• One of writer Evelyn Lau's best memories after moving to Abu Dhabi was a desert safari in 2015. Photo: Evelyn Lau
    One of writer Evelyn Lau's best memories after moving to Abu Dhabi was a desert safari in 2015. Photo: Evelyn Lau
  • Evelyn Lau at the top of Burj Khalifa in 2015.
    Evelyn Lau at the top of Burj Khalifa in 2015.
  • Race day at the Formula One track at Yas Marina on Yas Island in 2016. Photo: Evelyn Lau
    Race day at the Formula One track at Yas Marina on Yas Island in 2016. Photo: Evelyn Lau
  • Evelyn Lau tried go-karting at Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi in 2017. Satish Kumar / The National
    Evelyn Lau tried go-karting at Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi in 2017. Satish Kumar / The National
  • The view of the city from an apartment in the Khalidiya neighbourhood where Evelyn Lau lived from 2018 to 2020.
    The view of the city from an apartment in the Khalidiya neighbourhood where Evelyn Lau lived from 2018 to 2020.
  • Evelyn Lau joined the K-pop Academy run by the Korean Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2018. Karma Gurung / The National
    Evelyn Lau joined the K-pop Academy run by the Korean Cultural Centre in Abu Dhabi in 2018. Karma Gurung / The National
  • At Dubai's Smash Room when it first opened in 2018. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    At Dubai's Smash Room when it first opened in 2018. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Evelyn Lau's four cats during a house move in 2020. Photo: Evelyn Lau
    Evelyn Lau's four cats during a house move in 2020. Photo: Evelyn Lau
  • Georgie and Zabeeb enjoying the catio that was built at the new house in 2020.
    Georgie and Zabeeb enjoying the catio that was built at the new house in 2020.

Weekend

How a two-year adventure in the UAE became eight years (and counting)

This week, Evelyn Lau celebrates a milestone she never thought she’d reach

Evelyn Lau
Evelyn Lau

February 11, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

February 7 is an important date for me, one that passes every year without much fanfare, but it changed my life.

It wasn’t until a few days ago when a notification popped up on social media offering to show me “memories on this day” that I was suddenly reminded of that.

An old filtered image from inside an Etihad Airways plane and a photo of my hummus and crackers snack pack brought me back to the day in 2014 when I left Boston for Abu Dhabi to start my new job at The National.

I'd never visited the UAE before. I didn't know anyone there. I can still remember the feelings of trepidation I had. Was I making a mistake? Would I regret leaving everything to start over somewhere without a support system? What if I hated it?

I reasoned with myself that I could always leave after a year or two if I was unhappy.

But then I arrived.

All of my fears were soon overtaken by curiosity and wonderment for this new city and culture I was being introduced to. Everything felt like an adventure. I was learning so much and constantly exploring.

Two years quickly turned into three and then four ... eight years later I’m still living in Abu Dhabi, having built a life that I wasn’t always sure I knew how to build and yet it has felt like the right decision.

One of my biggest worries early on was about everything I’d be missing back home, particularly close friends and family. Holidays, birthdays, babies, the big moments; life goes on without you.

A cake for my birthday in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Evelyn Lau
A cake for my birthday in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Evelyn Lau

There have been occasions when I really wished I could be home with my family – American Thanksgiving, my birthday or Chinese New Year, for example – or with my friends, such as when they bought their first homes or got engaged.

Thanks to technology such as Zoom and other video messaging services, though, it's been made much easier to stay in touch. Sure, it can't replace being there in person, but now these moments I might miss out on aren’t only reserved for a certain group of people. I have new friends, who often feel like family, too.

Last month I headed to Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai to attend the wedding of one of my very first friends I made when I moved to Abu Dhabi. Under the hanging string lights and glittering palm trees, I was happy to be a part of such a momentous and lovely celebration of two people I care about deeply and who have become a support system for me here.

Magnolia at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Photo: Evelyn Lau
Magnolia at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Photo: Evelyn Lau

Last year, I got to see another friend's baby for the first time in person. Because of the pandemic, I hadn't seen her for more than a year, back when she was only four months pregnant. So, on another trip to Dubai, I finally got around to seeing them both, and I couldn't help but notice how well first-time motherhood suited her.

So, as I celebrate eight years of living in the UAE this week, I'm looking back on all these wonderful occasions I've been a part of, ones I would have missed out on had I not taken that leap of faith and moved to Abu Dhabi.

No, it doesn't replace the ones we have missed at home, but there is comfort in knowing that, no matter where we are, we'll always find those special moments.

Scroll through the gallery below to see how Abu Dhabi has changed over the last decade.

  • Louvre Abu Dhabi under construction in July 2014. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Louvre Abu Dhabi under construction in July 2014. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors on November 8, 2017. Reuters
    Louvre Abu Dhabi opened its doors on November 8, 2017. Reuters
  • Construction while Yas Mall was being built in 2012. Sammy Dallal / The National
    Construction while Yas Mall was being built in 2012. Sammy Dallal / The National
  • Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi opened in November 2014. Photo: Yas Mall
    Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi opened in November 2014. Photo: Yas Mall
  • Construction on the Warner Bros theme park on Yas Island in April 2016. Photo: Miral
    Construction on the Warner Bros theme park on Yas Island in April 2016. Photo: Miral
  • Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, which has 29 rides including two roller coasters, opened in July 2018. Antonie Robertson / The National
    Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi, which has 29 rides including two roller coasters, opened in July 2018. Antonie Robertson / The National
  • Visitors at the new extension to The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Pawan Singh / The National
    Visitors at the new extension to The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi in 2019. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Clymb Abu Dhabi features the world's tallest indoor climbing wall. The attraction opened in November 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Clymb Abu Dhabi features the world's tallest indoor climbing wall. The attraction opened in November 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Jubail Mangrove Park has a two-kilometre boardwalk that crosses the site. The park opened in February 2020. Wam
    Jubail Mangrove Park has a two-kilometre boardwalk that crosses the site. The park opened in February 2020. Wam
  • The National Aquarium is the first attraction to open in Al Qana, a new waterfront destination in the capital that stretches 2.4 kilometres. It opened in November 2021. Ruel Pableo for The National
    The National Aquarium is the first attraction to open in Al Qana, a new waterfront destination in the capital that stretches 2.4 kilometres. It opened in November 2021. Ruel Pableo for The National
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'Young girls thinking of big ideas'

Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.

“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”

In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.

“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”

Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.

“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”

rpennington@thenational.ae

While you're here
Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

While you're here
Stormy seas

Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.

We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice. 

Updated: February 11, 2022, 6:03 PM
WeekendAbu Dhabi