Moving to Dubai vs Moving to USA

Someone asked me how do I compare moving to Dubai with moving to the USA.

I had to stop and think for a while.

I moved to USA over 7 years ago to complete my education. The migration was rather swift and smooth as I did not have to go through the hassles that I am going through after moving to Dubai.

But when I thought about it I realized that the circumstances were entirely different when I moved to the USA.

I moved to the US as a full time student, and landed straight at the University Residence Halls. I did not have to worry about finding an apartment, furnishing it, getting the utilities activated, paying the bills, nothing. Everything was prepaid with the university fees and I just had to focus on my studies (which I never did, but that’s a different story). I lived, played, worked, slept, ate and studied in the university and traveled in university buses. The university was my entire universe, in every true sense.

On the hand, when I moved to Dubai 7 years later I am in the middle of my career. The carefree days of student life are long gone and I am in the middle of this jungle where survival of the fittest is the law.

I have to find a place to live (which I already did), make arrangements for commuting, do the groceries, apply for driver’s license, and manage all of that in the most cost effective manner.

This is not an easy job specially in Dubai which is among the expensive cities of the world.

So moving to Dubai has certainly been harder than moving to USA, but then again I was a boy and now I am a man.

You don’t expect a boy’s job in men’s world.