Challenges of relocating
- leilak73
- Jan 21, 2015
- 4 min read
Challenges of relocating
As I prepare for my last few hours in Abu Dhabi, my mind flits from one topic to another. What else do I need to take with? What do I still need to do here? Have I packed everything? And the eternal “What am I going to do once I'm back there-again?”
News from South Africa always seems to be depressing – I guess bad news sells? At least I have friends and family back home in SA. No matter how lousy the infrastructure or the politics of the country, having connections with those special ones makes all the difference. I feel grateful for the chance to see them again.
When I arrived here in Abu Dhabi a month or so ago, I didn't think that I would be returning back to SA again so soon. Little did I know that there were certain restrictions on the tourist visa I was travelling on, therefore the application for my resident's visa in the UAE would have to wait until after I leave the country. Not to mention that we still need a certain document stating that our housing is government approved.
I didn't realise how difficult it can be to get this piece of paper. I had been warned that finding accommodation in the UAE is quite the task. I had been hoping to find accommodation with the required documentation in this month, but alas. We must have looked at about 30 places and not a single one had what we needed. The state of some of the places that we looked at was rather shocking, never mind the asking price.
There was one possibility, however it was a bit out of our price range – and it had no documentation either. Aaaah, what to do?! It's been quite a frustrating task. You can't even go to an estate agent because they only deal with properties involving 5 or 6 zero's in the asking price. Thanks, oil millionaires.
Renting an apartment usually involves paying the whole year's rent up front, along with commission fees and sometimes a deposit as well. Sometimes you can pay in two instalments, but then they usually add on a few extra thousand dirhams. (One dirham is equal to about R2.80) Sure, one could take a loan to pay the difference. Should you miss a payment, its grounds for imprisionment. Not exactly the most desirable thing to have then.
To be frank, I am feeling a bit despondent about this whole situation. I had not wanted to return home without helping to choose the next place and to help with the move. Alas, life does not always work out as planned. My time has run out.
Tomorrow, I will land back in Johannesburg. Although the UAE is safe and I've been able to spend a whole month with my man (woohoo!), it will be good to spend some more time with my friends and family. It will also be nice to have green grass underfoot and somewhat less light pollution. I will also appreciate being able to transport myself. Being here on a tourist visa means that I've not been able to drive. Being quite an independent person, having to rely on public transport and on others for transport and for my survival, this has been a somewhat trying period of my life.
Perhaps I should have tried to find work and get sponsored a job through a company. Perhaps we should have looked harder for accommodation. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Should have, could have, would have... there isn't much point in thinking like that. What is done, is done. It cannot be undone. I'll never know if things would have worked out favourably (in terms of getting the visa application), had things been done differently. Either way, this is the reality that I am presented with, as a result of choices made.
I can't say that this month here has been a loss. Definitely not. Much has been accomplished in this time.
There has been a lot of bonding time in my new marriage – something that was definitely needed. Long distance relationships are not what I would recommend, unless you are absolutely sure and committed. Even then, it's not easy.
I've managed to get this website up and running – yay! It's not perfect and the other pages are not yet live, but the blog is going. I've written a few articles and writing regularly is becoming a new (and fun, rewarding) challenge. It is something that I've wanted to do for a long time and it feels good. It feels like I am making progress somewhere in my life, despite feeling like I've been in limbo for the past 6 months or so.
I've been learning Arabic, and that sure is a challenge! So many squiggles! Let's just say that it can be somewhat confusing, yet being able to decipher some of the shop signs is great! Not that I know what much of it means...
Between that and looking for new housing, it's been interesting to try balance things and to figure out what takes priority when. The uncertainty of it all makes things that much more challenging. Tonight, there shall be no house hunting. I shall be spending some quality time at “home”, with the one that I came to be here with. Somehow, I suspect that it will be much more rewarding than looking at another dubious apartment.
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