This was my first ‘space’ in Dubai. It was a part of one room I shared with my parents in Jaffiliya, Satwa. They stayed in one partition, I stayed on the other. This was how ‘Life in Dubai’ was introduced to me. Sabi ko, hala 2 years lang talaga ako dito.
We moved 8 times in 14 years.
- 2006 – Jafilliya
- 2007 – Jumeirah 2
- 2008 – Abu Shagara, Sharjah
- 2011 – King Faisal, Sharjah
- 2016 – Muhaisnah 4 – Al Wasl
- 2018 – Muhaisnah 4 – Wasl Oasis
- 2020 – Muhaisnah 4 – St. Mary’s
- 2021 – Dubai South
After 3 months in Jaffiliya, we moved to a 5-room “villa” in Jumeirah in 2007 because the old room is too small for the 3 of us. But my dad’s idea is to rent out the other 4 rooms. After a year, we moved to a 1-bedroom flat in Sharjah because, well, Sharjah’s rent is much lower. The trade-off is, I had to endure the worst traffic situation in the UAE.
Then we moved to a bigger 1-bedroom flat in a new building in the same area. My parents eventually moved to their own space, as I got married and had my own family. We stayed for good 5 years until our daughter had to go to school.
For most of the years of our stay in Sharjah, I was working in Jebel Ali. So I had to endure hours of long commute morning and night. We enrolled her in UIPS, so we moved to a nearby community in Muhaisnah 4 renting a 2-bedroom flat. We used the other room to stock the materials for our business.
After 2 years, we moved 300 meters away to 1-bedroom to save on rent. Then our daughter transferred to St. Mary’s. So we decided to move again to somewhere near the school – so we won’t have to drive dropping her off in the morning.
While in St. Mary’s, the pandemic happened. School shifted online. After that, we decided to homeschool her instead. That decision allowed us to look for a place ANYWHERE. My wife and I said this should be our last move na.
It took us 3 months to finally found a place we both agreed we like. It was 63 kilometers from where we were before. This time, we moved not because of the school, but because we want our kids to have a feel of the outdoors in a good community AND it costs much less than all we’ve been paying for rent in the past. Moving, I think this is not just an OFW thing; it’s more of Dubai being DUBAI.
What all these shifting houses taught me
- We have a lot of things we stock in the house and when we move, we realize we don’t need all of them. Many of them non-essentials we weren’t even using. You never really know how much stuff you keep until you move.
- Moving home is an emotional event. As they say, “New home, new adventures, new memories.”
- The packing and unpacking might be tedious but you can look at it as a reset button you have to make to refresh your mind and body.
- It could be personal, practical, and spiritual. Moving to a better place allows new (better) habits to grow.
- Moving is gratifying. It allows you to look at what you are thankful for – it could be the new space, the new memories you’re looking forward to make, or maybe the RENEWED HOPE.
Til the next story….
