Alexandra Cooper lived in London for 13 years before she swapped it for Dubai. She grew up in a small seaside town in Cornwall, and she now works there as a content creator, sharing her daily life on Instagram under the handle @alexandra.diary.
The couple’s first look at the city came on a holiday in late 2023. She and her husband, Afsar Uddin, did not leave planning a move. “We came with the idea in the back of our minds that it could be somewhere we might live one day, but at that point it still felt more like a fleeting thought than a real plan,” Cooper said.
That changed fast. “It quickly went from, ‘Could we live here?’ to ‘Yes, we can really see ourselves building a life here,’” she said. By 2025 they had made the move, cats included.
Two new jobs
In London, Cooper held a senior role in education. In Dubai she took up content creation, which she describes as her passion. Uddin works as a luxury and supercar specialist at Trend Auto Dubai.
She says the difference is mostly about time. “In the UK, my life was much more fast-paced and often centred around work, commuting and trying to fit everything in,” she explained. “Dubai has given me a better quality of life and more space to enjoy my day-to-day routine.”
Her days now include Pilates studios and evening walks. Grocery delivery and home maintenance services take care of chores that used to eat her free hours, she said, and she finds the city clean and well organised.
Pushback from home
Friends and family were doubtful at first. Cooper says they pictured a place that was far too expensive and all show. She disagrees. Dubai, in her account, is safe, has a real sense of community, and rewards people who arrive with an open mind.
It is not only about luxury either, she said. High standards are just part of ordinary life there, not something saved for special occasions, and that is what won her over.
What she values most is the feeling that people in the city want to build something for themselves, and the sense that those who live there can build a full personal life as well as a career.
Sources
- British Expat Reveals Life in Dubai: A Personal Journey – The uae times
- Moving to Dubai: British expat shares what life in the UAE is really like
