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British Expat in Dubai - Expat Interview With Debbie
| Published: | 2 Nov at 9 AM |
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Filed: Interviews,United Arab Emirates
Debbie has been living in Dubai for approximately 15 years. She has seen Dubai grow from practically nothing to the bustling city it is now. Debbie believes that in the last ten years Dubai has literally put itself on the global map for many a reason, not always good ones she admits, but she still loves living in Dubai. Debbie blogs about the latest restaurants in Dubai on her expat blog called The REAL Geordie Armani (see listing here)
Where are you originally from?
Originally from the United Kingdom, South Shields in Geordie land to be exact.
In which country and city are you living now?
I am now living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates .
How long have you lived here and how long are you planning to stay?
I have been here 15 years and plan to stay indefinitely.
Why did you move and what do you do?
I was on holiday in the UAE when I met my husband, but my parents also lived here at the time. Apart from being a full time Mum I do free lance social media and my blog.
Did you bring family with you?
Yes I brought my cat Sasha, but since then I have married here and had a daughter.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
Very easy for me I was already familiar with the Middle East from previous visits.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I found it easy, I socialise with a mix of expats and a few local people .
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
There is a lot to do in Dubai from water parks, to ski-ing indoors, all sorts of things, I recommend they grab a copy of The Entertainer book and work their way through it.
What do you enjoy most about living here?
Cosmopolitan culture, lifestyle, weather.
How does the cost of living compare to home?
I wouldn't like to say as I am out of touch with cost of living in UK. Rent here isn't cheap nor is schooling but if you get the right job that isn't an issue.
What negatives, if any, are there to living here?
It gets a bit hot in the summer .
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving here, what would it be?
Keep smiling.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
In the early days missing family from UK, have adapted to that and Facebook is a life saver.
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
I think I will find it very difficult to cope with
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
- Do your ground work.
- Don't rely on other people to sort things out for you.
- Make sure you have enough cash to cover a years rent up front (unless company are providing accomodation).
- Talk to expats already on the ground, their advise is invaluable.
- Once settled invited family and friends over, it helps you settle when they see what a great place you are living in (for people in the UAE that is).
Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
I actually started a blog about 6 years ago but lost interest in it. I started lifestyle blogging a few years back but prefer doing food related stuff now. I have been an active member of British Expats for many years and I feel I have given enough back to the expat community here in the UAE. I have ran support groups during the recession, and sorted many issues out for expats who have got themselves into sticky situations. The REAL Geordie Armani site is about my passion and what I enjoy doing, Dubai is a cosmopolitan hotpot of nationalities hence loads of restaurants to review. I like to find something a bit different for my readers. I don't do fine dining per se but prefer the mid eats range.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
I can be contacted via my website (see below)
Debbie's expat blog is The REAL Geordie Armani http://www.therealgeordiearmani.com/ which is very worthy of a visit. Debbe can be found on Twitter @geordiearmani and her Facebook profile. Debbies expat blog has an ExpatsBlog.com listing here which would love a nice review if you can spare a quick moment! If you liked this interview with Debbie, please also drop her a quick note below.
Here's the interview with Debbie...
Where are you originally from?
Originally from the United Kingdom, South Shields in Geordie land to be exact.
In which country and city are you living now?
I am now living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates .
How long have you lived here and how long are you planning to stay?
I have been here 15 years and plan to stay indefinitely.
Why did you move and what do you do?
I was on holiday in the UAE when I met my husband, but my parents also lived here at the time. Apart from being a full time Mum I do free lance social media and my blog.
Did you bring family with you?
Yes I brought my cat Sasha, but since then I have married here and had a daughter.
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
Very easy for me I was already familiar with the Middle East from previous visits.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I found it easy, I socialise with a mix of expats and a few local people .
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?There is a lot to do in Dubai from water parks, to ski-ing indoors, all sorts of things, I recommend they grab a copy of The Entertainer book and work their way through it.
What do you enjoy most about living here?
Cosmopolitan culture, lifestyle, weather.
How does the cost of living compare to home?
I wouldn't like to say as I am out of touch with cost of living in UK. Rent here isn't cheap nor is schooling but if you get the right job that isn't an issue.
What negatives, if any, are there to living here?
It gets a bit hot in the summer .
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving here, what would it be?
Keep smiling.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?In the early days missing family from UK, have adapted to that and Facebook is a life saver.
When you finally return home, how do you think you'll cope with repatriation?
I think I will find it very difficult to cope with
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
- Do your ground work.
- Don't rely on other people to sort things out for you.
- Make sure you have enough cash to cover a years rent up front (unless company are providing accomodation).
- Talk to expats already on the ground, their advise is invaluable.
- Once settled invited family and friends over, it helps you settle when they see what a great place you are living in (for people in the UAE that is).
Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
I actually started a blog about 6 years ago but lost interest in it. I started lifestyle blogging a few years back but prefer doing food related stuff now. I have been an active member of British Expats for many years and I feel I have given enough back to the expat community here in the UAE. I have ran support groups during the recession, and sorted many issues out for expats who have got themselves into sticky situations. The REAL Geordie Armani site is about my passion and what I enjoy doing, Dubai is a cosmopolitan hotpot of nationalities hence loads of restaurants to review. I like to find something a bit different for my readers. I don't do fine dining per se but prefer the mid eats range.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
I can be contacted via my website (see below)
Debbie's expat blog is The REAL Geordie Armani http://www.therealgeordiearmani.com/ which is very worthy of a visit. Debbe can be found on Twitter @geordiearmani and her Facebook profile. Debbies expat blog has an ExpatsBlog.com listing here which would love a nice review if you can spare a quick moment! If you liked this interview with Debbie, please also drop her a quick note below.
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Copy and paste code to display the Featured Expat Badge:Comments » There is 1 comment
Shahzad Hanif wrote 12
years ago:
enjoyed reading it and hello to Debbie :)
