Finding Home in Dubai: A Content Producer's Journey from India to the UAE
Media professional Sarthak Kapoor shares how life in the UAE turned from a career move into a place that truly feels like home.
- Publish date: since 12 hour Reading time: 4 min reads
When Sarthak Kapoor first arrived in the United Arab Emirates in 2022, he carried with him what many expatriates do — a suitcase full of hopes and the promise of a new career chapter. Originally from India and working in the media industry, Sarthak had come to the UAE for a job opportunity, but over time the experience evolved into something far deeper than just professional growth.
His first impressions of the country were hard to ignore. The glittering skyline, luxury lifestyle, and fast-paced energy of cities like Dubai made the UAE feel both glamorous and overwhelming at the same time.
“The UAE felt glitzy and lavish,” he recalls. “But it was also very organised. What stood out the most was how people respected laws and actually adhered to them.”
Like many newcomers, Sarthak initially saw the country as a place of opportunity. The UAE offered him a stable job, the chance to meet people from across the world, and endless opportunities to explore new places and experiences.
But the moment the UAE truly began to feel like home didn’t come through a grand milestone. Instead, it arrived quietly through the rhythm of everyday life.
“I realised the UAE had become home when the small things started feeling normal,” he says. “My morning karak spot, the familiar drive down Sheikh Zayed Road, and that comforting feeling when my flight lands back in Dubai after travelling.”
Read More: Anxious These Days? Check Out These Mental Health Hotlines and Online Meditation Sessions
Those small rituals — a cup of karak tea, the glow of the city skyline, the hum of traffic along Sheikh Zayed Road — slowly transformed a foreign country into something familiar.
Yet life in the UAE, like anywhere else, hasn’t come without challenges.
For Sarthak, managing finances in a fast-paced city was one of the biggest hurdles. The cost of living can escalate quickly, and at times it felt overwhelming.
“Expenses pile up quickly here,” he says. “It’s easy to feel stressed about it. But by sticking to a strict savings plan and being disciplined with spending, I managed to get things under control.”
Over time, he found that the country’s opportunities outweighed the challenges. From career growth to networking opportunities, the UAE has given him experiences that continue to shape both his professional and personal journey.
What he loves most today, however, is something that goes beyond work or lifestyle.
“The UAE truly stands out for its acceptance and celebration of different cultures, traditions, and festivities,” he explains. “People from all over the world live here, bringing their own customs and celebrations.”
It’s this blend of cultures that creates the everyday magic of life in the UAE — where Diwali lights, Ramadan gatherings, Christmas markets, and countless other traditions coexist in the same neighbourhoods.
One personal experience especially captured the spirit of the country for him.
“Once I left some expensive gadgets in a Dubai taxi,” Sarthak remembers. “Within less than two hours they tracked me down, and the driver returned them to my home the same day.”
For him, the moment reinforced something he had already begun to feel about the place he now calls home.
If he had to describe the UAE in just three words, Sarthak doesn’t hesitate: safe, welcoming, and swanky.
And for someone who once arrived simply chasing a career opportunity, those words now carry the weight of a much deeper story — the story of finding home far away from where the journey began.