What makes me like Dubai so much? That it’s a city full of outsiders. There’s not a place in the world where the people interest me as much as in Dubai, although people interest me in every part of the world. But here it feels different somehow. Dubai is a transient city. Some people live there for a few months. Others for a few years. Others for a few decades. But except for the very few Emiratis (who you rarely interact with outside of immigration), everyone else is an outsider. I’ve always felt like an outsider in life. I’ve never really fit in regarding what I was “supposed” to be, so in Dubai I’m just one out of many weirdo’s :). Similarly, the people you interact with in Dubai are from every single corner of the world. That’s true of many cities, but not to the same intensity. Sure, New York has people from all over the world as well, but it doesn’t feel quite as consistently diverse as Dubai does.
I find myself so engaged with people in Dubai, because every time I interact with someone I wonder to myself where they’re from, how long they’ve been there, what their story is, etc. I just love other people’s stories. Well not all stories, but you get the drift. Anyway, it was a nice holiday and a real eye opener for my mum. A new world opened up to her. I was also very happy to see my friend Regina, who came to visit us. Even if it was only for a little while.
So, what could be better to end this day and our very nice family holiday than saying goodbye to Dubai from our own private pool. That 2020 may have many nice adventures in store!
Isabelle's travel stories 