Dubai Life - Living alone and the quiet battle

Living alone – the real challenge.

Coming to Dubai, I left the Philippines as a single guy. Wasn’t dating anyone or had any lasting relationship. Many things were written on my list and having a relationship wasn’t on it. I had my reasons but at some point, the dreaming became lonely. I once posted lyrics of a certain song on my Facebook and until now, its stuck with me.

Since Dubai is a bowl of cultures and nationalities, meeting people was easy. Social Media, friends of friends or even just by going to the bar you would be able to meet someone from the same country or from another. But meeting with people who will be there is difficult.

I am one of the few lucky ones to have family here abroad. People who will not judge you nor ask much of you. People who know me and people who will always be there for me. Family.

Having family though is like owning a double-edged sword, playing with in on air pretending to have a fight. Like a kid playing with his light saber in the playground. But like laser it cuts both ways. And somehow, it hurts me as well.

Independence has been something that I had since before. But there are limits and these conditions – family, friends, work – changes everything.  Having things to reconsider and weigh. Thinking a hundred times before doing an actual decision. It reached to a point where holding on was the only choice to do. Quietly holding on to the dream even if pain has been unreasonable. Pain that is unexplainable but there. Pain that lurks in the corner of being alone. Pain that shows itself when one is at its weakest.

Coming to Dubai I have never thought about fighting a quiet battle. But alas, I have conquered it. It was not easy but I have emerged victorious and calm. All from independence, family, living alone and Dubai.

Dubai Life as I Lived It - Friends

I know I am not that friendly but I know how to keep people in my life. I guess I have been taught to know who I want to be friends with and who to get rid of.

People come and go of course but somehow, these people leave a mark in your life. Both marks could either be good or bad – but still a mark.

I have had good friends – people that I treated as family since living abroad is not that easy. People that somehow knew me and saw through me at least in a manner that they know me.  But have you noticed I used the “have had” in the beginning? Yes, we do no connect anymore. They knew me and saw right through me like

I met families and couples that lived here for a good time. Families that have dreams and are slowly creating a little world in a land that’s thousands of miles away from home.  People that I have become familiar with and somehow treated me like family and not a stranger. Working folk that I have considered to be friends.

Friends are important to be a support system and shock absorber while living abroad. Home-sickness, work-stress and all kinds of pressures can get into you and these people.

How can one get friends? I don’t know. Actually, I know a good number of people that can somehow be considered a good circle or connections. But of course, not all of them can be considered as a friend. What does it take to be considered a friend while living and working abroad?

Do you have to have the same salary bracket? Does it follow to have the same interests? Is daily quality time an important aspect to be considered a “Best Friend”? Or just a simple connection is all it takes to be friends while hustling this amazing city?

They say that you would know who the real friend is when that person is there for you in your darkest, lowest moment in life. But does it have to reach to that point to know that this person is a friend?

Since coming to Dubai, I have had a good number of friendships that faded. Connections I have had with people that somehow grew far apart. Still, the respect is there but of course – communicating through social media. Friendship while being an expat is hard but it makes the experience worth while.