What I love(d) about expat life in Middle East

I have been living in the Middle East for long enough to make it a home away from home.

Yes, it has been hard at times and I kept reminding myself that I chose this life and has been giving me a lot and still does.

So here is my top 5 of things I love about my life (now I should start to say past life) in the Middle East.

Opportunities

I had incredible opportunities to start and grow in my career. Something that sadly Italy would have never given me or maybe it would have, once I would reach 50, and not before 30 like happened for me. It is stressful, hectic, you prove yourself every single day and yes, your job is not guaranteed, but if you work hard you get rewarded. Some might debate about this, but having worked in different countries and having interacted with other professional, I stand by this.

Meeting people and making friends from around the world

I have never been a super social person. Some might think I am super extrovert just because I always smile and I am a cheerful person, but I am shy and tent to be on my own sometimes. Still, in the Middle East, we are all (or almost) expat, so you end up mingling and you create strong bonds that grow and continue also once you leave the country. I in fact met some of my best friend in Dubai, and the same goes for C that I met in Dubai

Proximity to Asia (and be literally in the middle between Asia and Europe)

As I wrote in my post about Kuwait, I always loved Asia and thought to go live there one day. Although that did not happened, being in the Middle East, gives you the opportunity to travel to Asia within only a few hours. I have been to Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Maldives; places that i would have maybe not visited if it was not because Dubai made it easier by location. And, Europe is close too and I could get on a 6 hours flight home which is not too bad either.

No tax regime

This might change but I did enjoy the no taxes policy in the region. I managed to save quite a lot compared to when I was living in Europe. Of course, you need to declare where you live and be transparent with your government, but definitely worth it.

Lifestyle

Sun, beach, there is always something to do. It is safe (as safe as you can leave your purse on the table at a fast food, go to the washroom, and back and your purse will still be there waiting for you), plenty of hospitals with high quality professionals, you could get pretty much everything delivered (and most of it will be delivered for free). It is clean, everything is, streets, public toilets - even the ones at the beach or the ones at the airport.

There is much more I could add, but these are the ones that I think make a difference when choosing a place to live. Yes, it is all temporary (you will never get permanent residency in any of the Gulf countries and of course you will never get the citizenship) and one day, eventually you will need to live (like in my case, I enjoyed it while it lasts) but it is a great place. There are of course negatives that I will write about but to me, the pros in this case are more than the cons. I will always love the palms and the desert.