Hi Linda
Happy New Year and hope you will have a fab year 2013. I have two homes. One in Ras Al Khaimah and one in Bournemouth. My husband and eldest son live in Bournemouth and I frequently visit. Would love to meet up with you whenever I come over. Next visit should be in February (10 days), April (18 days), May (8 days), July/August (2 months).
I have so far not been brave enough to return and join my husband. My kids and I love it here too much. Also, I had a mortgage until a few days ago. Finally managed to sell our house after 2 years of trying, so maybe our days will be counted here. All depending on my job circumstances.
My eldest son stayed in the UK in summer 2012 to start his GCSE's. I wanted to avoid taking the risk of having to move him in the middle of his GCSE's or GCE's in case I was to loose my job, war escalating in the Middle East or simply no longer being welcome in the UAE. We moved to Dubai in 2003 and were hoping to stay for good but little did we think that circumstances could change. So, now just going with the flow and hoping for the best.
One thing about moving back to the UK that I would find hard (apart from freezing all my bits off and having to heat the house 24/7) is not able to talk to someone about expat life in the UAE. So, when I saw your message on expatwoman, I joined mumsnet to be able to connect with you. No matter how different we both can be, I am sure that our past experiences from living in the UAE, will give us a great connection.
Two of my kids were born in Poole and one in Dubai. They went to Homefield school (private). When we moved to Dubai, they went to Horizon, Wellington, GEMS World Academy and then RAKESS. Finding school places in the UK for my eldest son was a nightmare experience with all good schools being oversubscribed and our catchment area (Talbot Village) having one of the worst schools allocated. Thankfully, the school we were able to pick in the end is working out to be excellent (Bourne Academy). Cross fingers, it will continue to be a success.
It would be great to hear from you. How old are your kids and which school did they get into (that's if they are of school age)?
I'm excited at the prospect of getting to know someone who moved from Dubai to Bournemouth. :)
All the best!