# Transient Dubai



## terf (Apr 21, 2010)

The sad thing about Dubai is this - you meet some great people then they just up and leave. I met a lovely lady whose child is the same age as mine, we see each other just about every day and now they are going back to the UK :Cry: and I've only been here 4 months! I'm guessing in our time here (however long) we're going to see many people come and go. Makes it harder though, to make good, lasting friendships.


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

It is the hardest thing about life in Dubai. After years of saying goodbye to good friends I almost cant be bothered to make new friends as I know they are going to leave anyway!!


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## Bigjimbo (Oct 28, 2010)

I think of it as a good thing! Instead of milling around the same people all your life you get to connect with people from all over. Sometimes you will make really good friends and go see them in their home countries and experience real life rather the tourist experience. I think it is all how you see it!

And thats also what Facebook is for!


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## Seabee (Jul 15, 2010)

It's a mixed bag as the others have said. Our new group of twenty or so couples has in four years ended up as one couple - us. But we still have good friends, here and in their home countries, who we first met in Dubai thirty years ago.


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## sdh080 (Jan 20, 2010)

Seabee said:


> It's a mixed bag as the others have said. Our new group of twenty or so couples has in four years ended up as one couple - us. But we still have good friends, here and in their home countries, who we first met in Dubai thirty years ago.


Yeah, it's a real mixed one for me as well.

When I got here 2 and a half years ago, within a few months there were a group of 6 of us who were really good friends, here we are 2 years later and I'm the only one still here. They are spread out between Qatar, Thailand and Australia now.

Thankfully I got involved in a football team and have broadened my horizons and it's helping me enjoy Dubai more, 6 months ago I had my heart set on leaving, now I've just accepted a new job and will be hanging around.


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## Loladada (Nov 17, 2009)

wandabug said:


> It is the hardest thing about life in Dubai. After years of saying goodbye to good friends I almost cant be bothered to make new friends as I know they are going to leave anyway!!



i hear you. it's like a cycle of dating and breaking up.  my best friend right now tells me they will/might get transferred any moment now


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## Laowei (Nov 29, 2009)

Bigjimbo said:


> I think of it as a good thing! Instead of milling around the same people all your life you get to connect with people from all over. Sometimes you will make really good friends and go see them in their home countries and experience real life rather the tourist experience. I think it is all how you see it!
> 
> And thats also what Facebook is for!


Good point Bigjim, glass half full or half empty sort of thing.

In shanghai we had a pretty large circle of friends, some were just friends because we were in the same old boat, some will be friends for life, some really couldnt wait to see the back of. But the upshot is as our good mates moved on to wherever, our global footprint of our friends grew.When i travel back to China I'm never short of mates, but also have good friends in UK, US, Aus, Europe etc etc.


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## Vetteguy (Jan 3, 2010)

This is a fact of life as an Expat....You will make some very good aquaintences but very few if any very good friends..
just my 2 cents...


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## dizzyizzy (Mar 30, 2008)

It really sucks but I guess is part of being an expat in Dubai. Some of my friends will leave in 2012 and I am dreading it already


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## terf (Apr 21, 2010)

Vetteguy said:


> This is a fact of life as an Expat....You will make some very good aquaintences but very few if any very good friends..
> just my 2 cents...


That seems quite sad, no? I agree it's good to have friends in different countries, but once you have kids the actual likelihood of you visiting these friends decreases as the years go by. Especially if there's no other reason for you to visit those countries. Does make you wonder though if that's the reason why some people just dont make the effort in cultivating new friendships.


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