Golden call, Emirates plane ticket, luxury and solitude... migrate to Dubai.
As I write this post I am in the hotel in front of the tower where I live, drinking Arabic coffee with a Zaatar croissant, meaning a pastry with aromatic spices.
I have been living in Dubai for 4 months now, and I wanted to write a reflection, so that my future self can read it again in a few years, and remember this precise moment.
I remember, in May I received the 'Golden call' from the aviation company where I am working today. It's as if it were a golden ticket to fulfilling your best dream. It's that call that you're afraid to answer, because you know it means a before and after in your life. It's brilliant, it's unexpected, it's sublime.
At the beginning of this year I was working as an interim teacher in Neuquen, and I had something inside that told me again, 'Juli, your future is out there.' Everything comes at its right time. I saw the job opportunity as a cabin crew, thanks to a friend, and decided to apply for the job.
I remember, I spent two whole weeks preparing for the interview, perfecting my resume, talking to myself in the mirror, practicing the answers. My interview was in Asuncion, Paraguay. At that time it was the only country in Latin America that was doing interviews to recruit crew members.
I knew it was all or nothing. Zero excuses. My family supported me in this new adventure, and they gave me a hand financially, precisely because I had to go from Neuquen (Patagonia) to Buenos Aires, and from there to Asuncion. Pay round trip, plus one night's hotel and all travel expenses.
I remember, when I saw the call from the United Arab Emirates on my cell phone, tears on my cheeks and a dry throat. Maybe they accepted me, maybe they weren't interested anymore, maybe I wasn't what they were looking for.
'Fortunately, your application has been accepted...' Stop listening. That was all I needed to know.
After the golden call... 'Mom, I got it. Mom, I have the job.' It is an achievement shared with all those who have seen me grow and with whom I have synergized so that I can advance in my personal life and profesional career.
After the golden call, I had 10 days to pack my suitcase, say goodbye to everyone, and quit my beloved job at school. I remember that week, when I told my students, 'guys, this is the last class we are going to have together, because I am going to live in the United Arab Emirates.' Nobody understood anything, "Teacher, but how come you're going to live in Dubai?", the echo of the voices of my students.
I didn't even understand anything. I only had the conviction that I wanted to immigrate, grow professionally in the aviation and hospitality industry, and see the whole world.
I came to live in the Middle East blindfolded, just trusting that this is my path. Sometimes it's worth taking a risk. It's worth taking that plane. It's worth being thousands of miles from my family.
I arrived in Dubai like a girl observing the world for the first time. New sounds from an unknown language, an ancient writing system that I have no idea what it means, various flavors of a 'new' world for me.
Skyscrapers, luxury hotels, dancing waters, yacht parties, sweet dates, a gold market. I'm like Jasmine in her palace.
But I'm not going to lie, at first I was very alone, like her. Now I am opening myself to the world, making new friends. And each time, this new adventure of this brave girl, who migrates with her suitcase full of dreams, becomes more tangible.
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