Tourist stuck in Dubai happy in ‘second home’
Canadian woman has visited several emirates and learned Lebanese cuisine
ACanadian tourist who came to Dubai in February this year says she does not mind being stuck in the country.
Rosy Abi Nader, who is of Lebanese origin, arrived in Dubai for a short vacation on February 21. This was not her first visit to city, she used to come here when she was a child. However, this has definitely been the longest she has stayed in the UAE.
“Everything was normal when I arrived — there was no need for face masks, gloves or PPEs [personal protective equipment] at the airport. There was nothing alarming and I passed on as a regular tourist,” she said.
Emirate-hopping
Rosy enjoyed the cool weather and the scenery over the next few days — hopping from one emirate to the next. But after a month, when it was time for her to return to Canada, things took a turn for the worse. Airports were closed and her return flight was cancelled.
Rosy had the opportunity to go back to Canada via chartered or repatriation flights, but she opted to stay. “Tickets were very expensive to return home and I felt it was safer to remain in Dubai,” she said.
‘I’ve stayed in 18 hotels’
Rosy has been in the UAE for five months now. She has visited all the emirates and stayed in several hotels. “I’ve stayed in at least 18 hotels across Dubai, RAK and Ajman in the past five months. Mostly, were beachside hotels so I always got a fine view,” she said.
Rosy does not regret her decision to stay. “I have tried various cuisines and learned to cook Lebanese meals — I took photos and sent them to my mum. More importantly, I brushed up on my Arabic reading and writing,” she said.
Bouts of homesickness
But there were also times when Rosy felt homesick. “I cried a lot during the first couple of months. There was only virtual communication with my family, but I got used to it and the people at the hotel became like family,” she said.
“My decision to stay was voluntary. I have really enjoyed it. Although on the downside, I accumulated a lot of credit card debt,” Rosy added.