1. What is your name?
Nishaat Osman
2. What country were you born in?
South Africa
3. What job did you have in your home country?
Professional make-up artist
4. How long have you been living in your new country for?
6 months
5. Did you immigrate alone or with your family and kids?
With my husband and four kids
6. If you had immigrated with your kids, what were their ages when you immigrated and how did they adjust to the new environment?
I have 3 daughters aged 12, 10 and 7 and a little boy aged 3 at the time when we moved.
My son adapted from the very first day. He absolutely loves it. My 7 and 10 were old took some time but not long after made friends and are now very happy at school. My 12 year old however has her days when she enjoys it but still wants to move back to South Africa. We expected this taking into account her age and the fact that she was very settled here with her friends etc. But Insha-Allah she will adapt soon enough.
7. How are the schools in the new country?
Schools are absolutely amazing. The facilities, teachers and the opportunities are incredible. The only downfall is the amount of screen time the kids get as a lot of the work is done on laptops and iPads.
8. What is your job in your new country?
I’m currently a stay at home mum (more like Uber mum) but on the look out to start working as a make-up artist as well.
9. What do you enjoy about your new country?
The safety has definitely got be my absolute favourite. Coming from a country where you always had to be on the look-out to now being able to be care-free is definitely the best feeling. Especially being a mum. I also love the efficient public transport. If you are someone who doesn’t want to drive in a foreign country there will be no issue getting around.
10. What do you miss the most about your home country?
The only thing I miss about my home country is being close to family and friends.
11. What advice would you give someone that is contemplating to immigrate to the country you have immigrated to?
It is costly. Schooling, housing and medical being the most expensive so negotiate well and make sure these are included in your package if you have been given a job offer. If not, do your research well and see if you can afford the school fees as it is ridiculously expensive.
12. What challenges, if any, would you advise them to anticipate based on your experiences when you first moved to your new country?
It can get lonely. Being a family who loved the company of family and friends on the weekends, it was a challenge not having that anymore.
13. What advice would you give them to overcome those challenges based on how you overcame them?
Give it some time. Don’t go with expectations of people being warm and welcoming. Focus on your own family and do things together that you enjoy. In time you will make friends with like-minded people but also learn to be comfortable with being on your own.
14. How was the visa process for immigrating to your new country?
It was a lengthy and costly process but not difficult. Ours was done with the company my husband is employed by so we had help in this regard.
15. How is the cost of living in the new country compared to your home country?
Cost of living in Dubai is very much higher than South Africa. As mentioned before, schooling, housing and medical being the most expensive. With regards to groceries etc. the rise in prices in South Africa over the last 6 months could now possibly be on par with prices in UAE.
16. Anything else you would like to add, or any advice you would like to give to anyone that is contemplating moving to your new country?
Go for it. You have nothing to lose. It may seem daunting and scary to leave your comfort zone, but there so many opportunities out there. Don’t hold back, you might regret later.
About the author: If you would like to follow Nishaat Osman please have a look at her Instagram account here.