Lets talk about personal

Moving to Dubai is not an easy step. You go though some significant changes in your life. You take a lot of steps and actions in order to get a job, change your lifestyle, embrace a new culture, and adjust yourself to the new changes. This is all super exciting, but at the same time might be very challenging, but what your your personal life and dating in Dubai

Some of us are lucky to move here with their families or to already have friends who live in Dubai. They have a support system in place. However, there is another category of people who come here alone or, unfortunately, they break up with their partner because of the distance or other reasons. No one wants to be alone, at least not all the time. At some point you might start feeling extremely lonely, especially is this is your first experience of living abroad. Far from your family and friends.

That’s why I thought it might be reasonable to tell you my opinion about dating in Dubai. As I have mentioned before, it’s all just based on my own experience and situations I have seen. I assume that this information might be more useful for girls rather than boys.

People are looking for love, romance, fun, serious relationships, one-night stands, marriage, friendship with benefits, etc… If you think it happens in every single big city, you would be absolutely right. In the end we are talking about human nature which tends to stay the same, regardless of the country they live in. I just want to highlight some of the distinguishing features about dating life in Dubai, we might observe.

1. People are extremely busy here

We all know that people focus on their careers. It’s 2018 and it’s important to take care of yourself first. Dubai is one of the cities where people come, in order to earn more money, save money, gain international work experience, take one step further in their career. Some of us get transferred here from their main brunches for a 1 or 2-year contract and know exactly when they will be heading back home. The longer you live here the more you will slowly start to blend in and understand the lifestyle here in Dubai. If you have only arrived recently, be ready to meet a guy at your friend’s party (café, beach club, night club, etc), spend a lovely evening together, keep in touch for a week or two, meet up a couple of times and … he disappears.

He won’t contact you, won’t return your phone calls or texts. But don’t panic yet. Probably this behavior can be explained very simply. This person has probably gotten some urgent work to do, deadlines to meet, new projects, business trips. He will likely reappear after a while (3-5 days) saying it was a crazy busy week and he was overwhelmed with meetings. I don’t want to lie – he could be married (and had to keep up with his daddy duties) or have someone on the side other than you. But from my experience, at least 70% of the guys here are really busy at work and not always ready to sacrifice their precious time for romance.

The tip:

The best advice here would be not to be consumed by your relationships, take things slowly, and get to know the person better before making plans. Also, if you cannot change the situation, sometimes you simply need to adjust. So start focusing on your work, making yourself a better version of yourself. In this case, if you like to date a career-focused person, you can understand each other better and he might appreciate you more. True, it’s super important to have a special one by your side. But it’s also important to develop your own personal growth.

2. You come from different cultures

You definitely have an image of the relationship model in your mind based on your culture, you previous life experience, your parents relationship, and your relationship with and your friends. But guess what, you might face a’ little’ cultural misunderstanding with your boyfriend. Of course people are different, of course there are an unlimited number of personalities, characters, tempers. We all understand this and, of course even with the person from your hometown, you might experience arguments. For example, my good friend broke up with her boyfriend, as he couldn’t accept that she is an atheist (better stop a religion topic right here). They had A 2-year relationship, lived together, spent holidays together, and introduced each other to their families.

A clash of cultures is very common in Dubai. The simplest and most obvious things for you might be unacceptable and bizarre for your partner. I’m a big believer in positive and effective relationships. Also, I believe almost every difference can be understood and fixed. So if you are eager to build a strong, long-term relationship with someone from a completely different culture, it might be a good idea to get to know his or her culture and social behaviour, better. In this case, you might first want to figure out the lifestyle of your potential or current partner.

Unfortunately, I know a lot of cases where people were not able to tolerate their partner’s culture and had to split up. Hence, it’s good to understand each other, as much as possible, before you tie the knot. We could continue the topic of dating life in Dubai forever, but the point is someone’s background matters a lot and it’s really good to clarify some things at the beginning of your love story.

3. For most people, Dubai is not the final destination…. But rather a midpoint

It’s not a secret that people come to Dubai to for the short term. Some of us do not plan to stay for more than one or two years. Though I know a few expats who absolutely adore everything about Dubai and would like to stay here forever. Another category of expats prefer to stick around for 10-15 years. The point is, probably most of us will move somewhere else from sooner or later, and this brings you to another obstacle in your relationships.

Your love story might be in danger when your partner decides to go back home, to pursue a career in Asia or receive a promotion in Africa. Here comes the first point (people keen to advance their careers in Dubai). No doubt, there is always a solution. If you are both on the same page, and want to continue your relationship that you have built, there are plenty of options. You might move to your partner’s country, or wherever they move, or you might maintain a long-distance relationship. Even thought this might be a hassle at the beginning, and adjusting to the new country might not be easy, things always work out for those or you who really want make it work.

4. Where to find a better half

– Via friends.

Might be one of the best options, considering that your friends can give you the true reference about the person. As well as his or her background. Friends who know you very well, can save you tons of time by setting you up with someone who you have lots of in common with. Plus, you will automatically have mutual friends who you can hang out with, as a bonus.

– When you go out.

One of the most popular options. People love to meet new people and start to communicate easily in the nightclubs, lounges, cafes, beaches, beach clubs, restaurants, coffee shops. That’s a great way to see and meet people and have fun together.

– Dating websites.

Looking around, I would say this is the most popular way of meeting someone in Dubai. Like I mentioned before, people in Dubai are extremely busy, but everyone has a minute or two during the day. Since being online is a necessary part of our day-to-day lives. It’s easy to stay in touch and connect via dating sites these days.

Be cautious and clear with what you want, if your goal is to have only online relationships, that’s fine, but if would like to meet people in person and have a real relationship, do not spend to much time on the dating site, you might find people who just prefer to stay in touch online forever. I have heard different stories about online dating from friends. Some of them hate it, some like going out with different people, some found their partner and started relationships. One couple even married after meeting each other online.

– Work.

I Believe it has something to do with the number of hours people spend at work. It’s also easier to get attached to someone whom you see 5-6 days a week. In addition to this, we see our colleagues in different situations throughout the day. So overall, it’s popular and convenient. However, relationships and dating in Dubai at work might be strictly prohibited by the policies of certain companies. Overall, I think, it’s not the best idea to date someone at work. But every situation is different, if there are 1000 employers in the company you might not even see each other that often. For some people, their personal life is the priority, and they decide that they or their partner, should find another work place. 

– Other.

Honestly, it’s very easy to meet someone in Dubai if you are open to communication and looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend. People can approach you on the street, in the supermarket, in the mall, at the gym, at the gallery. It just depends on how much you want it.

Summary

Of course, Every situation is different and It depends on your personality, lifestyle and the way you spend your free time. Needless to say, if you work 12 hours per day, 6 days a week among 100 single people, there is a big possibility of getting together with one. If you love clubbing and nightlife, or brunching and socializing with new people, you have a very high chance of meeting ‘Mr. or mrs. right’ at the beach club or bar.

Even though Dubai is super international, it’s still a Muslim country with a lot of people from The Middle East. The most popular question I receive is “How can you build relationships with people from the region’’. I think the best answer would be “It depends on how flexible you are, how much you are ready to change”.

I would say the majority of locals and people from The Middle East prefer to keep their authenticity. He might adjust and negotiate certain point and situations in your life together. But it’s very rare that they will totally accept the different life style of his wife. Of course, if you are not seeking long-term relationships, there should not be any issues. Girls are asking as well, how they treat ladies from other nationalities. Overall, it’s more about personality than nationality. So your behavior and standards are crucial. It’s good to remember as well, that in Dubai we all are Ambassadors of our own countries.

To sum up the topic “How to find boyfriend in Dubai?”

Whether it’s easy or not to find a better half, soul mate, right person, your special one. I must say that everything is in your hands. It might be more challenging and you might have more obstacles on your way. But dating in Dubai has many bright sides as well. You are not limited only to a few nationalities, while you still can date a person from your own nationality. If you truly get connected with someone you will overcome all the difficulties and stay together. I have a couple of friends who’ve met their husbands in the UAE and live together happily now.