Relocating to the UAE was not perfect. It was not smooth. It was not easy. But it was worth it.
When I decided to move to the UAE, I didn’t come with confidence or a strong plan. I came with fear, pressure and a quiet hope that maybe life would give me another chance. I remember packing my bags and feeling like I was running away from failure, not running toward a new beginning. People talk about Dubai like it’s a dream, but nobody talks about the part where you arrive and suddenly feel small, confused and unsure of who you are.
I didn’t feel like the strong woman I thought I was. I felt lost. I felt behind. I felt like everyone else was building their lives while I was still trying to understand mine.
My first months in the UAE humbled me. Everything felt new the culture, the rules, the way people moved and even the silence in my room at night. Some days I woke up wondering if I had made a mistake or if I had come too far only to fail again. Confidence was something I didn’t bring with me. In fact, I think I left it at the airport in Eldoret. I didn’t believe in myself. I didn’t trust my decisions. I didn’t see anything special in me. I was just trying to survive, hoping things would get better.
But the UAE has a way of forcing you to face yourself. This country doesn’t give you confidence; it pushes you until you build it with your own hands.
One day, I looked at myself and realized I couldn’t continue living like a shadow. I needed to change how I saw life. I needed to stop calling myself a failure. I needed to stop waiting for confidence to magically appear. So, I started small. I started believing that maybe I wasn’t as lost as I thought. Maybe I was just in the middle of becoming someone new. Slowly, I began to see life in a positive way, not perfect just positive and that small shift changed everything.
The UAE taught me how to work hard, how to stand on my own, how to handle pressure and how to grow even when I felt stuck. It taught me that strength doesn’t come from comfort; it comes from challenges. It taught me that sometimes you need to be uncomfortable to discover who you really are.
I became stronger here. I became more focused. I learned to trust myself. I learned to take risks. I learned that I am capable of more than I ever believed.
If you are planning to relocate anywhere or you are already abroad trying to build your life, I want you to know something.
It is okay to feel scared. It is okay to feel lost. It is okay to feel like you don’t have everything figured out. You are not failing you are growing. Every challenge you face is shaping you into someone stronger. Don’t give up on yourself.
Don’t compare your journey with others. Your story is yours and it is unfolding exactly the way it should. Keep going. Keep believing. Keep trying. One day, you will look back and realize how far you’ve come.
So, is relocating to the UAE worth it? My honest answer is yes but only if you’re ready to grow. The UAE is not a place for comfort. It’s a place for building, learning and becoming the version of yourself you didn’t know existed. If you come expecting an easy life, you will be disappointed. But if you come ready to work, ready to learn and ready to push yourself, you will grow in ways you never imagined.
Relocating to the UAE was not perfect. It was not smooth. It was not easy. But it was worth it. This chapter prepared me for everything that came after — getting my UAE driving license, discovering new places, learning new lessons and collecting the stories I’m finally ready to share.
