#MyDubai Journey

How I’m navigating in one of the best cities in the world.

March 30, 2022

In the post Buy That Ticket. Really. I am giving a glimpse of how I decided to move to Dubai while living in Berlin. Bought a one-way ticket, sold my furniture, gave a lot of stuff away for free, and said GoodBye to almost 5 years of living between germans.

Within this article, I will share the story of #mydubai journey from the beginning until the present time.

I landed in the UAE on April 18, 2015. I was so excited about it that I couldn’t sleep the nights before and remember telling everyone, “ I am finally moving to Dubai!!!” Yaaay!!! And I had that sweet feeling “I did it, everything is possible” … and it was :) Now that I am writing about it I am going through a rainbow of emotions. I have a stupid smile on my face and goosebumps all over.

My first 8 months were a mix of connecting with the people I already knew here (this was not difficult as most of them were from the salsa community), meeting new people, going out probably five times per week, dancing salsa, dealing with a job that turned out to be the worst job I have ever had in my entire life, being already part of a group of people that some I already knew from Romania, having my first Dubai crush disappointment and my first Tinder dating experience, ending the year by witnessing on December 31st how The Address Downtown Hotel was burning until five am.

What an epic year! Really. 

I ended 2015 by quitting my impossible job, moving out from my first shared accommodation in the sandpit, and I started January 2016 with a brand new job working for one of the best companies I ever did and sharing an apartment with one of the girls from our group.

2016 was an unforgettable year. Filled with glamorous parties, yachts, dates, shopping, traveling, ladies’ nights, brunches, clubs, private parties held in villas and apartments. I was invited everywhere, I had my girls’ squad, making money and organizing events for big brands like Chalhoub, McLaren, or Hugo Boss. OH yeah, I was living the good life I was craving for while I was in Germany. Felt like it was Sex and The City – Dubai Edition. 

Oh, dear sweet 2016!

And then 2017 came, and in January, I figured that the company I was working with would close in the next few months. At the same time, I was dating a Jordanian guy who moved to another country shortly after the company news came.

So a few months later, in April, I found myself completely lost: no job, the guy I liked was gone (gone with some drama included in the package – how else lol) and a lot of crap happening in our group of friends. And the cherry on the cake also turned out that the girl I was living with and to which all I did was being nice and caring did a lot of shitty things behind my back. That was when I said: “I can’t fix myself anymore”, and I started my first sessions of therapy with a therapist from Romania. All on Skype. And it was the best choice I ever made. In Romanian, we say “she took me out of the s*** I felt I was slowly drawing in”

Therapy became an important chapter of my life. Because of this, I will have a dedicated article where I will explain a little more why it helps and why most of us need it.

Moving on – being jobless, I was using my savings to pay the rent and other bills. At the same time, I was applying for a job, but nothing seemed to happen. My flatmate moved back to Romania, and it was much better as our relationship became very dramatic. That’s when I decided I am done sharing. If I am not in a couple, I will leave alone even if I have to allocate a bigger budget for the rent and expenses.

The good part is that my savings were ok.

As a side thing, my advice is: whatever you do wherever you live, save money. Save Save Save. Because you never know, and 2020 showed us that if we have no savings, we are screwed. But this is another story. 

Eventually, therapy started to work, I was feeling better. I was working on myself and trying to fix the issues in my life. I found a job and began to work on August 1st in a hospitality company in DIFC.

Well, girlfriends, this was the 2nd worst job I had in my life :))) Good package with benefits and paid on time, but I was leaving from there crying … literally crying like it was the end of the world.. I’ll detail in another post, and I am sure many of you can relate to that.

This job lasted for 3 months and when they told me “We don’t want you” I said “Thank you, I don’t want you either” and I knew afterward it would be bad as I would struggle again with money. But I had to let it go for the sake of my mental health.

The next 3 months were ok in terms of not being alone and having many friends around me supporting me really being there for me, but I felt very vulnerable as I had to watch every penny that I spent.

It was the end of 2017.

In February 2018, when I was at the end of my financial rope, I finally found a very nice job in a retail real estate company. They hired me right away for a very good salary. Unfortunately, when I thought things started to fall into place again, 3 months later, they told me they can’t pay me anymore. What to do. I left.

So here I was again – jobless – the third time in a year. I was scared. 

It was May 2018. I was living alone in a very nice apartment behind MOE, paying a high rent by myself. While I was looking for another job, I started freelancing and bought my own events license, and I was helping one of my friends manage his business. So I was kind of surviving with a few savings from my last job and some income coming in from my small projects and my friend’s business.

Of course, I had to reduce my expenses a lot, and this lasted until the end of 2019.

I had to cut it out: entertainment, parties, shopping, traveling, and many other essentials. It was painful.

And I have to be honest: I had some rough ones. I had 35 DHS in my pocket one week. I had another week where I debated if I should buy another pair of Zara flip-flops for only 200 DHS. I didn’t until Mihaela, one of my BFF’s gave me 1000 DHS to get whatever I need … I am not crying when I think about it; I just say Thank you 

Yeah, sometimes I was coming home and crying for 2 hours, doubting myself and wondering why nobody needed me. It was harsh.

At the same time, I was very focused on finding a steady job, something safe that could cover all my bills.

I could have asked the help of my family, and they would have, but I knew they would get worried sick, so I didn’t want to put anything on their shoulders as my expectation from me was that I am old enough to get my s*** together.

October came, and my tourist visa was expiring. I was in this situation for 6 months now, and I started to feel desperate. Having a residency visa is the most basic document that allows you to live here for those who don’t stay in Dubai.

I started to create scenarios in my head that it would be ok to go back to Romania and find myself there again. That desperate I was and with my hopes almost lost.

In parallel, I was recently dating one of the best men I ever did in my life. So to make things even “spicier,” he lost his job and had to move back to Europe.

My safety belt was that one of my best friends that were part of our group and the one I was managing his business. He came one day to me and gave me the company documents and told me, “Go to Tasheel in Barsha Mall” and do your own damn visa. Good Luck. P.S He also gave me money to pay for it.

After other adventures, I had my visa and medical insurance in less than 2 months.

God Bless him and his heart!

2019 – I had a residency visa valid for 2 years, but I was still jobless, still freelancing, not having enough money, and of course wondering what I am doing with my life. The cherry on the cake was that in March, I realized that no matter what magic I did, I won’t be able to cover my rent anymore, and I told the same friend. His answer was again very simple – “You will move in with me until you find something because right now, this is your only option”.

I lived with him for almost 1 year. He took care of me and never asked for anything in return. In December 2019, I finally found the job that I currently have, and things started to fall in place once again: I moved back alone, I covered all my financial gaps, paid my debt, got back into the social scene, recovered my wardrobe (hehe yeah), and most damn important – I survived 2020 when a lot of other people lost their jobs. 

2021 – Nowadays, what I do is work in a branding agency as a project manager. I write for this fabulous blog that I wanted to start for over 10 years, travel, date, and live happily in #myDubai together with my tribe of amazing people.

As a closing note – what people say here really upsets me – “You can’t find real people in Dubai,” “You can’t build friendships”, “Everyone is so fake”, etc.

FALSE FALSE FALSE. Nothing can be further from the truth. I will tell you something: if it was not for the people around me here, I would not be in Dubai anymore, and I would not call this place HOME. My tribe is not just people from my community, meaning from my country as I don’t care about hanging out only with Romanians. Yes, I do have a lot of them around me, especially girls because it happened. But otherwise, I have friends here from everywhere.

When I was going through the rough times from 2017 to 2019 and had less money to go out, I swear five days out of seven per week, I had people in the house for breakfast, lunch, or dinner for sleepovers, etc. I was never alone. I never felt alone for a moment. I never felt abandoned or not taken care of.

On the contrary, there was always someone that I could count on no matter what. Walla. (Really in Arabic)

Yes, I am a friendly and social person, and maybe I was also lucky, but I really believe that Dubai is a place where we are here for each other. And let’s face it. Fake shitty people are everywhere.

Another thing that I hear is “yeah, but Dubai is like a train station”. People come for a while, and they leave after. Some they do indeed, but I know so so so many people that leave here for so many years and they bought houses here as well. Even the ones they say for years they will relocate they never do. Because Dubai knows how to keep you hooked with its multitude of benefits.

If you enjoyed reading, I would love hearing your own #myDubai journey 

17 Reasons Why I Love Living In Dubai

In a relationship with this beautiful city.

March 30, 2022

Sometimes I laugh, saying that Dubai and I are in a relationship.

And it was a Love at first sight kind of thing.

I chose Dxb to be my new home because it blew me away with its impressive skylines, modern architecture, lifestyle, climate, hummus :)) and most importantly, its people.

As an ex-pat girl, I have lived here for more than six years now, and I am still counting.

Photo Credit yutacar-JKMnm3CIncw-unsplash.jpg

I fell in love with this sophisticated cosmopolitan metropolis since I was based in Berlin, Germany. After I moved here, I just started to enjoy it more & more. And honestly, I don’t see myself living anywhere else in the world. At least for now.

Dubai is a bubble of luxury and benefits, something you can’t find anywhere else. Yes, it’s not perfect, and it is challenging at times but I embrace it with all my heart.

When I started this article, I put only eight points on paper and while writing, I kept adding and adding.
So Here We Go: 
1. Safety
For women and not only it’s a haven of safety. The police is very vigilant, and the rules are stringent and precise. No one will ever touch you nor harm you.

Should I mention how many times I left my house door open and forgot my phone somewhere?

A handbag without a zipper only here is possible.
2. Openness 
I like to call Dubai The Mecca of the Middle East where everybody speaks English, where you are free to wear whatever suits you, go out any time of the day or night, have some drinks at any restaurant, hotel, bar, or club. All you are asked in return is to respect their culture. Fair enough, right?
3. All Nice And Clean
It is one of the cleanest cities in the Universe—no trash on the streets, no garbage on the beach, no cigarette butts on the sidewalks.

Everything is shiny and sparkling.
4. Glam & Glitz For Girls 
Here comes the fun part. As a girl, if you are dressed up, full makeup on, and hair done in the middle of the week at 2 pm, there is nothing weird about it. There must be someplace you are going. And it makes complete sense. Lol – but true. Etiquette here is fancy. Women are all fancy, go to the salon, do their nails, go for facials and shopping. And I can relate to that as this is my east-European culture. Romanians are like that, and for this, I am proud to be one of them.
5. The People
Dubai has been a melting pot of cultures living in peace for many years now. Ex-pats are composed of all the other Arabs from the Levant (Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt) Europeans, Americans, Asians, and anyone you can think of.

All are living happily and in harmony with the Emiratis, who are called “locals” here.

By the way, locals are very cool, very open-minded, many of them studied abroad, speak very good English and we are well connected with them.
6. Arab Culture 
I have been fascinated and drawn towards it since forever. I remember I had a lot of friends in Europe from Morocco or Algeria living in Paris, plus I already knew some Arabs from Dubai due to the salsa environment. And they were my people, and always used to hang out with them and had a great time.

And realized I have so much in common with them and our cultures are closer than you think.

Sadly the image that mainstream media paints around Arabs and the Arabic culture is not a pretty one. This is not true. They are wonderful, hard-working people, with good and bad like all of us.

7. Cuisine 

From Emirati dishes, the so popular Indian Briyani, Levantine food, Asian food- in Dubai you will have the chance to indulge in most cuisines of the world and all really really well done. Tasty, fresh, savory, and so delicious. Yum.

8. Professional Growth Opportunities 

We all come here with a dream and something in mind. And most of us come to work and save. Yes, we don’t pay taxes, but it’s an expensive city. However, if you keep it low, you can have a beautiful life and so many benefits.
9. Social Life 
Fabulous Dubai has something for all tastes and pockets, and it’s tailored for everyone from families with kids to couples, singles, and tourists.

Dubai is a place where there is always something you can do. From arts and culture to many attractions, brunches, ladies’ nights, clubs, and entertainment activities such as beaches, pools, water parks, and so much more.

Photo Credit matty-adame-nLUb9GThIcg-unsplash.jpg

10. Never Alone 

At least I have never been. I know many ex-pats here are complaining that they are. Or that it’s difficult to make friends. I never felt this. On the contrary, in the last few years, some of my friends relocated for different reasons, got married, and even our initial group dissolved even though most of us are still in touch and I made new friends.

I am not the social butterfly that I used to be, but I still go out and meet new people, and 2020 which was a tough year for everyone, brought me three new girlfriends and many other acquaintances.

And what is very important for me: is that I have been through different difficult moments that I am talking about in another blog post – #MyDubai –  but I was never alone. There was always someone to give me a hand and support me. And some people, the ones they will always be in my heart, never left me. Because in Dubai most of us are without a family and we become family for each other. God Bless you all. That’s why Dubai is called #home
11. Medical Care
Who wants to go to the hospital? Nobody. I have only been in hospitals or clinics here a few times and luckily never for something critical, and I was like, wow! Dubai hospitals are like five ***** hotels.

The care you receive is Excellent.

I heard many people complaining about the doctors, and I believe that, but my experiences were always very good.
12. Weather 
From May until the end of September, the season is super hot and humid. Before living here, I heard people from Dubai saying, you never go out during the heat. Eh, I would say you do. We still go to the pool and the beach. But true, it’s crazy hot but bearable, especially for me because I hate cold, winter, snow, and ice.

The second part of the year is mild. The days are still sunny, and the evenings are nice and cool and a pleasure to sit outside for dinner or a shisha with your friends.

Note: January and February can be quite cold and rainy. FYI, Nights in the desert are freezing cold. Typically if you live here you don’t really go to the beach from December until the end of March and the people that you see at the beach during these months are most likely tourists coming from cold countries.
13. Entrepreneurship 
Dubai is a super entrepreneurial city that is giving this opportunity. Currently, there are thousands of startups and so many others in the making.

I know many people who came here for a job and ended up running a successful business. Including myself at some point.
14. Accommodation 
Every building has a pool and gym, Yep. How cool is that?
15. Palm Trees, Beaches, Pools, And Non-Stop Sun
When you grew up in Europe and lived there 33 years like me, you need a change. Europe is a great place to be, and the nature there is exquisite. And I know many people from Dubai miss it.

I don’t.

All I wanna see are palm trees, sunny beaches, the sea and nice pools everywhere—every single day. And to have the opportunity to drive 15 minutes to go to the beach or take an elevator to go to the pool for me is happiness.

16. Home Delivery 

Dubai is well known for making it comfortable for its people.

Almost every shop, store, and food chain will deliver whatever you need at your doorstep. Whether you need groceries, some snacks in the middle of the night, any kind of food or clothing items, consider it done. All is very well organized, fast and efficient.
17. Never Stop Growing 
My city is a place that never stops growing and always thrives on being better and more appealing and beautiful to its inhabitants, visitors and investors. Bravo!

Why Do You Love Dubai?

Best Job In The World – Life In The Air

A Dream Job or a Curse Between the Clouds?

March 30, 2022

A Dream Job Or A Curse Between The Clouds?
Special thanks to two of my best friends, Carmen and Mihaela, who helped me polish and made this article better and more accurate. They have been both Etihad Airlines crew for a very long time, and their input for this story was priceless.When I was in primary school and even later on growing up, the idea that someone dead gorgeous is jumping from one plane to another, changing exotic destinations like I change my underwear and on top of it is paid for it, damn! It seemed like a dream achievable only for lucky goddesses.
I grew up in a communist country, and my family could afford many things. However, most Romanians were still hardly allowed to travel until 1989 (yeah, those times sucked big time).Even after 1989 until the 2000’s it’s not like we were frequent fliers. Romanian families were more likely to drive to Greece, Turkey, or Bulgaria for vacation.

I remember in high school, one of my friend’s mom’s was a “stewardess” – someone that today we know as “cabin crew” – and she used to bring her a lot of cool stuff from wherever she was traveling, plus their house looked like a museum with antiques and items bought from all over the world. I was fascinated.

So that iconic image of an “air hostess” was portrayed as a model-like beautiful woman equivalent to exquisite beauty: luscious hair put in a perfect bun, full lips, flawless skin complexion, long legs, neat uniforms, and a charming attitude.

After 2010 I started traveling, and I saw stewardesses many times, but in 2012/2013, while somewhere in a European airport (Zurich from what I recall), out of nowhere, an Emirates crew popped up for check-in.

For the first time, one of the world’s largest and most luxurious airlines with the most iconic crew was a few meters away from me.
I have goosebumps now, just writing about it. I was not looking. I was staring like an idiot. And I usually don’t stare. At anybody.

They were the impersonation of flawlessness, beauty, and high standards.

All the details of their outfits, hair, and make-up style were in perfect balance and harmony. They were utterly outstanding.

In 2014 when I was looking for ways to move to the UAE, I went to Emirates and Etihad interviews. I didn’t pass. I was very sad at that time as I really wanted to leave Germany behind and build a new life in the UAE. But of course, everything happens for a reason.

The interviews themselves were for sure an unforgettable experience. The emotions and excitement were overwhelming. From a personal perspective and because I have flown both airlines, I always pictured Emirates as much better and has higher standards, but the interviews were the opposite. While Emirates rented a crappy small boardroom in a 4**** hotel in Dusseldorf and had a grumpy interviewer, Etihad was a whole different experience. They rented a big boardroom in a 5***** hotel where around 80 girls attended. They offered us breakfast. We had a little army of Etihad trainers and interviewers that each had its well-defined role. And it was not just an interview, but they made a proper introduction into the Arab culture and the UAE that perhaps not everyone there in the room was familiar with.
All in all, I witnessed sweat, tears, and so much emotion and desire to get that “cabin crew job”. Even myself, I have really put some effort into being there.

Frankly, I would have been very good at it, but I could not imagine doing it for more than two maximum three years, so in the end, I am happy that life had something else in place for me.

Here Are A Few Of The Golden Benefits, So Many Girls Are Craving If Joining Etihad And Emirates Airlines (I Was One Of Them):
In every layover, the stay is in a 5***** hotel where they have their own room.
Travel to different destinations worldwide, some of the exotic such as Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Singapore, and more.
Always meet new people from passengers, ground staff and of course crew. For those who don’t know, every flight has a different crew, from the first officer up to the economy.
The accommodation for both airlines is paid for, and most of the time is shared, but you will always have your own master bedroom, which includes your own bathroom. And most apartments are really lovely.
Extensive training before starting flying and with different other occasions.
Discounted or free flights for them and their families. Before, it used to be for their friends as well – I don’t know about other airlines, but Etihad and Emirates for sure had this benefit.
The crew becomes family.
Dealing with nationalities from all over the world
Living in the UAE – ideally in Dubai, the most fabulous city in the whole wide world !!!! (for me)
Shop today in Manhattan, have coffee on Champs Elysee in the next few days and lay on an exotic beach in the Maldives next week. How cool is that?
Emirates and Etihad give you a card with worldwide discounts from hotels, spas, entertainment, and restaurants.
For Etihad, if you have been working with them for more than 15 years and quit, you will receive discounted flight tickets for life for your and your family.
Less than one year after I finally moved to Dubai (Read #MyDubai Journey). Most of the girls in the group I landed were cabin crew for either Etihad or Emirates.

With some, I got very close, and they are still my friends. From them and the other crew that I interacted with, I heard so many stories. Some were entertaining, but I was shocked to learn what a cabin crew’s life is behind the scenes.

When you actually pull the curtains, there is a whole different world, and there is a dark side that, as a passenger, you have no clue about. I didn’t. I imagined all is nice and pretty. All they do is travel, smile, and shop till they drop, and all this while they are so well paid.

Yes, they have a lot of benefits. There is no denial here, but there is definitely another list with negative aspects.

Struggles And Pain

And here comes the sad part: the image created around them is that all they know is how to serve us food and drinks in the air, provide the safety briefing, meet and greet us, and smile politely.

In fact, being a cabin crew is an underestimated job that comes with insults such as “waitressed in the air” or” what else are they good at rather than serve me and clean the airplane toilets.”

Nasty, ugly, and VERY disrespectful.

These girls are intelligent and hard-working and deal with many challenging situations and “special” passengers. I know some are gold diggers, rude or obnoxious but every garden has its weeds.

Most of them have a diploma and are very well trained in psychology, engineering, marketing or business management, and so much more. Yes, being a stewardess maybe it is not the most intellectual job in the world, and you don’t need a Ph.D. to work there, but it is damn hard work. Not to mention the skills you must possess:

Skillset, Strengths, And Capabilities
Excellent customer service
Communication
Think skin to deal with unreasonable passengers and even crew
Problem-solving
Negotiation
Adaptability
Deal with a constant time zone change and different temperatures
Patience as they deal with a considerable number of people coming from different cultures.
A positive and constructive approach, especially to critical situations
Organized with managerial skills
First AID trained
Learn how to deal with life-threatening conditions like medical emergencies and terrorist threats.
The flying license has to be renewed every six months, which means hours of study and preparation.
As you already might know, my whole life has been about preaching about the comfort zone. Being a flight attendant, especially for Etihad or Emirates, is another way to get out of your cozy place. It means you left your home and familiar surroundings and embarked on an exciting, challenging journey. HATS OFF for that.

How Is Life For The Former Crew?
I personally don’t see this job as a long-term career for different reasons. Companies such as Etihad or Emirate will only hire you if you are in a specific age range, and if you are getting older, your chances to get fired are very high, there is no pension provided plus it is not a healthy environment from a physical point of view. The options to work as ground staff afterward are also very low, plus the packages are not that attractive.

Some European air companies have older crew such as Lufthansa, Blue Air, etc, and most likely have also a retirement plan in place. Still, for this kind of job, I really think you should have a plan B.

What is really bothering me is how many people and I am not talking about stupid people but smart and open-minded ones they judge and put them down.

Here are just a few examples of successful former crew.

Carmen

Etihad Airlines (current job)

While she is still flying, she is studying to get her second diploma as a financial analyst. And I am 100% she will.

Mihaela

Etihad Airlines (former crew)

She has flown with Etihad for 15 years. Recently got married and has a kid. She is PT and teaches Crossfit classes at her husband’s gym.

Oana

Emirates Airlines (former crew)

She moved back to Romania 2 years ago. She changed two jobs by now and currently, she is Head of Customer Happiness in an IT Company. Yeah, she must have been very stupid to get that job … lol

Andreea

Emirates Airlines (former crew)

After flying with Emirates for a few years, she joined a private jet company for a few more years. Currently, she is running a successful etiquette school business in Dubai.

Salma

Saudi Airlines (former crew)

As Covid came, shortly after she got fired. Salma worked for 4 years in Riyadh and joined Emirates in 2020. But a few months later, she was hired as PA of the CEO of one of the most successful Private Jet Companies in the Middle East.

Bravo! And good for them!

All these girls (and there are so so so many more like them) have a diploma. They are bright, very hard-working, sharp, true champs.

I know many others that, after being flight attendants, made a career in PR, blogging, photography, marketing, you name it.

So let’s be a little more respectful here and less hateful and judgemental 

If you are a cabin crew or have friends who are crew, what are your thoughts?