‘People felt safe here’: Why this family of four chose to make Dubai their new home

Dubai: After years of considering the move, Dr Angela Kaushal and her family finally landed in Dubai this month — and she says the first three weeks have only reinforced why they came.

The 41-year-old family medicine consultant arrived from the UK with her husband and two young children, aged five and two, on April 9, beginning a long-planned new chapter in the UAE.

And one of the first impressions she’s had of life in Dubai is just how smoothly daily life functions.

“Everything runs very smoothly,” she told Emirates 24|7. “The process of everything from immigration to getting your Emirates ID, with the medical tests and biometrics, it’s very smooth.”

She added that getting around the city has also been easy for her family, who have already been using the Metro and Hala taxis.

Dr Kaushal said the decision to relocate was not sudden. She and her husband had visited Dubai several times and had long been wanting to move for a while.

“We’ve always been impressed with the way it operates. People have a certain work ethic here. Everything is at your fingertips. Nothing is difficult,” she said.

While the family had originally hoped to move in 2019, plans were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the arrival of their two children.

With their youngest now two years old, the timing finally felt right.

She began applying for roles in Dubai, secured her Dubai Health Authority (DHA) licence last year, and travelled to the emirate in November to meet contacts and network – a trip that ultimately led to her current job offer.

The family had initially planned to move in March, but the regional conflict delayed the relocation. They finally moved on April 8, which Dr Kaushal says was lucky, because that is when the ceasefire was also announced.

But even before the announcement, she noted that the conversations with people already living in Dubai reassured her.

“Whenever I spoke to people here, I was always told they felt safe. What really struck me was the faith people had in the government. I was quite impressed,” she said.

She also believes some global coverage overstated the reality on the ground.

“I think the media hyped it up a lot. I know quite a few people in Dubai and they’re all still here, and they wouldn’t be here if they didn’t feel safe,” she said.

Asked what has impressed her most since arriving, Dr Kaushal pointed first to the same sense of security and peace of mind.

“The safety aspect of it, the sense of security, and also people’s demeanour,” she said. “Everywhere you go people are very polite.”

She also highlighted Dubai’s multicultural environment as a major draw for families.

“It’s a very multicultural place. You could go out one day and meet 10 different nationalities.”

Her five-year-old son has already started school, and she says even the classroom reflects Dubai’s diversity.

“In his class he has people from so many different countries. It’s really a place to broaden your horizons,” she said.

While her work has provided the family with a hotel stay for now, she says that her life in Dubai is beginning to settle in quickly. Having found a nanny for her children, and already looking for a place to move in to, for the family of four, the first three weeks in Dubai have already started to feel like home.