‘Being home feels like a big exhale’
For Amanda Ashworth, a Dubai-based mother who homeschools her children, the family’s return came just days ago and the relief was immediate. The Ashworths split their time between Goa and Dubai, and had been abroad when the conflict began. A brief trip back to collect belongings only deepened her sense of displacement.
“Dubai is our main home base, so it feels so nice to be properly home again,” she said.
The family’s flexible schooling arrangement helped soften the disruption. Her husband and their dogs had remained in Dubai throughout — a source of both comfort and sadness. “It was sad, especially with everything feeling so uncertain,” Ashworth recalled. The children were kept broadly aware of events, though the family’s focus remained on maintaining routine. Now reunited, the children are back in their rooms, back with their toys, and, perhaps most importantly, back with the dogs.
Looking ahead to the summer, Ashworth’s tone is one of quiet excitement. “It is a bit surreal, but we are really looking forward to spending the summer here.”
A seamless adjustment and a firm sense of home
For one German expat, who has lived in the UAE for over 20 years and requested anonymity, the decision to relocate temporarily to Germany was driven by a need for mental respite and the reassurance of being close to family. The transition, she admits, was relatively smooth, her family’s summer schedule already brings them to Germany before a return to Dubai each August, and her children’s school accommodated the extended absence without issue.
But the temporary nature of the move was never in question.
“We go to Germany every summer anyway, so we’ll be back in August, same as always,” she said. Her children were never formally withdrawn from their Dubai school or nursery, and she has continued paying all fees throughout. “On the first of September, they’ll be back in school, just like all the other children in the UAE.”
‘The UAE remains one of the most attractive destinations in the world’
For Ismayil Neelangodan, a Dubai-based entrepreneur originally from Kerala who has called the UAE home for 23 years, the decision to step back was a practical one. His transportation business, which serves schools and the tourism sector had slowed considerably, though his butchery and restaurant continued to operate. With confidence returning to the market, he is now preparing to come back.
“We have seen encouraging signs of recovery across the sectors we operate in, business activity is picking up, customer demand is increasing, and confidence is growing among entrepreneurs and investors,” he said. “These positive developments have made our decision to return an easy one.”
