Anyone for Desert?

Chance sent Gayle Powell to Dubai, finding love with a desert racing driver kept her there.

When Gayle Powell landed a contract as a primary school teacher in Abu Dhabi shortly after qualifying, she could never have known that it heralded a life in the Emirates directing the internationally famous Dubai Harmony all-female chorus and marrying a FIA World Championship off-road racing driver. Today, home for Gayle and her family is the Umm Suqeim suburb of buzzing Dubai.

Shortly after arriving in Abu Dhabi Gayle met Mark Powell, who lived in the same apartment block, and the couple became best friends. Four or five years down the line, Mark’s career took him to South Africa but, realising how much he missed Gayle back in Abu Dhabi, he proposed by letter. The couple were married in England the following Christmas Eve and then lived in South Africa for a couple of years, before returning to Abu Dhabi after Mark was offered a management job that promised sufficient security to allow them to start a family. Enter daughters Jourdan and Ellice.

In 1997, after Mark was headhunted by a major company in the neighbouring Emirate of Dubai, the family, now committed to a life in the Gulf, moved to Umm Suqeim and rented a villa just a five minute stroll from the white sands of the world-famous Jumeirah Beach.
During a break in Gayle’s hectic day – she teaches music these days as well as being a mother and chorus director – we stopped off at the awe-inspiring Hall of the Emirates for a well-deserved coffee. As we sat in the air-conditioned gloom of a plaza lit to give the impression of being under a cool desert evening sky, despite it being almost 40C outside, Gayle told me how different the lifestyle is in the Emirates.

“Dubai is what you make it,” says Gayle. “If you are prepared get out there and take advantage of everything the place has to offer, it’s a great life. I love it.” One thing that she did stress, however, was that those considering a move out to the Emirates shouldn’t think their cares would be over in this Persian Gulf paradise. All the mundane chores and little predicaments of family life, from taxing the car to dealing with schooling to changing jobs, still exist and do not evaporate in the year-round sunshine.

Gayle does think that Dubai is a good place to bring up a family. “The education system is very good. The girls attend English College, which I cannot praise enough. In addition to the educational side, both English GCSE syllabus and Baccalaureate, there is an excellent extra-curricular programme. For example the piano and dance teachers are second to none and there are opportunities for the sports-minded to compete not only against other schools in the Gulf region, but internationally too.”

A major worry for those working and bringing up a family in foreign countries has to be healthcare, but Gayle says that the choice is, in her words, phenomenal. “My doctor happens to be British”, she said,  “but Dubai attracts the cream of the medical profession from around the world. Mark’s company provides BUPA cover for the whole family. In my opinion, the best thing about the system here is that if you have a problem you are straight in there and there is no hanging around waiting for test results and lingering on waiting lists.”

With the city being such a burgeoning commercial hub, career opportunities seem to be virtually unlimited for suitably qualified expats with the right skill sets. However, make sure that the salary and welfare package on offer is the right one, as the cost of living is rocketing. Four years ago a two bedroom apartment with swimming pool could be rented for a little over £500 a month, but today it is hard to find a one room studio for twice as much, usually paid annually in advance.

“The opportunities are certainly here if you are willing to work,” says Gail of the differences between working in Dubai and in the UK, “though the working day tends to be longer than in the UK. Some people work spilt-shifts, but office hours for most are eight to five, with Friday and Saturday as the weekend. The school day is longer too, starting at twenty past seven and ending at three, with extra curricular activities afterwards.”

Gayle and Mark have toyed with buying their own home in Dubai since the law was changed to allow residential rights for foreigners, but as they are very happy in the villa they have rented in the Umm Suqeim suburb for several years, they have not yet taken the plunge. As a family is dependent on the primary bread-winner having a work permit, sponsored by an Emirati employer, to allow them to stay, but owning a home can now in some circumstances lead to permanent resident status, buying is something that has to be seriously considered as the girls get older.

On the whole, Gayle says she would not exchange life in the Emirates for that in England, except in the very height of summer when the thermometer almost boils over. That is when the Powell family escapes off to what Gayle regards as paradise; the cool haven of the family’s UK home back in mid-Wales. This is also where they try to spend their anniversary most years, after Gayle has directed the annual Christmas season for the multinational Dubai Harmony chorus, which is in such demand in the Emirates that most years they stage ten concerts during the run-up to the festive season.

A final word from the other half of the partnership. Ten years ago, in a press interview after competing in his first international rally, Team Saluki owner-driver Mark was quoted as saying: ”The UAE gives you the opportunity to do things not possible elsewhere in the world.” Earlier this year, as we sat at a table outside the world-famous Ravi’s restaurant in the heart of Dubai’s Indian Quarter, enjoying a meal fit for kings at a price affordable by paupers I asked Mark if he still believed this. “Absolutely,” was his one word reply as he dived in for another chapatti-load of curry.

Anna Tobin meets the couple who gave up high-powered careers to set up a family-friendly oasis in the hills above Valencia.

Four years ago, Sarah Robinson’s high-powered job at Bloomberg Europe had her flying to meetings in different countries on a daily basis. Now she rarely leaves her hilltop retreat in eastern Spain.

“I worked long hours,” says Sarah of her old life. “There was lots of travelling away from home. But I managed to juggle it with my first two children and, although I had a lot of responsibility, I was very happy doing what I did.”

Then, in the run up to Michael Bloomberg becoming mayor of New York, Sarah was promoted to deputy managing director. “A few months in the job was enough to show me that the view from the top isn’t always as good as it is looking upwards, and long-term it wasn’t an option for me. I had hired lots of smart young things and I was ready to let them do the hard work.”

Sarah and her husband Johnny, who was working as a sales director for a software company, started to reassess their priorities. They both realised they wanted to spend more time together as a family.

“We wanted to live in a better environment, where the children would have the freedom to roam safely, to explore and to be more independent,” says Sarah. “Our family time at the weekend was usually rushed, and holidays seemed to be the only time we were together in a relaxed environment. We wanted to break out of our repetitive routines and find a new life with new experiences, people and challenges. We had dreams and ideas and this was an ideal opportunity to pursue them, build our own enterprise as a family and carve our own future, rather than working for someone else for the rest of our lives. As individuals, we wanted to stay fresh and experience a different lifestyle.”

With the decision made to leave the rat race and sell their home in Wandsworth, they started to think about where they could go to realise their dreams. Spain ticked all the boxes, says Sarah, starting with the climate. “We wanted the luxury of being able to live an outdoor life. Beautiful sunshine lifts your spirits and the extended summer gives family life a wide range of activities.”

A further appeal was the people. “Our experience of the Spanish is that they are genuinely welcoming and friendly. They adore children and enjoy strong family values. Each town has a strong civic pride and there is a great sense of community.”

The family was also attracted to the great landscape. “Spain is one of the biggest countries in Europe: it has wide, open spaces and endless miles of coastline. It’s also a mountainous country, giving a wonderful diversity of landscapes and flora and fauna,” says Sarah. “It also has a wonderful culture and a rich history. The Moors occupied Spain for almost a thousand years at a time when Europe was living in a dark age. This link with the intellectual life of the ancient world enabled Europe to develop navigation that led to the discovery of the new world and other ideas that the likes of Newton built on to create a more enlightened age. UNESCO lists more sites in Spain than any other country except Italy.”

So, with Spain decided on as their new home, Johnny spent a year planning the move and researching where they should base themselves. When he learned that the World Health Organisation recognised the Costa Blanca as having one of the healthiest climates in the world, he focused on that area. “We wanted to live within striking distance of the coast, but far enough away to avoid summer crowds. We wanted a peaceful area in the countryside where the children would have the freedom to roam safely. We wanted a picturesque location that would make an impact on visiting guests and a Mediterranean climate. The location had to have good infrastructure – access to airports, good roads, established towns, shops, restaurants and the facilities to run a growing business. We looked at all the coastal areas, including the Balearic Islands, and found the best combination of these factors here,” says Sarah.

As the whole idea behind the move was to spend more time together as a family, they knew that they wanted to earn their living from a home-centred business and so it made sense to go into tourism. But the Robinsons didn’t just want to run a hotel – they wanted to create the ideal holiday base for families.

“We have travelled widely, both with and without children,” says Sarah. “As a young family, the most memorable holidays were camping in beautiful places. It was always easy. We were independent from structured meal times and feeling that we might be inconveniencing other people if our children were noisy or messy. We were self-contained and enjoyed being together in our own environment.  

“On the other hand, we found hotels restrictive – irrespective of whether they were luxury or budget. Bedrooms were usually far away from dining facilities and outside play areas, and children were tolerated rather than welcomed.  

“We had an idea that combined the best of the type of accommodation we enjoyed before having children, with an environment for families where children could feel more at home.”
They used a local estate agent to scout around for a suitable property, although Sarah says that it was pure luck that they found Caserío del Mirador, near the town of Jalon. It was exactly what they wanted – in an absolutely stunning location. “The house is unequalled by anything else on this coastline. It has a magical quality. We were lucky to find it and not have to build it.”

Johnny spent the first three years that the family were out in Spain working as an estate agent until the business got onto a firm footing. “Giving up the monthly pay check was tough and it was as if we were jumping into the abyss,’ says Sarah. ‘The big difference now is that it is up to us to make the project work. We have taken a radical decision given up many of the safety nets people take for granted and will live by the decisions we make.  It can be scary, but it is also very fulfilling knowing that you are determining your own future.”

When the family moved to Spain, Sarah was pregnant with their son Charlie. Their daughter Florence was just three at the time and too young to understand, but her elder sister Poppy was six and apprehensive at first, although she adjusted in no time. “It was actually easier for the children that it was for us at first,” says Sarah. “Children are naturally adaptable.”

They are now all completely at home in Spain, although Sarah and Johnny still need to get to grips with the language. “We have done nearly a year of lessons, but making the time when you are trying to get a business off the ground is difficult. We have enough Spanish to get by, but need to keep working at it so that it comes naturally. Living in an expat bubble is not want we wanted.

“Locally the people speak Valenciano in preference to Castellano, so being accepted on equal terms is always going to be a challenge. But the locals are fabulous – we feel truly honoured to be welcomed and supported by the local community. I am obsessive about using local suppliers and promoting local specialities to our guests and this is appreciated in the town.”

Their new life now has different stresses, but Sarah would rather have to cope with serving paella to 25 people than spend her time compiling sales figures any day of the week.

Heading off overseas can be a complicated business, as Ian Evans discovered when he and his family decided to move to South Africa.

After twelve months, hundreds of e-mails, countless phone calls, not to mention heartache, rows and bills, we’re finally ready to leave our corner of south west London to live in Cape Town. We fly off in mid-August nearly a year after the idea of emigrating was first mooted over a glass or two in our back garden. Sun, sea and Stellenbosch wine, a vibrant culture, a new continent on our doorstep with a World Cup on the horizon – the decision was made. With hindsight, that was the easy bit. So where did we start? Initially we researched other people’s experiences via Google, magazines like Living Abroad and newspaper articles. We then drew up a battle plan divided into long-, medium- and short-term tasks. We agreed a departure date but felt frustrated in the early months about how little we could do. Now we really appreciate all the work we put in, because organisation is key when the time starts running away with you.

Long-term, the obvious question was finance. We planned to rent out our house in Balham so we got a local agent to quote a price. We collated savings to work out income. Next we employed a visa specialist in South Africa, and a relocation expert to advise us where to live and schooling for our children – Byron, 6, Jim, 4 and Bonnie, 13 months (all as of August). With schooling being such an emotive issue, we needed the support and knowledge of someone in situ who also happened to be an expat, rather than relying on the fairly basic school websites.

The visa experts have also been invaluable when dealing with bureaucrats who prefer spotting discrepancies to giving advice. The favourable exchange rate also made it relatively cheap. And so began the paper chase. We were advised to apply for temporary residence visas for Diane and myself and study visas for the children with a view to making it permanent when we arrived. They required a ream of documents including police clearance certificates, medical certificates, chest scans to check for TB and proof of private medical cover. With our hands held by the visa experts, we send the applications to the South African High Commission. It took a few trips and a few fits of petty bureaucracy but the process was surprisingly smooth.

Meanwhile the relocation expert drew up a list of schools and areas to live. We paid a deposit on places at an international school in Cape Town, which teaches the UK curriculum just in case we want to return. In the medium-term we had a lot of administration here to do. We switched banks to Nationwide, who don’t charge for withdrawing abroad and whose internet banking is excellent. We contacted a specialist money agency that makes exchanging larger sums cheaper.

We started clearing clutter from the house via e-bay, charity shops, freecycle.co.uk and parents who generously accepted valuables and heirlooms. We smartened up the house to maximise rental; cancelled subscriptions and wrote to pension firms, mortgage companies, the local council etc, to give them an international e-mail forwarding address; arranged shipping for the few possession we were taking; burned my CD collection onto an I-pod; bought flight tickets and told work and the school our boys were leaving. Oh, and arranged a ‘going-away’ party.

In the short-term, we’re about to cancel direct debits, get rid of the car, dispose of the last few possessions, move into a friends’ house until we leave, quit work and cancel the milk! As we’re about to leave, we look back with rose-tinted glasses. But it has been a slog, tedious at times and frustrating dealing with officialdom both here and South Africa.

Has it been worth it? We’re about to see.