How our Dubai adventure began: Transplanted from beautiful Minnesota in the midwest of America to Dubai in the Middle East … How did this British/American family fare when faced with boiling-hot temperatures and a totally new but fascinating culture? Photos and memories of our move, plus our first impressions of desert life.
• What I’ve learnt about nurseries and schools in Dubai
From angst-ridden assessments to waiting lists and lack-lustre lunchboxes
• 12 signs you know it’s winter in Dubai
It’s like someone’s turned the oven off and you can go outdoors again, but the downside is you have to get into a bikini to go to playdates
• Desert dwelling
Outside our bedroom window, the sandy dunes stretch for as far as the eye can see, punctuated by desert shrubs and the odd tree
• A Dubai thing
Some aspects of life in the Middle East are simply different from what we’re used to
• Summer in the city
Going about daily life under the blazing hot sun takes a bit of know-how
• Battles over Baghdad
It was somewhere in the sky over Iraq that it fully hit me there was no escape from my latest motherhood challenge: flying by myself with the Baby and the Big Boy to London
• Desert diary
The great indoors, plus Gulf living at a glance
• Sandcastles on the south coast
A fierce wind. Stony beach. Seaweed. It could only be the Great British Seaside
• Dubai: First impressions
When I mentioned to my mother-in-law that I thought Dubai was like Las Vegas, she laughed and said, ‘More like Las Vegas on hormones!’
• Back together in Berlin
Travelling with easyJet added the element of unknown, including mysterious delays and the strangest noise on arrival at Gatwick, like someone was sawing off a wing
• No place like home
Deplaning after more than eight hours squashed into a seat that didn’t recline with the Toddler on my lap was a wonderful feeling
• Deep freeze
Today it’s so cold in Minnesota it hurts. Yet at the same time, it’s like living in a winter wonderland – blue skies without a cloud in sight, snow-laden scenery and frozen lakes dotted with ice fishing huts and the odd car
CIRCLES IN THE SAND … Marianne Makdisi 
Fascinating reading! A bloke I knew when I was in high school is a Senior VP at Emirates. I’m not in touch with him any more, but it’s very interesting to get a sense of what life is like for his family over there!
Thank you Almost American! I’m really touched you took the time to read all about us over here in the sandpit! Thanks for your comment! Yes, life here is a little different in many ways – an open mind needed when you first arrive, 6 months or so of thinking ‘oh my god, what have we done!’ then you begin to really like it here and not want to leave! I’ll be over to your blog asap to find out more about you!
Desert Safari Dubai nice place to visit..
a good contrast maybe: http://shariaunveiled.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/raped-and-abandoned-in-dubai-the-alicia-gali-story/
😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 😦 I really feel for this poor girl. Awful.
I just cannot imagine how different your life is there to here, so fascinating 🙂
It’s funny how it all starts to feel normal, then I get reverse culture shock when I come home! x
Thank you for the share.
I am getting ready for my Dubai trip this year. I’ve read a lot of blogs about great destinations. Indeed your article add something for me to do. Thanks. By the way, I am a natural food enthusiast and would like to taste something new every time I travel. I also heard from my Lebanese friends that Filful Beirut is opening in Dubai. Iwant to squeeze this in my schedule. Do you have any good recommendation for a 3-day travel?
Have a great trip! I really recommend having a look at the Hedonista blog for some food tips! thehedonista.com
I also had a tour to Dubai but that was just for tourism purpose. I loved that place at least in January 😉
January is definitely the best month of the year! Goes so fast though…
Dear Marianne,
I just came across your blog and read some of your interesting blog posts. I like “The dos and don’ts of a Dubai summer”. I must appreciate your observations and writing skill.