There are moments of very important decisions in a person's life. Sometimes one has to make a decision that will change their life from the ground up. In such moments, they ask themselves, “Should I do it?” Changing the job you have worked at for years is that kind of decision. And if, on top of that, you are also changing the country you live in and your whole way of life, it becomes one of the most important decisions of your life.

If you are bringing your spouse and children along, it feels even harder. Two years ago, I came to Dubai with my husband. It was a big decision for us. We had a lovely, settled life in Turkey, with our friends and our families. My English was not very good. At first, the move did not seem all that appealing to us. We laid the decision on the table.

What would moving gain us? We were living a routine, pleasant life inside a comfort zone. At the same time, our elders had begun, beyond a certain age, to struggle with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

That frightened us. Psychologists say that shifting from a fixed mindset to a flexible one helps people cope better with obstacles and increases their success. Since it is also well known that stepping out of your comfort zone is good for the brain and, even if you struggle at first, is important for personal growth and development, we decided to push beyond our limits. It was not easy at all. We came to Dubai without knowing anyone and without really knowing what we would face. I had left the job I had worked at for many years.

I immediately enrolled in an English course. My advice to newcomers planning to sign up for an English course: choose one focused on speaking. We searched for a home for a long time. We took wrong roads. We got the wrong cards. We were fined again and again. We got lost. As the city heated up, it felt bigger and more intimidating. Then we made new discoveries. The more we explored, the more we liked it. As we settled in and made friends, we came to love it. After all, isn't it the people you share a place with who make it beautiful? We met wonderful people here. We experienced how people, far from their home countries, hold on to each other more tightly.

What happened before we reached this stage? I stood on the balcony looking at the view and said, with teary eyes, “The view is beautiful, but I don't even feel like having a coffee on my own.” There were times when I went out and couldn't get things done with my broken English, times when I took the wrong metro and came back without ever reaching my destination. We failed to protect ourselves from the sun and got burned to a crisp within our first week. And we went through so much more.

We adapted, we figured things out, we learned. If you have just arrived, don't be afraid. Dubai is one of the best places you can live as an expat. You can always reach me. I will do everything I can to support you. You are not alone. Stay with love.