Writing, Traveling and Eating Well

Writing, Traveling and Eating Well

Meet Courtney Brandt, a 35 year old American GCC expat, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 7 years now after planning on moving there for 1 year...
 

We’re living in:

Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island

A bit about us:

Hubs is a brilliant director of landscape architecture and I work (for now) in higher education at NYUAD.  I have dreams of staying home and being a full time author.  With seven books published a few in my head, I’m hoping to make this a reality in the next few years. Until then, I love working on a university campus. We travel as much as our schedules (and budget) will allow us.

How long have you lived there?

A bit of a loaded question… We originally moved from Los Angeles to Dubai in late 2007, then to Doha in 2011 and to Abu Dhabi in early 2014.  All in, we’re about to enter our ninth year in the GCC.  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Why did you move?

There’s a long and short story – I’ll give the middle version.  We went to visit my university roommate’s parents in Singapore. Over drinks, they announced they had a big announcement, we thought ‘retirement’ they said ‘moving!’  After we returned to the States, we kind of had a moment of ‘we’re super jealous and why aren’t we doing that?’  One CV, two interviews and offers later, we landed in Dubai.  ‘One year’ we said…

• Love can be found in Dubai, it seems!
• Everyone's a little bit of a foodie lover
• Enjoy the beauty of the world before you settle down

Why we like living here:

What’s not to like?  Plenty of travel of options, great movement in both our careers, amazing friends.

Accommodation Options?

In our 7 years, we’ve lived in 4 apartments and Saadiyat Beach Residences is my favorite (for a number of reasons).  As it’s just the two of us (and our Japanese bobtail, Nubbins), we have lived in apartments so far.  In 2016, we might be making a move to a villa or townhouse – I’m excited! 

What do you enjoy doing with your time? 

Writing, traveling and eating well.  Hubs and I love to try new restaurants and visiting new countries.

What top tips do you have for anyone considering a move?

Just do it!  Also, be as organized as possible.  And, expect things to go wrong.  Honestly, I anticipate anything here to take at least three tries, so any time it happens before the third attempt, I consider it a win.

What do you wish you’d known before you moved?

I would do anything for more patience.  Even after all our moves, I still don’t have enough.  I’m also surprised with how much you don’t need.  When our 96 boxes were on the way from Dubai to Doha, it was me, a bed, our cats, a few camp chairs and a laptop.  I did just fine! 

What’s the best thing about being an expat?

The opportunities we have.  I love the people we’ve met, the places we’ve gone and when visitors are in town, sharing a little bit of our part of the world with everyone else.  As we live 8 or 9 hours ahead of the east coast of the United States, I’ve always enjoyed ‘living in the future.’ 

How do you keep a little bit of home with you as an expat?

As Americans, we always celebrate Thanksgiving.  It’s my husband’s favorite holiday and we always go big.  I love sharing this uniquely American holiday (sorry Canadians!) with all of our friends who have never had a big feast in November.

Anything else you’d like to share with us about your expat experience?

I think the expat community is one of the best things in the region.  Someone is always available to help out or say ‘this worked for me.’  You never have to feel bad about asking about any topic – from where to stay in Sri Lanka to how to register your car in Al Ain.