I moved from Washington, DC to Dubai with 2 young kids. I’m a better version of myself here. [Video]

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kiran Ali, an American who relocated to Dubai with her family. She works as a director of partnerships in a Fintech company. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

When a 150-year-old pine tree toppled and fell through my roof last April, my family of four had to relocate temporarily while it got fixed.

My husband and I had to find a place where we could both work and have childcare for our two kids, who were 6 months old and 4 at the time. We also saw it as an opportunity to explore somewhere new. We considered New York and San Francisco, but then thought this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pick up and go somewhere farther, and decided on Dubai.

I had worked in Dubai in 2013 and enjoyed my time there. My husband is an entrepreneur and had opportunities to work there. So, we thought: “…