33 and Moving to Dubai…

The Start:

So you might be asking yourself, who is this girl? My blog ranges from travel to food to beauty — so what does a move to Dubai have to do with any of that? Well, allow me to introduce myself if you're new here: I'm Alexandra, and I started this blog a little over a year ago as a place to share my recipes and document all things food and travel, with a little beauty sneaking in too — because apparently I can't stick to one lane! Since then it's grown into somewhere I reflect and share my interests in beauty, interiors, food, travel, life, and style.

It's fair to say that over the last year, it's grown. It's still a space where I share my recipes, what I'm cooking, and the restaurants I'm loving — but it's also become a space where I want to be real about whatever I'm going through in life. The funny thing is, the more you write, blog, vlog, or create, the clearer it becomes what you actually want to make and say. And if I'm honest, I think I'm still very early on in that journey.

So, Dubai. How did that come up?

A little over a year ago, I found myself really wondering: okay, is this it? I'd taken on a new job and quickly realized it wasn't the right environment for me. There were parts I loved, and other parts that left me screaming inside, I knew early on and for that whole year, I couldn't shake the feeling.

I don't know about you, but I think we all have moments like that — where everything in you tells you something is off. And if I'm honest, I knew even before then that I wanted a change. I didn't know exactly what, but I think there are moments in life that feel like that, where your friends, family, everyone feels like they're in a different season from you. And you're happy for them, and you want to celebrate them, but you also feel a little off-kilter.

I've lived in Belfast for over 9 years; in that time, I moved into a beautiful little apartment with an ex-partner, called off a wedding, and found my faith. Needless to say, it's been a lot. If you'd asked me at any point over those 9 years whether I'd be moving to Dubai, I'd probably have laughed. It wasn't part of some grand life plan or lifelong dream. But somewhere around Easter last year, I realised my life had quietly stopped feeling like it was growing, ... and I wanted a change, a shift.

A few months ago, I read a book by clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Smith, in one of the chapters she talks about weighing up the benefits and costs of staying exactly the same before you make a choice — being aware of the cost of inaction, not just the cost of change. The truth is, every choice comes with a drawback, even the choice to stay the same. And Honestly?, thats what scares me most is starting again, and the fear of making the wrong choice. There's a real benefit to staying — to investing in the lives of the people around you — but for me, things already felt like they were in transition; a lot of it didn't make sense anymore. That book has stayed with me. those words where you honestly look at the benefits and the drawbacks of ‘ staying the same.’ because there are benefits and we often miss the things, nostalgia can creep in.

So what do I hope for? I hope my life starts to feel like it's growing again. Not necessarily bigger or more exciting all the time, but fuller — more intentional, more open. I hope I grow in my career, keep creating, travel, cook, write, meet people I wouldn't otherwise have met and learn how to make a home somewhere completely unfamiliar. I hope there's room for meaningful friendships, for my faith to deepen. But I also hope I learn something about myself in the process — about what matters to me, what kind of life I actually want to build, and who I am when so much of what is familiar is stripped away. I don't know whether Dubai will become somewhere I stay for years or simply a chapter that leads me somewhere else.

No one really tells you how much a big transition can stretch your nervous system. At times, it has felt like my body and my mind are operating on two slightly different frequencies — my body bracing itself for change while my mind runs ahead, dreaming up ideas for the future. And then there's the anxiety that quietly bubbles up somewhere in between. Over these last couple of weeks, I've definitely felt some of that anxiety rise to the surface, while simultaneously trying to remind myself that everything is okay. That I chose this, I'm excited about it, and being nervous doesn't necessarily mean something is wrong.

One of the strangest parts of the whole process has been packing. It's almost hard to believe that you can edit a whole life down into a single suitcase. Years ago, I did an Erasmus and remember packing my life into one large suitcase then too. When I came home six months later, I was genuinely surprised — and grateful — for all the stuff I had. I couldn't get over how many clothes I owned or how much I'd managed to live without. So this time, I've packed with that memory in mind. I don't think it's a bad thing to edit your life down every once in a while.

Something else that's really helped has been taking this summer slowly. As a teacher, by the time the end of the academic year rolls around, you can feel like a well and truly emptied balloon — routines loose and everything slightly up the left. So I spent the summer trying to build myself back up again: lifting weights, walking, hitting my 15,000 steps, eating well and generally putting healthy habits in place that I hope will come with me when I move. Not because I've suddenly become the world's most disciplined person, but because I've realised how much those little rhythms ground me. When so much else feels up in the air, there's something reassuring about having a few things that remain steady.

So, what can you expect to see here over the coming months? A lot of figuring it out as I go. What it's really like settling into a new country, starting a new job and creating a home from scratch. I'm genuinely excited to be based somewhere that gives me the opportunity to experience so many different cultures, meet people from all over the world and explore places I've never been before.

And as this season of my life changes, I imagine this little corner of the internet will change with me. Expect recipes and inspiration for eating well, the restaurants and places I'm discovering in Dubai, travel around the Middle East and further afield, interiors as I make a new space feel like home, beauty and style, and the reality of moving abroad and starting over.

Essentially, life — just from a slightly different corner of the world.

And hopefully a few tips, discoveries and stories along the way from a girl in her 30s who is very much still figuring it all out.