From a 2-Year Plan to 15 Years of Home: My UAE Journey

When people ask me how long I’ve lived in the UAE, I sometimes pause for a moment. Not because I don’t know the number, but because I still remember the day I arrived as if it were yesterday.

My name is Anas (Andy) Abbar, a Syrian, American entrepreneur and the Co-Founder and CEO of 7awi Media Group, a digital media company based in Dubai. Over the years, my career has taken me across continents and industries, but the most important chapter of my professional and personal life has unfolded right here in the United Arab Emirates.

And the funny thing is — it was never supposed to last this long.

When I first came to the UAE, I believed it would be a two-year opportunity. A temporary stop. A chapter to gain experience, learn something new, and then move on to the next destination in my career.

Like many people who arrive here for the first time, I came with ambition, curiosity, and a suitcase full of plans. But life had other ideas.

The First Arrival

I still remember the moment the plane landed at Dubai International Airport.

There was a feeling in the air that was hard to describe. The airport itself felt like a crossroads of the world. You could hear different languages around you, see faces from every continent, and sense that everyone arriving carried a dream of their own.

It felt dynamic. Alive. Full of possibility.

Back then, Dubai was already growing rapidly, but what struck me most wasn’t just the buildings or the infrastructure; it was the energy of the people.

Everyone seemed to be building something. A career, a company, a new life.

Even today, after many years, whenever my plane touches down in Dubai and I walk through the airport, I feel a quiet sense of gratitude.

Because that airport isn’t just an arrival point anymore.

It’s the gateway back home.

When Two Years Turned Into Fifteen

Those two years passed quickly.

Then came new opportunities. New friendships. New experiences.

Slowly, without realizing it, my roots began to grow here.

What started as a professional chapter became something deeper. This is where I built my career. This is where I founded 7awi Media Group, alongside an incredible team of people from different cultures and backgrounds who shared the same ambition to build something meaningful for the region.

And then something even more important happened.

This is where my family found its home.

Over time, we invested not only in our work, but in our life here. We built friendships, memories, and eventually even invested in property because we believed in the future of this country.

When you start planting roots like that, something changes inside you.

You stop thinking about where you might go next.

Instead, you realize you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

Today, as I celebrate 15 years in the UAE, I often smile when I remember that original two-year plan.

The Moments That Make It Home

People sometimes ask me when I realized the UAE had truly become home.

The truth is, it wasn’t one single moment. It was many small moments over the years.

It’s hearing the UAE national anthem at an event and feeling a sense of pride.

It’s seeing the flag waving proudly across the city and realizing what it represents — stability, ambition, and unity.

It’s the feeling of safety when your family walks outside at night without worry.

It’s the convenience of daily life, the rhythm of the city, and the extraordinary infrastructure that makes living here so seamless.

It’s the smiles you see everywhere — people from dozens of nationalities, cultures, and religions living side by side, all chasing their dreams.

In one meeting room, you might have five or six different nationalities collaborating on a single idea. That kind of multicultural energy is rare and powerful.

And then there are those moments when you travel abroad and someone asks where you live.

When you say Dubai, you can see their reaction instantly.

A mix of admiration… curiosity… and sometimes even a little jealousy.

Because deep down, many people know that the UAE has created something truly special.

The Opportunity to Build

The UAE is a place that rewards people who are willing to build.

For me, it gave me the opportunity to grow my career, launch businesses, and create platforms that reach millions across the region.

But more importantly, it provided an environment where ambition is not only welcomed — it’s encouraged.

In many parts of the world, people talk about opportunity.

In the UAE, opportunity is actively created.

This country has a remarkable ability to transform ideas into reality, and that spirit becomes contagious for anyone who lives here.

A Country Built on People

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the UAE is that it is not defined by a single culture, but by the harmony of many.

It is a country built by people from around the world who came here with hope and determination.

Different languages, different traditions, different backgrounds — yet somehow they all coexist and collaborate.

That shared ambition creates a sense of unity that is difficult to explain unless you experience it yourself.

My UAE Moment

One moment that always stays with me is hearing the UAE national anthem during a large event.

As the anthem begins, the room falls silent.

You look around and see people from every nationality standing respectfully together.

The flag rises, the anthem fills the room, and in that moment you realize something extraordinary:

This country has created a place where people from around the world can live, work, dream, and build together. That realization never stops being powerful.

Home

When I first arrived in the UAE, I thought I was starting a short chapter in my life. But today, fifteen years later, I realize that chapter became a full story. A story of career, family, opportunity, and belonging.

For me, the UAE is not just a place where I live.

It is where my family feels safe.
Where my ideas found a platform.
Where my dreams found a home.

And if someone asked me today where I believe the future is being built… I would still answer the same way I did years ago.

Right here in the UAE.