We were hoping that our house would have had a roof, floor, and windows, but late winter rains have hampered progress, so when we arrived at the end of March, the roof was only half completed, and plastering inside, only just begun. No floor. And no windows. We didn’t mind too much, as the rain was much more important, and coming from the desert, it felt soothing to the eyes and soul to be surrounded by the soft green of spring.

The erstwhile ruin has become unrecognizable, since we first laid eyes on it, and although we’ve been receiving photographic updates of it morphing into a tiny house, standing in front of it, felt so different. What we tried to picture in our imaginations became tangible, something we could step in and out of, as if standing right in the middle of our dream.

We spent our time in a maelstrom of activities, which saw us clearing part of the land from an overgrown tangle of brambles and dead vegetation, and contracting a local electrician in an effort to get electricity connected to the entrance to our land (with the much grateful help of my sister and niece visiting from Spain, as the Electrician didn’t speak any English, and our Portuguese consist of about five random words).

One of our goals was to make headway with official matters, and much to our surprise Michael’s residence permit, which we need to apply for mine, needed only a few clicks on a computer, and a signature from the mayor, before he held an official piece of paper in his hands. He even managed to open a bank account without any fuss at all.

In between the call of duty, we also managed to spend time with family and friends, and although it all felt rushed at times, we were not too sad to return to a more sedentary life (for now), as our bodies are unused to hours of hard physical labour, and they were screaming in rebellion, as we sank gratefully into bed each night. We have many big plans for our little piece of paradise, which will take time and money to come to fruition, but every day we are taking small steps in the right direction.

For now, we will face the uncertainties of life in the UAE with renewed optimism, as we are filled with a new surge of energy to realize our dream. And I will take those first wobbly steps of learning a new language.

Written by: Jolandi

April visit 2018