My Life Abroad: Dubai has brought out the best in me 

Curious about what it would be like to work or study abroad? My Life Abroad is a column by Her World that gives a glimpse into the lives of women from Singapore who have pursued their dreams and ambitions overseas. If you would like to share your experience, please email us at herworldsocial@sph.com.sg with the subject “My Life Abroad” in your email header, and one of our editors will get back to you.

In today’s column, we speak with 37-year-old Sue Ann who has been living in Dubai for nearly two years where she works in a client success team within the dental industry, onboarding dentists in the Middle East to use products and services for orthodontic treatments. 

Here in Dubai, I call myself Sue 2.0 for daring to do things differently and getting out of my comfort zone. Back home in Singapore, I used to mainly focus on my career but now I find myself enjoying and appreciating life outside of work too. From dragon boating to boxing and learning to dance from a group of gorgeous Russian ladies, I’ve dabbled in workouts that I once never thought I would! I’ve even embarked on a Barre Teaching Training Course here. Back home, I used to be a conformist – possessing the mindset that I had to graduate from a good university, get married by a certain age, start a family, scale the corporate ladder, strive to overachieve at work and in workouts, and so on and so forth. This resulted in me being stretched too thin at times.

To the uninitiated, Dubai may seem conservative and have its unique set of rules and etiquette, but being here, I feel free from judgment. There’s no pressure to conform to a certain behaviour or to pursue a certain work goal or career path. There are no WhatsApp group chats where parents compare their kid’s grades and enrichment classes, and I admire the sense of body positivity here, as people welcome all different shapes and sizes instead of sticking to a particular beauty ideal or skin colour. Being here, I feel as if I can live life on my own terms, which has allowed me to take a step back and practise self-care.

Cars are affordable here, so my husband Tim really enjoys how he gets to fulfil his car dreams here, modifying vintage vehicles and driving all sorts of cars.

Tim works in the oil and gas industry, and it was a job offer he had that inspired us to relocate. Coincidentally, around then, I met with a former colleague, which also led to an offer in Dubai which I happily accepted. Tim and I both obtained our Emirates ID via our companies which had dedicated PROs (public relations officers) who assisted us with the entire Visa application process. 

My living situation

Together with our son, our family of three is currently residing in a four-bedroom townhouse within a residential community. People tend to rent houses depending on the proximity to their children’s school and their workplaces. Rental for townhouses or villas in Dubai range from SGD4,000 to SGD10,000 monthly. Like in Singapore, there are many housing options here, including high-rise apartments in popular areas like Dubai Marina or Downtown Dubai area. The property market here is in high demand, so people often secure housing even before viewing the place – after trawling through websites like Bayut or Property Finder (Property Guru equivalents).

The government is constantly working to make Dubai’s infrastructure even more habitable for residents here. When we first arrived, cruising down Sheikh Zayed Road, we saw skyscrapers and fancy cars along the highway. It’s even more modern now than what I remembered the city to be from a visit 10 years ago! 

The convenience here is unparalleled: you can easily get groceries from Wemart, Spinneys/Waitrose, or Carrefour with a tap of your finger. People get massages, facials and haircuts from the comfort of their homes too. There’s an app called Cafu, which brings fuel to your car! It’s so convenient.

Making friends away from home

Just like how Singapore is a multicultural melting pot, Dubai is culturally diverse with an even stronger focus on inclusivity and the spirit of uplifting others in the community. My office has a staff of more than 30 different nationalities. The initial trepidation of working with people from different cultures melted away and I found them to be very respectful of one another. I am also blessed to have a good team and we get along well socially too – gathering with our families once a month, exploring cafes and playing sports or other recreational games. 

People in Dubai are transient, and it is not easy to find strong and stable friendships. If you’re new here, I’d suggest joining a Singaporean Facebook or WhatsApp group to get to know more people through in-person gatherings. That’s also how we got to make friends who we now hang out with regularly. 

I really enjoy working out, which led me to finding a community at spin studio Motion (@motion_cycling) where I’m an ambassador. The regulars here and I have a similar mindset and love getting in a good workout, while having fun. I also frequent hot yoga studio Yofit (@yofit_thegreens) and have been attending a ladies-only pilates studio (@cima.uae). 

My family and I have been keeping to a routine, worshipping at church on Sundays, which grounds us. Our church community is a tight-knit one and has been very welcoming to us. 

Raising a child away from the Singapore school system

So far, we’re loving it here in Dubai and the plan is to stay on until our son enlists for National Service. Being here, I’m finding myself spending more time with my son and I hope to be able to impart important values to him. As a family of three, we’ve been volunteering with Draw a Smile (@_drawasmile), packing and distributing food to the labour camps. It’s a meaningful cause and we make it a point to do this regularly.

When choosing which school to enrol our son into, we chose an international school with a UK curriculum, in case he were to go back to Singapore. We read up on the KHDA ratings, which provides parents with good insights on the assessment and ranking of schools, and we heeded the advice of fellow Singaporeans here. Given that here, the school’s approach to teaching is less academic-oriented compared to how it is in Singapore, it’ll be an uphill task if he were to resume his studies in Singapore.

Since learning Mandarin isn’t mandatory here, we have enrolled him in online lessons for it twice a week. In school, he is learning Arabic (a compulsory subject) and French. He has also been attending French cooking lessons outside of school, learning to bake quiche and baguette.

Flying the Singapore flag high

I would say a time when I felt that I had truly passed the test of assimilation was when I whipped up my very own hummus – a beautiful blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon and spices, and paired it with store-bought Arabic bread and Zaatar chips. 

But I carry the Singapore flag high by sharing the Singapore food culture with friends here too! I truly think that food brings people together and transcends boundaries and languages. I’ve taken part in a wanton-making session with Singaporeans, and at work, we had a mooncake-making workshop, which allowed me to share the folklore of Chang’er with them. On International Food Day at the office, I brought my toaster and made kaya toast on the spot, which was a huge hit! From kuehs to Irvin’s salted egg snacks and melt-in-your-mouth sugee cookies from Bengawan Solo, I’ve introduced them all!

On International Day at my son’s school, other Singaporean mums and I created a makeshift hawker stall-cum-mom-and-pop shop with the support of the Singapore Global Network (@singaporeglobalnetwork) and Singapore Airlines (@singaporeair). We got chicken satay, steamed mantou, milo drinks, bandung and more for the kids and teachers from F&B Shiok (@shiok.ae).

During the Chinese New Year, we hand out mandarin oranges, and as a family, we still uphold the tradition of gifting a red packet to my son and wearing new clothes on the first day of the new year. 

Speaking of fashion, my wardrobe is well stocked with Singapore brands like Love, Bonito, Kydra, and Charles & Keith. On special occasions, I even wear batik pieces from Missy Utopia and cut-out dresses from The Missing Piece. That way, home is always with me wherever I go.

When family or friends from Singapore visit us (usually during the cooler months between October and March), we’d spend weekends visiting tourist spots and travelling across the seven Emirates. My favourite spot in Dubai is an Arabian tea house which has the most beautiful Middle Eastern platters that taste as good as they look.

We are also huge fans of festivals and pop-ups that happen around the city. TimeOut Dubai comes in handy to keep up with the latest events. One of the more memorable experiences we’ve had so far was at the Sikka Art & Design Festival in Dubai’s Old Town. The area was filled with quaint art galleries, food carts and live music. It brought back memories of the Light to Night Festival in Singapore!

On one occasion, we drove out in the middle of the desert for a barbeque – a favourite pastime of residents here. Whilst admiring the sky peppered with shimmering stars, we made a wish on an imaginary lamp that we can stay here for as long as possible, cherishing every adventure on this exhilarating magic carpet ride. It has been such an adventure and I don’t want it to end just yet.