Are you crazy? \u00a0Aren\u2019t you worried about Annie? Don\u2019t you know how they treat women in the Middle East? \u00a0Why would you ever want to go there? \u00a0They hate Americans, you know. \u00a0It\u2019s awfully hot.<\/p>\n
Several variations of these comments and questions greeted me when I told my family and friends that I was moving to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. \u00a0Few people could believe that my husband and I had willfully chosen, and were thrilled to be moving to, the Middle East. \u00a0Even fewer shared our excitement.<\/p>\n
My husband, Andrew, and I had lived in the Far East for two years before returning to the United States. \u00a0Several things prompted our return\u2014wanting stability for our daughter, Annie, who was born on Okinawa; job dissatisfaction; and the feeling that it was \u201ctime\u201d to go home. \u00a0People had always asked when we were coming back to the US, implying that travel, a frequently changing address, and distance from the extended family clashed with good child-rearing. \u00a0We didn\u2019t necessarily buy into this, but I missed my stuff (kept in storage at my brother-in-law\u2019s house) and thought that with an infant life in the US might be easier.<\/p>\n
After only two months in small-town Ohio, I knew we had to get out. \u00a0In many ways it actually felt more foreign than Asia\u2014we felt more comfortable with the values and cultural atmosphere of Tokyo, for instance. \u00a0We missed the excitement, the entertainments, the artistic life, and the dining of a dynamic city. \u00a0So after only a year back in the US and with only 6 weeks\u2019 notice, we sold most of our belongings, shipped 22 boxes to Dubai, and left for the Middle East. \u00a0We\u2019ve never been happier.<\/p>\n
Although I love Dubai and know I could live here comfortably and happily for many years, I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll stay beyond my husband\u2019s three-year contract. \u00a0There are so many other places I want to visit.<\/p>\n
By living in an international community, my daughter will have a rich cultural experience and will develop a more cosmopolitan outlook. \u00a0Dubai is a multi-cultural, multi-lingual, extremely tolerant city. \u00a0We have friends here from around the world. \u00a0The guests at my daughter\u2019s 2nd birthday party were from Canada, India, Iran, New Zealand, South Africa, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Turkey. \u00a0Increased cultural awareness helps to eliminate prejudice. \u00a0Living in a culturally and racially diverse city gives us the perfect opportunity to teach our daughter about equality, respect, and tolerance.<\/p>\n
Living abroad will also teach my daughter how to adapt to new situations and, as a result, she will become more responsible and mature. \u00a0Since Annie will be sharing her experiences with her father and I, her relationship with us will be strengthened. \u00a0Unlike some of her peers, her travels won\u2019t be limited to Disney World and other child-friendly resorts. \u00a0We just returned from Muscat, Oman and will spend a month in Italy this summer. \u00a0Next year we\u2019re planning a trip to Cairo and possibly a return trip to Okinawa so that Annie can visit her birthplace.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t think a child needs to live in the same house, city or country in order to have a sense of stability. \u00a0My daughter has the stability that comes from two loving parents ready to explore the world with her. \u00a0I have found that living abroad is, in some respects, no different from living in the US. \u00a0When you first move somewhere new, you find a place to live and move your stuff in. \u00a0Then you find the local supermarket, dry cleaner, video store, Movie Theater, book store, hospital, pharmacy, post office, bank and coffee shop. \u00a0After a while you find favorite restaurants, make friends, and feel at home.<\/p>\n
Excerpted and adapted from \u201c<\/b>Living Abroad with Children: It\u2019s Easier Than You Think!\u201d\u00a0<\/b>by Maura Madigan in Escape From America Magazine, Issue 22.<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Are you crazy? \u00a0Aren\u2019t you worried about Annie? Don\u2019t you know how they treat women in the Middle East? \u00a0Why would you ever want to go there? \u00a0They hate Americans, you know. \u00a0It\u2019s awfully hot. Several variations of these comments and questions greeted me when I told my family and friends that I was moving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":308,"featured_media":36415,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[20306,2670,27881,1721,2495,20200,2560,9020,2033,1734,7492,2461,1738,1768,4501,2626,2610,2459,19140,2018],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/dubai-b.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/308"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36443"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36444,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36443\/revisions\/36444"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36443"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=36443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}