Living in Dubai is for the rich. That’s the kind of thing we hear most often when discussions about the country arise. S. Šveikauskaitė, the founder of Babyblog shares how a Lithuanian family settled in Dubai and whether it’s worth staying there.
Living in Dubai. 8 years ago, Sotera, the founder of Babyblog, a review blog for mums, wouldn’t have thought about such a turn of life. But in 2023, the family packed their bags and found themselves in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In this article, you’ll find the blogger’s experiences and tips for living in Dubai with kids and more.
Living in Dubai
Living in Dubai. It all started with Babyblog
The idea of starting a blog came quite spontaneously. S.Šveikauskaitė, who was living in Switzerland at the time, met her husband and the father of her future children during her studies. She was the first among her peers to become a mother and felt lonely, lacking friends with whom she could share her motherhood experience. Writing a blog, like a diary, made her feel more cheerful, able to give advice and help to other women, and at the same time to talk and find like-minded people. “There were no plans to promote, collaborate or make money out of it,” says blogger Sotera.
Very quickly, other creators took notice, and the first collaborations and donations came in. In just one month, Babyblog already had 10 000 followers. From the very beginning, the founder tried to involve other Lithuanian mums in the content. She believes that it is very important for women creators to support each other.
Babyblog has been around for 8 years now, and the blogger has a community of over 37,000 followers on her Instagram account. “These 8 years that I’ve had Babyblog have been the most amazing years for me, because I’ve learned so much, I’ve met so many wonderful people and everything seems to be going perfectly – our house is new, it’s beautiful, everyone wants to be friends, to collaborate, I mean, what more could a person want?”
When asked what is the secret of blog popularity, Šveikauskaitė replied “I think sincerity, genuineness and thinking about others first and not about yourself. I am very happy that after so many years I am still myself, just as I was at the beginning, maybe even more sincere. And I think mothers feel that, they appreciate it and they like it”.
Living in Dubai
Children’s views on their mother’s profession
When I started my blog, and my daughter Aretė was still young, she didn’t always like being photographed. And I didn’t force her. But as she grew up, she got used to it and even started asking me to take more photos. And my little daughter, she’s always in the frame and she wants to take pictures. But she’s still small, so I try not to show her too much.
“Sometimes, when I’m very tired of my work, I say, ‘That’s it, I’m done with my Babyblog career, I’m not going to do anything. And my daughter says, ‘No, Mum, don’t give Babyblog to anyone. I’ll grow up and I’ll be able to continue your activities and I’ll be able to write about everything, to try. She loves Babyblog and, of course, all the presents she receives,” says S.Šveikauskaitė with a laugh. She is happy that her daughters, who are her biggest muses and inspirations, love it.
Travelling with kids
Living abroad
Before studying abroad, the blogger lived in Panevėžys. However, negative experiences, bullying at school and even 3 assaults led her to moving to Switzerland. Although there were some positive experiences while living in Lithuania, the founder of Babyblog says that she has always dreamed of travelling and is fascinated by travelling and discovering new places.
Babyblog in Spain
Driven by a thirst for adventure, S.Šveikauskaitė and her family moved to Marbella in Spain. But soon the family began to feel out of place in this country. Negative and angry people, theft, lack of order and security made the blogger reflect on her decision to leave the country and look for a new home for her family.
Babyblog Dubai
The next stop for the family is Dubai. For Sotera, it’s a unique city of entertainment and unique personalities, whose pace and opportunities have completely captivated the blogger family. They feel very happy here. “Our life in Dubai seems to be very active. We get up early, take the kids to school, then photoshoots, meetings, picking up the kids from school. In the evenings, my husband and I often go out to spend time together, whether it’s to a café or a cinema or for a walk. We try to pay a lot of attention to the children in our family and to each other. I think that is the basis of a strong family. That you have to love each other and your children” – says S.Šveikauskaitė.
Travel 4 kids
Dubai is an expensive country – MYTH
Sotera, who has been living in Dubai for almost a year now, says that living in Dubai is not as expensive as many people think. “Dubai is very diverse. You can eat very cheaply, you can eat very expensively. You can live cheaply or you can live like you’ve never even seen on TV. It depends very much on your desires, your possibilities, but fuel is cheaper, food is partly cheaper. You can eat much cheaper in cafés, there is no heating. So why is it so bad here? Everything is super good here!
Living in Dubai
TOP places to eat in Dubai
- Haidilao Hotpot (Chinatown Dubai Mall). Very cool experience, where you cook, they dress you up, very good Chinese food, very tasty, something different, I haven’t seen any in Lithuania.
- GIA (Dubai Mall). Italian restaurant, with a very nice view, very tasty pizzas, pasta, the most delicious shawarma. Very simple place, nothing special, but very tasty.
- Swiss Butter. This restaurant has the most delicious steaks.
- Atlantis The Royal. If you want luxury, the breakfast at Atlantis Royal is very nice. There are many other luxurious places, but for me it’s all about taste.
- Vietnamese Foodies. One of my favourite places for Vietnamese cuisine.
Best places to eat in Dubai
