Hey guys -

I know it's been a while since I've written anything on here but life has been so chaotic (in a very exciting way) lately so I apologize but I'm back now! I had a few people message me asking me to make a post about how I got settled in Dubai; career, living, social life etc. That's exactly what this post is going to be about.

How did I decide on Dubai?
For me, I always knew that I wanted to eventually move to a big city - preferably a creative one - where I can expand my knowledge in both life and career related aspects. I knew that if I tried to do this somewhere else in Canada I wouldn't really be expanding any of my cultural knowledge. I've been to Dubai before and I knew that it was the perfect mix between middle eastern and westernized cultures.. so that was that!

The time between my decision to move and actually booking my flight/leaving was probably less than a month. This may seem like a lot of time but honestly, the last few weeks just flew by. I quit my job and decided to enjoy my last few weeks work-free and just have as much fun as possible before leaving. That way I would be ready to jump into my new job at full speed.

What most people may not realize is that when going to another country you have to have visa work done and it only permits you to be there for a certain amount of time before having to leave again; in this case it was 30 days job-free. However, I had a job set and so I didn't worry about that.



How did I find my job?
I had been given advice to apply for jobs online as almost everything these days is accessible through the internet. Every country will differ but for Dubai, Bayt, is a very popular one. I made a profile, applied online to a job I was interested in and within a few days I received an offer for a Skype interview - shortly followed by an offer to work! However, when I flew to Dubai and checked it out, I changed my mind. I didn't feel like I could see myself working at this salon long-term. So I gave myself another challenge .. find a new job you like ASAP. It was by coincidence that I discovered AVEDA was opening in Dubai and connected with the team there; less then a week later I had found a new job that I knew I would love. The biggest piece of advice I can give anyone is to make sure the job they are taking is one that they enjoy.. even if it takes leaving one to get to another! I want to make a side note that I've had the most amazing experiences within my career here. From photoshoots for magazines to fashion shows.. it's been so wonderful!

How did I find a place to live?
This was never an issue for me. I am super grateful to have worked out a contract with work (I won't get into details for work-related reasons). I think that finding a place to live in a new country was the least of my worries. You can always get guidance from staff, employers, online blogs and friends who may be living in this place. I also have family here which made it a lot easier on me!

How was it like exploring a new city for the first time?
A lot of people don't realize that from the time I signed my contract accepting my position until the time I actually got to officially start working (not including mandatory sessions) it actually took at least two weeks to get paper work done. So I had to wait on my Emirates ID before I could actually get a car (and while being driven around all the time was fun, I was soooo excited to get behind the wheel myself after a few months of having a driver do it for me LOL), open a bank account.. or basically do anything. I took this time to get to know my new home. I started to memorize the streets every time I was driven anywhere. I had to familiarize myself with them. I made sure I knew where main spots were - grocery store, clinics, gas stations and my route to work! But I also went into full tourist mode and discovered soooo many cool spots in Dubai such as the Water Canal, Global Village, Dubai/Emirates Mall, Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab, most recently - The Dubai World Cup 2017 ... and well, I'm still waiting on my adventure to see camels haha!



There are soooo many things to see here. I feel like I'm always exploring something new.

I think these were the main questions I received. Hopefully this post clarifies things for people who have asked.. if anyone has any other questions, don't hesitate to send a message my way!