Dubai-it: ‘When we came back, we were home again’ – why Peter Stoddart returned to Dubai

Dubai: What makes a place home? For 43-year-old British expat Peter Stoddart, it is ultimately a place where you feel understood, valued, and you're able to build your own future. And that place, for him, is Dubai. Originally from Liverpool, Stoddart says he first moved to Dubai because of the standard of living it offered. “I came in 2009 with a two-year plan to earn some money, be able to go traveling and then continue my adventure somewhere else,” he told Emirates 24|7. But very quickly, the salary and the lifestyle no longer became the reason he wanted to stay on. It was the human connection. “Being part of an inclusive community, being embraced as an outsider by all nationalities, having opportunities in my career to progress, and having opportunities to meet so many different people from different nationalities and religions, to learn so much about the culture ... that made my two-year plan slightly longer,” he said. As Stoddart began building his career in Dubai, his personal life grew as well. He met his wife here, had a son, and got the opportunities he had always been looking for – whether it was for professional development or to fulfil his passion for travelling. A short-lived hiatus But after 10 years living in Dubai, Stoddart thought of moving back to the UK, with the idea that he had pretty much achieved all that he had wanted from the move. Four years later, he returned, after realising that “it's just not Dubai”. “I found some of my best friends in life in my first position in Dubai as a teacher, friends that I'm still extremely close to, and what's amazing about those people is they've also been to other countries and then come back,” he said. For Stoddart and his family, too, it was the same experience. “We missed the hustle and bustle. We missed the freedom, the safety and security. We missed our friends,” he said. “My son is a Person of Determination, and the education system in Dubai is very inclusive. So, we moved back and the only way I can describe it is when we came back, we were home again,” he added. Back home Not only has Stoddart been able to give his son an inclusive environment to grow up in, the career opportunities in the city have also been unmatched, with Stoddart working as the Head of Secondary at GEMS Metropole School, Al Waha. “My career has accelerated again. My family is happier. Opportunities for my son are so much more. It's just fantastic,” he said. “It's given my family and me a genuine sense of belonging, personal purpose and possibility. I always say that we live in a community where diversity is celebrated, ambitions encouraged and opportunities are plenty,” he added. ‘You can be anything you want to be’ For Stoddart, that sense of possibility extends beyond his own career and family. “I always say to people that you can be anything you want to be in Dubai. If you work hard, the opportunities are there,” he said. But what has stayed with him just as much as those opportunities is the way people from vastly different backgrounds coexist in the city. Every society has different social layers, but what stands out for Stoddart is that, regardless of where people come from or what they do, there is a fundamental level of respect. “Ultimately, everybody is treated with the same levels of respect because every single person helps each other on the journey they’re on,” he said. Over the years, Dubai has given Stoddart the chance to meet people from across those different walks of life – from workers he has met through community initiatives to celebrities and students from prominent families. Some of his fondest memories, however, come from the simplest interactions. Through his school’s community initiatives, Stoddart has helped deliver Ramadan boxes at workers’ accommodation and organised community iftars for his team – experiences that, for him, capture what he values most about life in Dubai. “It’s just amazing to see everybody contribute to society,” he said. “It’s always the human connection in Dubai. Whether you are sitting on the floor in Deira, ending your fast with a date, or having dinner at an expensive restaurant, it’s about the experience of being with people.” And perhaps that is why a two-year plan eventually became something much bigger. It helped him find a home.