The Season of Transitions

If you’ve been driving around Dubai or Abu Dhabi over the past few weeks, it would have been hard not to notice them. The moving vans parked outside apartment blocks. The carefully wrapped furniture waiting patiently on the pavement. The sound of packing tape being pulled across another cardboard box.

Families saying goodbye over one last coffee. Children squeezing in one final playdate. Teachers closing classroom doors for the last time. Friends promising, “We’ll definitely stay in touch.”

For many of us living in the UAE, this has become the rhythm of summer. It’s a season of endings. But it’s also a season of beginnings.

As someone who’s no stranger to international moves, I know that feeling well. Over the years I’ve packed up my life on several occasions: moving between Ireland, Qatar, the UAE, the United States, Scotland and Singapore. Some of those moves were filled with excitement and possibility. Others arrived wrapped in uncertainty, difficult decisions and more questions than answers.

Transitions are more than logistics

We often think of them as logistical events — booking flights, packing boxes, finding schools or starting new jobs. But underneath all of that, transitions are deeply emotional experiences.

Some transitions are chosen. We move towards opportunities we’ve dreamed about, careers we’ve worked hard for or adventures we’ve longed to experience. Those changes often bring excitement, hope and anticipation.

Other transitions can feel very different. Sometimes a move isn’t entirely our decision. A contract ends. A company restructures. A visa changes. Family circumstances shift. Suddenly we’re navigating a future we didn’t necessarily choose — and those changes can bring more uncomfortable emotions: triggering anxiety, inducing panic, feeling enveloped by fear.

Even positive transitions can carry unexpected emotions. Excitement can sit comfortably alongside sadness. Gratitude can exist alongside grief. Relief can coexist with uncertainty. We don’t have to choose just one.

Living internationally has taught me that every transition involves two journeys, at least. There’s the visible one — the move itself — and then there’s the quieter one that happens internally as we slowly make sense of what we’re leaving behind while adjusting to what’s ahead.

Not everyone is packing boxes

Some families are staying exactly where they are while close friends move away. Some children are saying goodbye to classmates they’ve known for years. Some parents are wondering whether they should have moved too. Others are quietly carrying what I often think of as “staying guilt” — questioning whether remaining where they are somehow means they’re missing out, or denying their family experiences that others seem to be having.

It’s hard to think or talk about transitions without comparison creeping in, especially when our social media feeds become a highlight reel of new countries, exciting opportunities and fresh starts. But your journey, or indeed your family’s journey, doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s. What’s important is how you move through this season.

An invitation for the weeks ahead

Stop

• Comparing your journey with someone else’s.
• Assuming there’s a “right” way to feel.
• Rushing through endings without acknowledging them.

Start

• Talking openly about what’s changing.
• Creating small rituals to mark endings and new beginnings.
• Giving yourself and your children permission to feel more than one emotion at a time.

Continue

• Holding onto the routines that bring comfort.
• Staying connected to the people who matter.
• Looking ahead with curiosity, even if you don’t yet have all the answers.

Sometimes the greatest growth comes from simply noticing what this season is asking of us.

No matter what season you’re in

At alkalma, we’re passionate about fostering compassionate communities and helping individuals, families, schools and organisations build the confidence and resilience to navigate life’s transitions with greater awareness and intention.

If this post has resonated with you, we’d love to continue the conversation.