Moving to a new country can be nice and Dubai is on most people’s top list because it is clean, modern and the land of convenience where you can get anything delivered. There are lots of huge malls, the supermarkets are plentiful and you can get alcohol at certain restaurants.  For introverts and unreluctant shoppers like me; it is a nice reprieve from the crowds of malls and bigger supermarkets. Since I have been here I have not done anything social. With covid I just don’t want to be around lots of people so I stay home. Plus it’s HotAF here every day. Like being inside an oven hot.

For me Dubai has been mostly good. I love my modern, stress free, spacious apartment that has a nice view.  At the bottom of my building there is a supermarket, a pharmacy, a women’s salon and a laundry mat for those days when I don’t feel like going far. It is really convenient and nice to be able to get the basic necessities by just going downstairs. Dubai is not a walkable city and I am not close to the metro/train system.

Shopping in Dubai has been nice for me especially compared to Abidjan where I last lived. I love that like Amazon prime I can get most things delivered within 2 days. Today I ventured out to the nearest mall by my apartment to go to the Carrefour which is much like a super Walmart where you can get whatever you need. There’s an organic healthy food aisle where I try to buy healthy snacks. Inside this mall is also a small department store where I bought a pair of sandals for work and two of my oldie favorite stores…Body Shop and Bath and Body Works. It made me so happy to peruse those shops and to find that my favorite scents are still in rotation. Of course I invested in some coconut body butter 🥰 which I absolutely love.

Eating in Dubai…OMG. I eat so much here because I don’t cook very often 🤷🏾‍♀️ and it has been lovely. I spend a lot of money on takeout and although I try to eat healthy, I have had Korean fried chicken something I developed a love for in Egypt and sweet potato fries at least once a week. Today I decided to treat myself to a meal at a restaurant and outside of no alcoholic drinks, the meal did not disappoint. In fact it was soooo good and a huge portion so I have enough for dinner. The seafood soup was well seasoned, the bread was warm and soft and the seafood rice and Mediterranean fish was so tasty. I will definitely have to go back there again.

I have not done much socializing since I have been here and that is not because there isn’t a lot to do. It’s just so hot and I have been exhausted physically and emotionally. I plan to attend some events with the Black Expat group here and hopefully I will make some new friends. I look forward to the break in the hot weather so that I can explore the Marina area and the beaches because I prefer to be outdoors .

I think that being in Dubai will offer me plenty of opportunities to shop, eat and socialize so I have to be careful not to spend all my money while enjoying all that is available. #BlackExpat #EDpat #newbeginnings #lifeinabigcity