Welcome to my Blog! First Post: Why did I move to Dubai?

I constantly told myself to start a blog (though I started one before in Tumblr, but never continued). I would always make excuses like, I was not in the mood to write, I was also doubting my writing- I think I’m not a good writer (But what better way to improve your writing than to start a blog, right?), or I had no time. But finally! I took the leap, and I wanted to be productive today so I made an effort to start my Blog! Yey!

This is a platform for me to fully express myself and write down my thoughts (I always have endless thoughts about life), show my readers the life that I have now living and working in another country – and it’s not glamorous I tell ya, I just have a lot of life hacks for me to survive and go to places (especially in Dubai where most places have promos and free drinks – I’ll talk more about that later!) and to maybe, hopefully -- inspire and encourage millennials like me to take a leap of faith, be more ambitious, and not just dream on, but achieve those dreams – everything is possible young lady!

To start off, let me tell you about the story of how I got here.

Flashback to 2016 where I was a big mess.

I was working in Manila back then, living independently, no parents to tell me to go home early. Lol. I was practically living with friends because I was from the province of Iloilo, so I did not have close relatives in Manila. I was a Makati girl, having spent almost 3 years living in 3 different condos and apartments in Makati.

Trust me, I know how bad it is during rainy season!

I was working in Advertising - living my dream job but somehow I was not too passionate about it.

Then came a season in my life where things did not go well at work and I had to leave the job. I was also brokenhearted because my boyfriend broke up with me. Excellent timing right?

I was so low at that point in my life that I did not know what to do next.

I went home to Iloilo to have a break, and by that time my mom and cousin were pushing me to go to Dubai. So I said, sure why not? This could be a fresh start for me!

Family Time before I left

I conquered my F.O.M.O. (Fear of Missing Out), facing reality that I would miss out on a lot of fun times with friends and family, and not having to even see them for who knows how long.

But my greatest fear was I did not know what’s in it for me in Dubai, what job will I be doing, will I like it there? – considering that my parents will be shelling out money for this trip.

The good news is, I have cousins in Dubai, so maybe I won’t feel too homesick.

I went on a 3-month Visit Visa sponsored by my cousin, and flew on March 2017 – to have enough time to apply before Ramadan hits (Ramadan is a time where Muslims are fasting so the work timings are shorted to 6 hours, also most employers are on leave, so it’s a low time to apply for jobs). They say the perfect time to apply is from Oct – Mar.

Fast forward to my first few months in Dubai.

I have two cousins in Dubai. My female cousin who has a family here.

I stay with her family in Karama – I'm still staying with them up to now.

I live with her family, so I live with my cute yet annoying nephew. I love kids, so having my nephew always takes the stress away. And my other male cousin stays in Sharjah.

My nephew

For my first week, I explored Dubai with my cousin. She and her husband worked in Dubai back in 2009, then left for Oman, then Qatar, then came back to Dubai last 2016. She knows the place well, so she toured me around. I'll tell you more about the places I've explored on my next post.

How did I get a job?

On my third day in Dubai, I started applying online. I would apply on jobsites like Indeed, Monster Gulf, Khaleej Times, etc. Then I also joined groups on Facebook like M2M Dubai, etc.

I did not have a specific job in mind yet, so I applied on any job that I think would suit my qualifications.

Most of the jobs I had an interview with were for an Admin Clerk / Receptionist.

After 2 weeks, I got my first interview at a Modeling Agency as a receptionist. The HR liked me so she asked me to come back again for trial work. Everything went well, they liked me and gave me an offer. The offer wasn't that great and I wasn't in a rush to find a job, so I turned it down praying that I would get a better offer.

I had few other interviews, but they even gave lower offers and I did not like the position.

I was in a state wherein I was feeling low again. I was homesick, and I was having thoughts if I made the right decision of coming here. I was working as an Account Executive in a Advertising Agency in the Philippines, and here the only interviews I can land are for Admin & Receptionist positions.

A blessing came, a friend that I met during an interview messaged me that her cousin who's working in a Marketing / Advertising Agency was looking for a Junior Account Executive. I gave her my CV, and she asked me to come for an interview. Because I really wanted the job, I really prepared and even made a presentation of the projects I've done in my previous work.

Finally! I got hired by the first week of April.

Before coming to Dubai I also read blogs of people who work and live here to get a glimpse of the life in Dubai and to be mentally and emotionally ready for what is to come. My main inspiration was Ate Myla of http://www.findmeabreak.me/ and I was so happy to have personally met her when I was in Bangkok.

Some of my friends kept asking me questions like, if I go there will I earn more than I earn in the Philippines? Do you think I can find a job easily?

All I can say is it's all about luck and connections.

Luck, because I was lucky to have landed that interview where I met Zea (the girl that referred me to her cousin, now my manager). I'm very outgoing so I chatted with her for a bit, I added her on Facebook and I had her whatsapp number - wherein I made connections that later landed me my current job.

Will you earn more that what you earn in the Philippines?

Technically, it depends on your offer.

The exchange rate for Dirhams to Peso is 1 AED to 14 pesos.

A minimum salary here would be 2, 500 - 3,000 AED and that is 35,000 - 42,000 pesos.

It sounds big when converted to pesos but it will still depend on your expenses.

Like if you had a salary of 2,500 but you had free transportation and accommodation, you can save a lot than to someone who earns 3,000 AED but has to pay both transpo and accomodation.

It also depends on your lifestyle.

Here in Dubai, you can buy all the things that you want, and it's very tempting.

You go to the mall and you find Adidas or Nike shoes at 250 AED, thinking that ah! it's cheap I can afford it.

But you have to bear in mind that the salary here comes only once a month, not like the Philippines wherein we receive it twice a month. Yes, you can buy those shoes, but maybe you'll be starving before you get your next salary. lol.

If I go to Dubai will I be able to save a lot?

Honestly, it is very very hard to save. Again, it depends on your lifestyle.

I think my first post is a bit too long now, I'll stop here. I hope you liked it!

Please do comment if you have questions!

Love,

Steph