Dubai Diaries 1: Goodbye India

Why ? I still find myself asking myself Why ?

I have moved to Dubai, and as the date was drawing closer, the questioning of the decision has only increased.

The logical answer is that I have managed to get a good job there – the employer is globally recognized, working in this geography gives me international exposure, the scope of work is wider than what I had been doing previously, growth opportunities seem better. All well & good.

However, I have my parents in India.. I have my family there..I have my friends there.. life is comfortable.. I had a decent job that I was enjoying.. my travel time to work (a huge pain in Mumbai) was very less..I lived at home.. there was no rent I had to pay..expenses were minimal.. we were making enough savings.. we were happy.. there was no dissatisfaction..

Then Why ?

Yes, I listed down the logical rationale. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize that that cannot be the only reason.. that should not be the only reason !

Dubai is an expensive place, my savings wont be astronomically higher than what im making now. In fact, I would be giving up a lot of comforts there, which if I spend on, my savings would further reduce. So yes, if money was the only factor, I would NOT be moving there.

And to think of it, most people move because they are making much more !

Next – future prospects – yes, they seem brighter with a global firm & international exposure. However, at the cost of moving away from family & friends.. umm, not a fair bargain..

So, again.. WHY ?

And so, I delved some more into it.

No one knows this – when I had started out on my career, 6 years back, my colleagues were all from out of Mumbai, living alone in the city, managing their lives along with work. Me, I had it sorted like most of the people living & working in the same city. Mom made food that I carried, did not have to worry about rent and daily comforts like washing & ironing, did not need to buy a car etc. And when I spoke to my colleagues, I was attracted to the idea of having to face daily obstacles & managing your life. I went to my parents and proosed that I move out, as an experiment, for a year & live like my colleagues were living. Just to know how I can manage & whether I will survive (of course, it was very exciting as I was thinking I will live like characters of “FRIENDS” did). I wanted to have a roommate, worry about the apartment, pay the rent, and other accompanying stuff.. the whole idea was exciting. Of course, I was shut down by my parents and that idea died there.

Now, maybe this move to Dubai gives me the chance to live that dream. Yes, it’s a different set of circumstances. It’s a different country, not the same city. I am not single anymore, I am married & responsible for my wife too. Luckily, she encouraged me to take up this offer & has been with me all through. Of course, we had 2nd thoughts and we told ourselves that this would be a 2 year thing.. maybe a 3 year thing. However, one can’t decide for the future. The only decision we had to make is whether to go to Dubai or not. And then we take it from there.

So, the opportunity to live on your own may the driving force. The excitement of setting up your home, living in a new city, settling in, making a living, struggling, succeeding..is something that I am looking forward to and that is something that excites me. (sounds a bit like Ranbir’s “mujhe udna hai, girna hai” speech from Yeh Jawaani.. but yeah, kinda true).

What makes the decision is easier is that it’s a place close to home, travel time by air is 3 hours, tickets are affordable – so it will be easy to be in touch with family back home. And we told each other – what is the worst case scenario – we would have to come back sooner than expected if things don’t work out. Well, if we can envisage and manage the worst case scenario – gotta give it a shot.

And that shot is what we are giving. Hope it works out for the best, And yes, the intention is to come back home.

Goodbye India.. for now...