04/08/2026
I've lived in Costa Rica my entire life❤️
I never imagined I'd move abroad, yet in 2023, I left everything behind and moved to Mérida, Mexico in just two weeks — with my belgian malinois and my cat. I paid the price for rushing and being unprepared. I really did. Not fun, don't do that!
Less than a year later, I moved again, this time to Dubai — with only a carry-on and a handbag. Better move, no pets, but it still took about six months to finally feel settled.
Now, picture a Costa Rican girl trying to figure out life in a city like Dubai..
I didn't understand anything. I didn't even know what I could wear, or where I was and wasn't allowed to be. I couldn't pronounce the street names or places properly. No clue how to appropriately communicate, respect holidays, or navigate cultural and religious customs like Ramadan, without even realizing when I was being disrespectful.
I felt lost 100% of the time, and even the smallest things added extra stress on top of a new job, visa and banking paperwork, health insurance and housing.
Figuring out which supermarket to go to, I ended up visiting every one I could just to find the shiitake mushrooms I was craving one day. I refused to accept a place like Dubai didn't have them somewhere. It felt like a mission.
Buying a simple yogurt felt like a losing battle without knowing the brands or being able to read the labels — I'd grab 3, hoping I'd like 1. Playing the odds, you know, 33.3% chance..
Moving abroad is exciting, and people love to romanticize it, but it's always something — you prepare for the obvious, and the smallest things get you.
One thing I've learned: Good preparation isn't just about logistics, or obsessing over avoiding every mistake. It's about avoiding the ones you don't need to make.
Be honest, and tell me I'm not the only one who's stood in a supermarket staring at a wall of unfamiliar products wondering... do I really need this? could someone just tell me which one I should get🙏😅
