When I landed in the UAE, I came with confidence, a dream and a three month visa that was counting down like a bomb in an action movie. I told myself I would find a job in my field, something professional, something elegant, something that matched my CV.
Dubai looked at my CV, looked at my visa, looked at the calendar
and whispered,
“My sister, be serious.”
Here’s the truth nobody tells you until you’re already here:
Most people come looking for the job they studied for, the job they love, the job they have experience in until the visa starts reminding you,“Two weeks left.”
That’s when pride packs its bags and leaves before you do.
And that’s how I ended up as a housekeeper in a mall, cleaning toilets for twelve hours a day.
How I Became a Mall Toilet Cleaner (Plot Twist of the Year)
Housekeeping was never in my plans. Not even in the backup plans.
Not even in the backup of the backup plans.
But when the visa is almost finished, you stop being picky.
You stop being “I’m waiting for something in my field.”
You become “Where is the interview? I’m on the way.”
So I took the job.
Twelve‑hour shifts.
Cleaning toilets.
Refilling tissues.
Chasing people who somehow miss the dustbin even when it’s right in front of them.
Smiling at strangers who walk past like you’re invisible.
No bedsheets.
No room service.
Just me, my mop and the busiest mall toilets in the UAE.
I remember my first day. Standing there in that uniform holding a mop I had a moment.
Not a dramatic movie moment. Just a quiet one.
I looked at myself and thought, “Is this really my life right now?”
Then someone walked in, the door opened and reality said, “Yes. Now start cleaning
The Good Part Nobody Mentions
The company gave us:
- free accommodation
- free transportation
- free uniforms
- free lessons in humility
- and free cardio disguised as “cleaning toilets for 12 hours”
Honestly, housekeeping in a mall is a full body workout.
Forget the gym, try scrubbing tiles while someone knocks on the door saying, “Sister, finished?”
The Secret That Saved Me
Here’s the truth I learned:
Have vision.
Love what you do even if it’s not your dream job.
Use it as a stepping stone, not a destination.
Because that first job?
It wasn’t my dream.
But it kept me in the country.
It paid my bills.
It bought me time.
It gave me UAE experience.
It opened doors later.
Going back home was NOT an option.
Not after everything I had sacrificed to get here.
And even now I’m not where I want to be yet.
But I’ve learned so much along the way.
I’m growing.
I’m moving.
I’m becoming.
Looking Back Now
I laugh when I remember those days.
The toilets.
The long shifts.
The coworkers from every country who became my family.
Different languages, different accents same struggle.
We didn’t always understand each other’s words, but we understood each other’s situation perfectly.
The mall announcements.
The way we used to hide in the cleaning store for two minutes of peace.
The way we ran when the supervisor said, “VIP coming.”
But that job built me.
It humbled me.
It strengthened me.
It taught me that survival is not shameful it’s powerful.
And if you’re reading this from a shared room, wearing a uniform you never imagined yourself in…
just know:
Your story is still unfolding.
Your dream job is still waiting.
And this chapter is not the end it’s the beginning.