When I first arrived in the UAE, I thought I was entering a movie.

Everything looked beautiful.

The tall buildings.

The shiny malls.

The clean roads.

The luxury cars.

People were walking fast like they had important meetings every day.

Meanwhile, I was just trying to understand how the bus card worked and how to navigate green line and red line metro.

I remember looking around and thinking, “Wow, this place is amazing.”

What I didn’t know was that the real adventure was about to begin.

This is the side of life that many people don’t talk about.

The life of a new immigrant worker earning a normal salary.

Whether you work in retail, housekeeping, hospitality, cleaning or any other frontline job, you may understand exactly what I’m talking about.

Because Instagram shows the buildings.

It doesn’t always show the reality behind them.

The 12 Hour Shift That Became My Life

My shift was 12 hours long while working in housekeeping, this was my first job in Dubai.

Yes, 12 hours.

Sometimes I felt like I spent more time at work than anywhere else.

We had a one hour break but honestly, it felt more like a speed challenge.

You sit down,

You eat,

You check your phone,

You blink,

Break finished Hehe

Back to work.

Family and friends back home would ask me:

“How is work?”

And I would reply:

“It’s okay.”

Meanwhile, inside my head I was thinking

“My friend, I am working like I personally own this company.” shuhadah

Six days every week.

One day off.

And that one day off was not really for enjoyment.

It was mostly for recovering from the six days that came before it.

Accommodation Life: A Full Time Reality Show

Accommodation life was an experience on its own.

People from different countries,

Different cultures,

Different languages,

Different cooking styles,

Two bathrooms.

One washing machine,

And privacy?

Let’s just say privacy was a luxury.

There was always something happening.

Someone was cooking.

Actually, as I write this blog at 1:25 AM UAE time, someone is cooking right now.

I can smell it from my room.

Now I’m hungry.

If this blog suddenly ends here, just know I went to ask for some food.

That’s accommodation life.

No matter what time it is, someone is always cooking something.

Someone was on a video call with family.

Someone was ironing clothes.

Someone was laughing.

Someone was crying.

And someone was snoring loudly enough to shake the walls.

Sometimes all of these things happened at the same time.

It was not easy but somehow, we made it work.

We shared food,

We shared stories,

We shared advice,

And sometimes we shared stress, yea

Looking back now, some of those moments make me laugh.

The Off Day That Disappeared So Fast

Every week I had big plans for my off day.

I would tell myself

“This weekend I will explore Dubai.”

I would imagine visiting places, take photos and enjoy the city.

Then the off day would arrive.

I would wake up.

Look at the time.

And somehow it was already close to midday.

My body would immediately remind me that I had just worked six long days.

So my off day usually looked like this:

• Laundry
• Cooking
• Cleaning
• Resting
• Scrolling on my phone
• Thinking about going out
• Deciding not to go out
• Then resting again

By the time I finished everything, the day was almost over.

I would start preparing for work again and wonder where my off day had gone.

Why Many New Immigrants Don’t Go Out Much

Many people think that because we live in the UAE, we spend every weekend enjoying fancy places.

The reality is very different.

When you’re new and earning a normal salary, every dirham matters.

The moment you leave accommodation, money starts disappearing.

Bus fare.

Water.

A snack.

Something small you didn’t plan to buy.

Something else that looked cheap until you checked the total.

Before you know it, your wallet is asking for help.

So many new immigrants stay indoors on their days off.

Not because they don’t want to enjoy life.

Not because they don’t want to explore.

But because saving money becomes a priority.

Especially when you have responsibilities, goals or family members depending on you.

Sometimes staying home is simply the smarter choice.

The Emotional Side Nobody Sees

This was probably the hardest part.

The tiredness,

The homesickness,

The pressure,

The uncertainty,

The feeling of being far away from everyone you love.

Back home, people saw photos of Dubai.

They saw the skyscrapers.

The malls.

The beautiful views.

And they thought life was easy.

What they didn’t see were the long shifts.

The small budgets.

The shared accommodation.

The sacrifices.

The moments when you missed home more than you could explain.

But through all of that, I kept going.

Because when you move to a new country, giving up is usually not part of the plan.

You learn.

You adjust.

You keep moving forward.

One day at a time.

Looking Back Today

When I think about those early days now, I don’t feel embarrassed.

I don’t feel sorry for myself.

I feel proud.

I survived the long shifts.

I survived homesickness.

I survived living on a small salary.

I survived the confusion of learning life in a new country.

Those experiences made me stronger.

They taught me patience.

They taught me resilience.

They taught me how to keep going even when things felt difficult.

And if you are reading this while living in a shared room, wearing a uniform, missing home and wondering whether all the sacrifice is worth it, I want you to know something.

You are not failing.

You are growing.

You are building a future, even if you cannot see the results yet.

One day, you will look back at this chapter of your life and realize just how far you have come.

And when that day comes, you will be proud of yourself.

I know I am.

If you’re an immigrant in the Gulf, I know you felt this in your bones. If you’re not, welcome to my documentary. Share your own early days story in the comments someone out there needs to hear it.