Every day; I receive calls from family and friends from Jordan, which I treasure, this way I would never feel away from them. But growing up in a community like the Jordanian one, you’d understand what the word “Ghorbeh” or “Expatriation” means there.
It’s a nightmare! In other words, people are afraid of it, because they still believe that if their sons and daughters are out of country... they’ll be vulnerable without their families, and more exposed to danger!
In fact a lot of young people struggle with this, whether it was a marriage proposal, study abroad, job opportunity, or even a vacation! It gets rejected by their parents because it is in another country, especially for females. I’ve faced it myself more than once when I got a scholarship and when I got married.
I didn’t share this “opinion” with the community because I believe that time has changed now, and it’s not as hard as they still think it is... add the fact that I love traveling and experiencing new cultures and life styles.
Which brings me to the real point I want to make here, it isn’t really like that in the UAE! The fact that the country has so many expats from all over the world, the possibilities of meeting someone from your own country are very high! Especially people you already know… each family in the Middle East has someone working, living, studying, or even shopping in the UAE. It’s a place full of movement, and you get to see family members and old friends all the time.
Like the other day, I grabbed the phone, arranged plans with my high school friends who happen to live here, and the next thing you know, we are reunioned! We spent the whole day together, which was something almost impossible to do before since we had a curfew to stick to.
In the end, what I mean to say is that this fact gives us more reasons to stay in touch with each other, people here look after each other more, and no one ever feels alone here because everyone is introduced to each other. This makes me fall in love with the idea that this community is becoming one big family that welcomes new members so warmly that they would feel “almost” like at home.
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