Life in the UK - 6 months on.

We moved to the UK in June 2021. Originally from the UK, we left in January 2011, 11 years ago for 4 years in South Africa and 7 years in Dubai.

We kept our house in the UK and rented it out, recovering it from tenants in December 2019. In 2016 we bought a flat in South Wales for somewhere to stay when we visited and I started spending more time in the UK, as the kids left home and school. 

Covid caused us to change our plans for our move to the UK. The plan had been for me to travel back and forth to Dubai or joining Peter on his travels, to have house/pet sitters until 2023. I relocated the cat and dog here in January 2020, made my first trip to Dubai in March 2020, then had a swift return to the UK as covid broke and borders closed.

By the time Peter visited the UK in September 2020, we made the decision to leave in June 2021 and for Peter to retire, 2 years early. 

Although we've returned to the same house we lived in before starting our expat journey, it is without kids, we have new neighbours, making new friends and keeping in touch with old ones. We can now spend more time with the ever growing family.

We haven't just moved back though, in many ways we've relocated, moved to a country that has changed in regards to the way things are done and whilst we've bought property, been landlords, kept UK sims, kept bank accounts, paid bills etc, the way in which things are done now are very different.

Also we've been used to doing things the Dubai way. From customer service, to buying and selling things as well us setting up utilities, paying bills. It's all done very differently. In Dubai, everything is paid up front, from house rent, buying a car, insurances, deposits for utilities and everything is linked to an ID card. 

Whilst we've been abroad we've continued to pay for everything up front in the UK, now we are back all the companies want us to have everything on direct debit. It's been easy to set things up as we've maintained a credit history and bank accounts here, plus we haven't required a visa to move here and have been able to buy a sim card in a local shop and not have to register it.

Here are some other things we find are different:

The UK is mostly self service, you pay for bags and no one packs them for you like they do in South Africa and Dubai.

The internet is consistent and you can make video calls freely through apps. Video calls were blocked in Dubai and internet was slow and limited in South Africa.

The TV freeview channels are great in the UK but it is expensive to watch the sport and movies. They were free on the basic TV package in Dubai. But British TV is driving me mad. The shows commissioned are very good for dramas and I do enjoy the soaps and quiz shows, however the amount of reality shows and shows with ordinary folk and minor celebs cooking, sewing, making pots, singing, dancing etc are driving me up the wall. Its lazy TV same format just a different topic. 

It is safer to drive on the roads in the UK, using your phone is illegal, seat belts are worn, no tail gating like you had in Dubai. Night time driving in Dubai was safer with everywhere lit up. In South Africa there was always the fear of being hijacked and driving at night was dangerous, mainly due to pot holes and animals wandering. Mind you I did a lot of damage to my car in the UK last year, when I hit a badger late at night. Car parking spaces are bigger in Dubai. South Africa had car guards who helped you park.

The weather is better in South Africa, not too hot, not too wet and not too cold. Dubai is too hot half the year and the UK is well...... you know.

Houses in Dubai are more expensive, houses in South Africa give you more for your money in terms of space but you have to pay for security. Houses in the UK are insulated, have small rooms, but easy to heat in the winter.

The post works in the UK and is delivered through your door. In Dubai you had to have a PO Box Number as there was no street delivery and in South Africa you'd be lucky if it didn't get stolen.

I don't have a preference in regards to where I live, although I did prefer South Africa to Dubai in regards to lifestyle and the weather. I'm just happy to be in one place for as long as we choose to be, our own home, no company in charge of visas, no flights to visit family (other than a son in Northern Ireland and one in Australia). 

We said once we returned to the UK, we'd decide if we were to stay in our family home or move somewhere else near by. We're having a new kitchen fitted and have plans for an extension in the spring as well as starting decorating. I don't see us moving for a good few years, if at all, as long as we can both manage the stairs as we get older.

Moving Home in Dubai Part 4 - Snag List and Repairs

Giving notice, finding a new house, choosing a removal firm and moving in has gone smoothly.
There were a few minor hiccups that caused major, short term panic.

Notice to old landlord should've been given in writing, but they accepted the WhatsApp message.
We were unable to secure a new property to move into until 2-3 weeks prior before we actually wanted to move in and as I had to return from the UK, we only had 2 and a half weeks in which to find somewhere and sign, before I returned. The contract for the new place stated we had to sign the contract and pay the rent 7 days before we moved in to allow the company to prepare the house, but that we also had to provide proof of DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) deposit 3 days prior to collecting the keys. As I'd flown back to the UK after finding a property and with Peter having to work abroad the week prior to moving, we weren't sure until the day before we actually moved if we'd be able to get in the following day or not.

Thankfully our date didn't change, but with a public 4 day public holiday weekend the week we were moving and needing to hand the keys back to the old place the day after, we would've been cutting it fine.

On the day of the actual move, I was greeted on the drive by a gardener, asking for a job, this continued throughout the day, with maids turning up also. My patience wore thin. 'We're moving in' I'm was tempted to yell 'Go away' to each and every caller.

Then the gas man turned up, the water cooler bottle delivery guy, then the building firm to fix the electrics for the gas cooker.

Whilst English is widely spoken here, it is often quite difficult to understand what people are saying, which company they are from and what they want from you, usually money. I let all sorts of people in and out the house. Tradesmen often ring the bell, stand there and you have to guess which company they are from and what job they have come to do. My phone rang from TV and internet providers where the rental agent had passed our details on. It all got a bit much to be honest.

I did also meet a few of the neighbours who came round to introduce themselves, I was a bit frazzled, I fear I may have scared them off. Seriously, when you're moving into a new house you really don't have time on Day 1 to stop and sort out all this nonsense and socialise.

The house we've moved into is a new build, it is immaculate and is owned by the construction company with a dedicated 24 hour maintenance line to report faults and people qualified to do each job turn up with the equipment they need, on time and do the job. This is not something we're used to.

In the past we had 5 guys turn up to sort out a leak in the swimming pool in South Africa, they dug a trench with whatever they found in the garden, including an old spoon to get to the pipes.
In the last house in Dubai, the odd job man who resealed the toilet needed a cloth, before we'd moved in and actually helped himself to a spare t shirt out of my beach bag to wipe his hands and round the toilet bowl with.

Sadly though cleaning up after themselves isn't a given, there's an assumption we have a maid, so after a flood when the bath the first morning and they removed all the rubble from the drain they just left it on the floor.

We were still waiting for a drain to be emptied of rubble from the laundry room (we mopped up the flood) and in the the main bathroom, the cooker hood isn't working, the outside tap has no water and there's some sealant that needs replacing in the bathroom and we need some instructions to operate the aircon.

Our wheelie bin hasn't been delivered yet. At the moment all the rubbish we're putting outside is in cardboard boxes, I'm trying to separate the actual waste from stuff that can be recycled as the maids and gardeners will rifle through and help themselves to anything that can be re used.

As we're in a new build it's our responsibility to sort the garden out, at the moment the dog is bringing sand into the house, I have a stack of business cards from landscape companies that have been left on the door step, but I'll be talking to the neighbours to see who they recommend. We'll block path and grass half and half with a flower bed, there are shrubs planted outside the boundary that will grow in time and we'll erect a fence for a bit more privacy like the neighbours have.

Two weeks later we ran out of water, can you believe it? The tank under the drive didn't refill and the ball cock was broken, this in turn broke the pump. But in fairness it was fixed the same day that I reported the matter, even if it did mean isolating the cat and dog for several hours while men traipsed in and out the house to turn taps on and off to check the pressure was working.

During all of this, the neighbours managed to lock themselves out. If you go out the front door without a key and it closes behind you, you're locked out. There's no catch to put in place, so we've swopped spare keys for future use. Thankfully as we're on a building site, there were plenty of men around with ladders to help her onto the roof and in through the balcony doors.

Moving Home in Dubai Part 3 - Moving Day

In preparation for moving home in Dubai, I did the following the day before the actual move:

Collected the keys

Coffee with a friend

Had a manicure and pedicure

Wrapped and packed ornaments

Packed valuables

Dug up plants from the garden

Took the cat to the vets

The day of the move I did the following:

Got up

Dressed

Collected all the dirty washing in the laundry basket

Dropped the dog in day care

Drove to the new house.

Peter stayed in the old house to supervise the packing, clean out the fridge, empty the bins etc.

I checked the water and electric was working and the air con etc was operational. We had to set up the DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) account and provide proof of deposit prior to collecting the keys and I waited for the removal company to arrive, half an hour after I did with the first truck to instruct them where the furniture and boxes were to go.

After unloading 2 trucks, they took a break and returned to the old house. I unpacked and put away the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom and we were left with a pile of stuff that came from the outbuildings of the old house, tools, camping gear and garden equipment that now has to be stored inside the house until we get some outdoor storage.

Peter followed at 3pm, collecting the dog on his way with the last 2 trucks and by 3pm the furniture was unwrapped, beds reassembled, they remade the beds, the boxes were emptied and removed along with all the packaging.

We put blankets up at the windows for the first night and we were in our new home.

The next few days were spent rearranging some furniture in the rooms, a few purchases have to be made, a home for all the outdoor stuff was found, but needs to be tidied and quite a lot of stuff will be donated and thrown away. The removal firm did a great job of unpacking, reassembling and putting things back on the shelves, they took photos to help them. Sadly though, they don't dust, so everything had to be removed, cleaned and put back. They also don't set up equipment, so while it was great the office furniture was in place, we had to empty it, move it, put cables back and move the furniture back in place.

Curtain poles still need to go up and things have to be tidied, once that's all in place and Peter is back in work, I'll unpack the ornaments, give the house a good clean and by next weekend it'll all be done.

This is the 7th full move we've done as a family since 2002, 3 in the UK, 2 in South Africa and now 2 in Dubai. 4 of the moves were company moves and they were not easy to do, with the removal contract being with Peter's company so all questions and issues etc had to be made from me, to Peter, to HR to the removal firm and back again as rarely would anyone deal directly with me because 'Miss Suzanne, the contract is with your husband's company, not you' despite it being me who does all the organising, arranging and last minute problem solving when things inevitably go wrong when there are so many people involved in a chain.

This move however was easy, because there was no one to interfere. Even though the contracts had to be signed by Peter as he is the one with the work visa, therefore the one with the income, everyone from the agents, landlords, to DEWA were more than happy to deal with me directly as long as I had copies of the relevant documents and Peter's actual signature.

One Daily Positive Week 48

The week started and ended with me asking 'What day is it?'

Peter has had the week off work while we've moved house and with having been in the UK for 4 months and weekends in Dubai being on a Friday and Saturday and then UAE public holidays, I've had no idea what day it has been.

I've also been confused by the time difference which is now 4 hours and being that extra hour ahead now means that I'm not seeing things in family and friends timelines and when I post at midday, you're all just getting up in the UK. Whilst it's made contact with child 3 and 3a in Australia easier and child 4 is only up the road/country. It does mean emails and phone calls with the UK and responding to messages are done in the early evening, my time, when I'm ready to switch off, so I can get a response the same day.

The weather in Dubai is now on average a high of 28c with a gentle breeze, making it perfect for life outdoors for the next 4 months.

We've settled in well and quickly to the new house, but it's noisy here, there are kids, more traffic and more people to knock at the door to ask for work, we'll get used to it for sure.

330 Sunday Goals
Pre moving day and what else should I be doing today other than collecting the keys and giving the villa the once over, lunch with a friend and a manicure and pedicure in the afternoon. I packed the rest of the ornaments and with freshly painted nails dugs up the plants in the garden.

331 Monday Exercise
Dressed, breakfasted and ready to move at 8am. Dropped Bob at Day Care and went to the new house to wait for the first truck to arrive at 9am. Peter stayed at the old house to supervise while I stood on the door step and instructed the removal men which room they were to take each piece of furniture and box to. By 5pm they and all their boxes and packaging had gone, the kitchen and bedroom were sorted and we went to Macdonald's for tea.

332 Tuesday Sharp
The hall and laundry room was tided today as we are in serious need of having to wash some clothes. The day passed in a haze, coffee mid afternoon, boxes unpacked, stuff tripped over, furniture rearranged. Had an early night, but my brain was whirring and I was wide awake at 3am.

333 Wednesday Contemplate
Spent the day at the old house cleaning it from top to bottom, there will be some issue with the deposit, there always is. Anyway we know that the house was returned in a much better and cleaner condition than when we moved in. As landlords in the UK, we really do pay extra attention as tenants, yet we've been badly treated by both landlords and tenants in the past. Back in the new house the drain in the laundry room flooded, clothes now being held hostage in the machine until after the weekend. The garden was tided and outdoor furniture set up on the balconies.

334 Thursday Cold

Peter waited in for the Du TV/Internet/Phone company and I went to Ibn Battuta Mall to buy curtains for the bedroom and a few bits and bobs. Peter joined me and we had a late lunch, did a food shop and spent the evening setting up the TV upstairs and had an early night, after mopping up the main bathroom after another flood. Seriously, that's every drain blocked in this house.

335 Friday Wide Angle
Off to Ikea, hubby and I don't have a good track record there in regards to arguing, but we managed not only a trip round there, but a visit to the DIY shop and then put up curtain poles, hung curtains and assembled furniture and were still speaking at bedtime. More good news, tried the dishwasher, it didn't flood the kitchen.

336 Saturday Water. Blue Water and Dubai Marina on the horizon.
Woke with or rather didn't get much sleep with a migraine, I guess I've peaked and come back full circle to June this year when I had the last one that triggered off a health scare, who knows?
An easy day, sorted through my wardrobe and donated a lot of stuff I just don't wear, went out for coffee to Mall of the Emirates for the last of the curtains poles and a few other pieces we needed.

On the blog this week:

My Sunday Photo Y is for Yule. Comparing the prices between the UK and Dubai.
TriumphantTales TweensTeensBeyond PoCoLo Life without Friends? I couldn't do it.

My 13 top tips for your first few days as an expat.

Having made two international relocations in the past 5 years I wanted to share some advice on 'things to do' when you arrive in your new country and 'tips' on getting things done as smoothly as possible.

• Keep your whats app number until you are sure you have a permanent SIM number.

• Get a PO Box number or confirm your full postal address ASAP, you'll need this when you open bank accounts, etc, you really don't want to have to change it after you move.

• Know your physical address as well as your postal address, drop a pin on whats app, you really don't need to be trying to talk a delivery driver in when you don't know the local area.

• Work out your best mobile 3G deal and download maps of your local area, public transport apps.

• If you've rented a property and haven't moved into it yet and you're staying in a hotel, get down to your house every day, use it as a base to explore from. If you're already working, make sure you go past the house every day on your commute to familiarise yourself with the roads and short cuts, the last thing you want to do is have to learn a new route to work every day.

• Use the banks, shops, facilities near where you are going to live, you won't want to be going back to the hotel where things have become familiar.

• Chat with everyone, take everyone's number, take up every invite. You may never see these people again, but some of them could help you in the short term, others could become life long friends.

• Get all your documents scanned and send it to yourself in an email, you'll never know when you'll need to provide a copy of something.

• When setting up any account, applying for work, going to the doctors/dentists for the first time, take ALL your paperwork with you. 

• Be prepared to spend a long time at your first visit to anywhere. Take a bottle of water, something to read, maybe something to eat and don't be surprised or upset when you get sent away because you are one document short that you weren't told about on your first visit.

• When you set up any account, register online to make life easier to pay deposits and pay the bills on time.

• Take cash with you for deposits for services, not everywhere will take credit cards and often debit cards can't be used.

• Make sure you know the route for where the nearest dentists, doctors, A&E are and find out the phone number for emergency services.