It’s certainly not been the year anyone was expecting when they woke up on January 1, 2020. But believe it or not, there have been some highlights in 2020 – read them here.
And there have also been some silver linings to spending so much time at home.
So, the Time Out team has done a bit of self-reflection (hiya!).
We’ve shopped local (at times, too enthusiastically), we’ve spent more time with our kids, we’ve got into new podcasts and we’ve learned new recipes (though we’re relieved we don’t have to eat our own cooking anymore).
Since the city reopened, we’ve also been looking at it differently – and taking fewer of the incredible privileges of living in the UAE for granted.
We hope you can relate to some of our silver linings – we’d love to hear yours (say hello via hello[at]timeoutdubai.com).
Bring it on, 2021.
“We rescued a five-week old kitten – the extra time at home allowed us to give her the attention she needed. Now she’s a little diva and rules the roost.”
“I started learning Japanese – my first-ever second language attempt. I’ve now been studying every day for seven months, even if I only have 20 minutes before work. I can’t say I’ll be passing the N1 Japanese-Language Proficiency Test in 2021 (or even the N5), but I’m happy I’ve started on my journey.”
“I learned how to make spanakopita. By which I mean, I made it once and it was decent. So that’s now on my CV.”
“I learned to budget properly. In early lockdown there seemed too many options for ordering in, artisanal breads, freshly caught fish, home-smoked meats and loads more. But trying to support local small businesses I went a bit overboard, after a while there was a balance between buying small and local and finding new ways to be thrifty with things I already had.”
“Found ways to use up mountains of pastrami: See above. (P.S. Shout out to The Mattar Farm Kitchen!)”
“I got into podcasts – finally. Mainly thanks to Louis Theroux’s Grounded series. The first – with Theroux’s rival documentary-maker Jon Ronson as guest – is a must-listen. It’s also a bit of a relief to hear one of the UK’s best-known broadcast journalists owning his imposter syndrome.”
“Found a way to travel with zero cost (or visa) – thank you to all the travel vlogs and live cams out there.”
“Like half the world, I baked banana bread. Unlike half the world, that was mainly because I accidentally ordered 4kg of bananas.”
“As the city got back to normal, I’ve fallen back in love with badminton. Since Dubai Sports World finished, I’ve loved exploring different courts in the city – Pakistan Association Dubai in Oud Metha and German International School in Academic City are two of my current favourites. My backhand serve and hulk smashes have really improved.”
“Discovered I can cook! Who’d have thought it?!”
“Getting into fitness: Amid the lockdown period of this year, I turned to ‘quarantoning’. By the end of the summer this year I was in the best shape I have ever been, exercising one hour a day, six days a week and becoming far more body positive than I was in 2019.”
“We joined a weekly Zoom quiz that was actually – shocker – loads of fun, and we made new friends who we now see IRL.”
“I learned when to ask for help and went to therapy. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned this year, it’s that our mental health should always be a priority. I found the process very helpful.”
“Following lockdown, I became more proactive in exploring the treasures of Dubai. I found myself going on more adventurous dates with my girlfriend and trying out new parts of Dubai – Boardwalk is a new personal favourite, and The Bungalow at La Mer.”
“Learned how to be a father and love someone more than myself – all while juggling a career and keeping a family steady in the most challenging of years.”
“I found out what feels good when it comes to exercising (thanks, Yoga with Adriene). I also lost the Dubai stone and then some, but more importantly, my relationship with my body, and with food and exercise, has completely changed.”
“I found new methods for focusing the mind. If you can get through months working at home, with a baby in one room, deliveries turning up every five minutes and the random bursts construction going on, without using mindfulness or breathing techniques, you’re a better person than me.”
“I realised I’m a great mother, and that putting my daughter first is the right thing to do. But I can also put myself first sometimes and – dare I say it – work, which might also be the right thing to do depending on the day.”
“I’ve gained weight. Or mass. I don’t know: I’ve learned to let go and accept things as they are nowadays.”
“I learned to be more patient and trusting. At times, if I got one more email starting with ‘In these uncertain times…’ I might have gone mad. But those emails have stopped – the positivity is back.”
“I discovered you can literally chuck anything in a slow-cooker. Anything. And almost 99 percent of the time it still tastes great. Except sponge cake. Never again.”
“Perfected my focaccia-making technique. Made one every two days for three months (felt like 12). Needless to say I’m glad to be back in the office and find myself with absolutely no time for watching dough rise.”
“I’ve embraced minimalism. Starting with the clothes I wear – I only wear black and white now. It’s a good feeling to have freedom from thinking about what to wear every day, which frees up energy and mental space for other more important things. (Yes, I still change my clothes every day.)”
“I’ve become an expert in making overnight oats. Having to live more cheaply, I’ve discovered the joys of eating porridge. Peanut butter, bananas, dates and protein powders have helped keep things, erm, interesting.”
“Bought a cheap sewing machine, started doing following YouTube tutorials and bought some gorgeous rayon-blend fabrics from ThreadWerk in Dubai. So far I’ve made a skirt, a top, and a mess.”
