My dad lost his job in the UAE while on vacation after more than 2 years.
He is 57 years old.
For 20 years he woke up early, went to work in this heat, skipped holidays, skipped rest, skipped life itself sometimes… just to keep our family stable.
And after all those years, they fired him with a phone call.
That’s it.
No thank you.
No handshake.
No conversation.
Nothing.
Just a call.
I know this is not a unique story in the UAE. Maybe that’s what hurts the most. So many people spend their entire youth here believing loyalty and hard work will mean something in the end.
Sometimes it doesn’t.
To be fair, this country gave my family opportunities too. My father built us a home back in Kerala. He made investments that now give some rental income. He educated us well. Today me and my husband also work here and live comfortably because of what he sacrificed.
But I keep thinking about the human side of all this.
A man gives 20 years of his life to a company, and in the end he leaves like he never existed.
No farewell.
No dignity.
Not even basic respect.
Most of his salary was unofficial cash salary, so his settlement is almost nothing. Yes, people can say he agreed to it willingly. Maybe he did because survival leaves people with very few choices.
But experiences like this change the way you see life here.
Before all this, me and my husband were planning to buy a small apartment here. A studio maybe. A 1BHK. We thought maybe this country could become “home” one day.
Now I don’t know anymore.
Now our mindset is:
save money,
avoid attachments,
don’t trust stability too much,
always be ready to leave.
Because for many middle class expats here, life feels temporary no matter how many years you spend.
One phone call can erase decades.
People praise the UAE for safety, efficiency, rules, infrastructure — and yes, all of that is true. But sometimes a system can be efficient and still feel emotionally cold.
Ironically, this whole experience made me love India and Kerala more. We complain a lot about our systems back home, and many complaints are valid. But at least people still matter there in ways we only realize after living outside.
Living here slowly teaches you to detach emotionally.
To not expect loyalty.
To not expect permanence.
To quietly prepare for exit at all times.
And honestly, that’s a very sad way to live.
My dad spent his youth building a life here.
In the end, he left with a phone call.
So my point is if the system is this just let it be ..
Watching my father leave after 20 years with just a phone call changed something in me emotionally.
It reminded me that for many expats, no matter how long you stay, you are always living a temporary life.