks ago, I packed up my things and left my home in Australia – I was heading out to Abu Dhabi to start a new life. My husband was already in the capital, so feeling excited to be embarking on a new adventure (and seeing him after three months apart) I boarded the plane from Brisbane. After an excellent flight that involved a lot of bubbly and even more Gossip Girl, I arrived in Dubai feeling relaxed, happy and very excited.
My husband picked me up in a slick chauffeur-driven Audi A6, and all I could think was: Wow, I could get used to this! So far, so good. My first glimpses of Dubai took my breath away. The strange buildings, the sheer size of everything, and the stunning modern hotels set against a desert backdrop; I just couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. My husband could sense my amazement and said, ‘Don’t get too used to the scenery – Abu Dhabi is a very different city.’
My great expectations of Abu Dhabi slowly started to melt away on the first day of arriving, and after a terrible bout of food poisoning, which involved being sick at Emirates Palace – not exactly the grand entrance I had envisaged for my first visit to this beautiful landmark, everything quickly turned sour. I was confused and lost, and had a million questions for my husband: where are all the trees? Why is it so hot? Why do the people drive so recklessly? Why on Earth have you decided to put a fridge in our living room?
Still in a delusional state from the poisoning and jet lag, I couldn’t even bring myself to unpack my bags, and they sat against the wall for days while I moped. Slowly, though, the homesickness and culture shock began to melt away – one morning everything just suddenly seemed brighter. And my former excitement returned.
I realised there was so much to see and do in the city – I just had to go out and find it. Luckily for me, my downer only lasted a week, and once I got out of the haze of confusion and started to take things in my stride I realised how exciting it was to be here. Life in Abu Dhabi is good, now if I could just get rid of that fridge in the living room…
