15 Ways to Escape the Summer Heat in Dubai

Leave a comment June 15, 2019 littlemissexpat

It’s no secret that Dubai gets extremely hot in the summer! A lot of people think of Dubai because of the beaches and waterparks, and when summer rolls around they think the only indoor option is going to the mall. But whether you’re taking a trip to Dubai or you’re staying here over summer, there are loads of really fun indoor activities to do around Dubai to keep you entertained. Here are some of my favorites!

IMG Worlds of Adventure: take a day trip to the worlds largest indoor theme park!
Ice Skating or Skiing: grab a pair of skates at Dubai Mall, or skis at Mall of the Emirates and pretend like it’s still winter.
Museum of Illusions: if you want to see something cool, head over here for a fun day out with friends.
Bowling: enjoy a fun game of bowling at Dubai Bowling Center, I’m terrible at this… but it’s always a good time.
Book an Escape Room: have fun with family and friends using your skills to crack the code and get out the room.
Bounce: if you want to have an active day, take a trip to the trampoline park, bounce.
Visit the Dubai Aquarium: bored of spending time in the mall? Take a quick break to see the sea creatures in the Dubai Aquarium (located inside Dubai Mall).
KidZania: I used to look forward to going to KidZania every time I visited Dubai for a holiday. Kids can try out different jobs including working in McDonald’s or in a hospital and earn KidZania money to spend at the store.
Adventure Zone: try out the suspended obstacle course at Adventure HQ at either Galleria Mall or Times Square Center.
Green Planet: Dubai is pretty awesome… we have our own indoor rainforest to visit where you can see different plants and animals!
Theatre by Rhodes: go watch a movie at Mall of the Emirates, but in a cinema where you get a gourmet meal during your movie.
La Perle: like watching shows? Take a trip to watch Dubai’s very own La Perle in Al Habtoor City.
Workout Class: want to get active? There is a huge selection of workout classes to pick from in Dubai. Some that I really want to try, include Barry’s Boot Camp, Dryp Yoga, and Orange Theory Fitness.
Have a Spa Day: Dubai has an endless array of different spas and resorts to take your pick from. Book an appointment, grab a robe, and relax!
Indoor Kartdrome: enjoy testing your driving skills racing your friends.

Do you have any other indoor recommendations in Dubai? Have you tried any of these activities?

Have a great summer!

Litte Miss Expat

The Australian Cafe Experience

Leave a comment June 1, 2019 littlemissexpat

Some of my most favorite posts to write on this blog are my travel posts. I love being able to share the interesting places I’m able to visit and give my recommendations to you guys. In return, I also enjoy hearing your recommendations for any new place I’m visiting! In this post, I wanted to share one of my favorite breakfast cafes from my trip to Australia.

Before visiting Australia, I spent months pouring over blogs and magazines looking for the best places to visit. I noticed that most people wrote about breakfast cafes and brunch spots, as that seemed to be part of the ‘Australian way of life.’ I wasn’t complaining about this, because breakfast is the best meal of the day in my opinion and I was super excited to try all these cafes! On our first morning in Melbourne we headed over to The Kettle Black, and after a long flight and some serious jet lag, the breakfast there was just what we needed. We had it all from iced chocolate, chia pudding, and chili scrambled eggs, to some of the best ricotta hotcakes I’ve ever had. The cafe was very bright and cheerful, and the food was delicious, I would 10/10 recommend it to anyone visiting Melbourne.

Where’s your favorite place to eat breakfast? Let me know in the comments!

Little Miss Expat

The importance of language

2 Comments May 25, 2019 littlemissexpat

Many of my memories from when I was younger involve being surrounded by family speaking in different languages and dialects, I had absolutely no idea what they were all saying, but I knew that was what home sounded like.

Last week I was given an assignment in one of my classes to write about why language is important to me, and it really got me thinking. What is it about language that is special? Beyond the words which a phrase may translate to, I think there’s something inherent about language that carries something much deeper than a face value meaning.

My family speaks many languages, and for as long as I can remember in large family gatherings conversations could switch between three languages in just one sentence. Personally, I can only speak one language fluently at the moment, but there’s something about hearing these languages which makes me feel safe and comforted even though I may not be entirely sure what they mean. Language tells you about your past and your culture, it tells you the different parts and places of which a person is made up of.

Different dialects and interpretations can tell you what has impacted a person. For my family, our cultural language tells our family history about moving around and traveling throughout a region and then settling and intertwining with the local culture. Hearing words from my language instantly makes me feel calm and protected. Sometimes when I’m traveling and feel a little homesick, just hearing someone speaking in my language instantly calms me, as I’m sure it may do for some of you.

When I lived in England, before I became an expat, I used to be embarrassed about having a different cultural language than my friends. When I would greet my parents with a different phrase than ‘hello’ my friends would ask me why I did that. Not until I moved to a different country, did I fully appreciate having a cultural language. Especially for people who have moved around a lot, language can tell us about our roots and our past, it’s something that keeps us grounded wherever we may be.

I believe that language, even if it is just a few words strung together, can tell us something much richer than any other means of communication. It can tell a story much deeper than even the words it translates to.

What’s your cultural language and why is it important to you? Let me know in the comment section.

See you next week!

Little Miss Expat

An exciting update!

Leave a comment May 18, 2019 littlemissexpat

Something I love about being an expat is this global community we share. We can hear and connect with people from all across the world, which I think is extremely important! However, I believe that with this privilege, comes responsibility; a responsibility to speak up about what we believe in and spread awareness about important issues.

Something that I feel strongly against and continue to share on my blog is the damage we are doing to our planet. I’ve written about this numerous times on my blog and expressed my opinions and advice on the issue. The feedback I received was overwhelming, and I am grateful that I am able to share my message with such a diverse audience.

A few months ago I was approached by Brett Stadelmann from the Unsustainable Magazine and was asked to write an article about my point of view on the issue. My article is called “A Teenager’s Call To Action” and you can read it here. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to write for this start-up magazine! I hope that you find the article interesting and that it prompts you to take your own action!

To introduce you to the magazine I asked Brett Stadelmann, the person who started all of this, to write a few words:

“Like most people, I feel utterly helpless when faced with the severity of the disaster humanity has wrought.

I recycle, but never trusted that my waste didn’t just end up in landfill. I donate, but never trusted that my money got to where it was needed. I’m never in a position to help clean up an oil spill or rescue a beached whale. Without intending it, I was never part of the solution, only part of the problem.

The only skills I do have are in editing, recognising talented writers, and enhancing readability. Skills that I thought would never make a difference to the problems the world faces.

But now I’m putting these skills to use, to do what I can, to make a difference in whatever small way I can.

This is my goal: To find and share stories of loss and of hope from all across the world. And to more clearly ellucidate, to the reader, the depth and breadth of the problems our species and planet are facing.

My hope is that in sharing these stories the suffering of every person should become the immediate concern of all, that by this meditation on compassion our habits will begin to change, and that by being more acutely aware of the situation we will come closer to creating a better future for everyone, regardless of gender, race, or social class.”

I hope you have the opportunity to take a look at the magazine and let me know what you think!

Little Miss Expat

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House hunting in a new place – #ExpatWisdom – Paula

2 Comments May 11, 2019 littlemissexpat

This weeks blog post is another one under the Expat Wisdom Series. If you’ve been reading my blog posts for a while, you’ll know that every month I share the story of you guys! This month I’ve been working with Paula from TCK Mum Blog to share her expat story and her advice for moving abroad. In previous Expat Wisdom posts we’ve read about making new friends, finding a job, and this month Paula has shared her tips on how to go house hunting in a new place. I hope you enjoy this post!

My name is Paula, and I am an Australian born, dual passport owning expatriate; who has lived through 7 postings over 13 years. I have three beautiful TCK’s -1 boarding in Australia and two who are residing in Sydney attending university.

I have one extraordinary rescue dog, that has lived in almost as many countries as we have and I am married to a supportive husband who has allowed me to raise our three children in this very unconventional way.

In my past life, I was an Adult Educator, and now I am a trailing spouse who can now add travel and lifestyle blogger to her resume. My love of travel from a young age allowed me the luxury of developing my thirst for travel and in turn, I have given the gift of travel to my children. I have moved more times than I like to remember, but I do have some top tips for those about to embark on the move abroad.

Top tips for house hunting in a new country

1. When moving with children ask the school where most children live in the year groups your children will be attending. When you live close to your children’s friends, it helps them to integrate faster into the community because playdates are so crucial for children and their need to belong.

2. Figure out the route and distance from home to both school and

work, long commutes for either party makes life a little challenging.

3. Ask loads of questions from the real estate and always go with more than one. Sometimes the real estate agent will not understand your needs, especially if they have never worked with either expats or expats with families.

4. Have a good look around the area before deciding, whether it is the closest bus stop, a park for the dog and children to play in or where the nearest grocery store and medical centre is, all these are imperative to making your life easier.

5. Try and connect through social media groups before arriving, reach out to people through connections, and never feel like you can’t ask for help as we have all been there.

If you want more advice, then check out my blog or follow me on Instagram , connect to my facebook group.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and be sure to take a look at the other posts in my Expat Wisdom series. If you’re interested in being featured feel free to reach out to me at LittleMissExpatBlog@gmail.com!

See you next week,

Little Miss Expat

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How to get through the exam period

Leave a comment May 4, 2019 littlemissexpat

I know that for most of us, no matter what school curriculum we’re in, it has got to that point in the year when summer is so close… but we have to get through exams first! I’m a high school junior, so this is the biggest and most stressful year for me, and I’m sure that a lot of you guys are also taking big exams and are under a lot of pressure at the moment. This blogging family we have created is always so supportive of each other, and I think we really do a good job at sharing and receiving advice, so today I wanted to share some of my own tips on how to survive the exam period; hopefully, these are useful to you, and if you have any tips you would like to share, feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Do not cram

Cramming is not an effective way of studying! Not only does trying to learn everything in a few days stress you out completely, but your brain can’t handle it. It’s better to have paid attention in class all year and been learning as you go, rather than try and learn everything the night before a test.

The night before a test, sleep is more important

Staying up all night to do that extra bit of studying instead of getting a good nights sleep before an important test is not worth it. Even though you may have studied a lot, if you come into the exam room tired and unfocused, all your hard work will not pay off. Obviously, don’t use sleeping as an excuse not to study in the weeks before an exam, but the night before, I think sleeping a decent amount is more valuable.

Make a list

Some times when you look at a whole course syllabus, it’s a little overwhelming; there’s so much to go over, and it often feels impossible that you will get through it all. One way that I deal with this is by making a list of all the specific things that I need to do, for example, I write out the pages I need to take notes on, the worksheets I’m going to do etc.. and I write out the specific time that I’ll do it out, so that I know that I can fit it into my day. Not only does this help you stay organized, but it’s really satisfying to cross things off a to-do list.

Just before an exam, get in the zone

Before an exam I always ensure that I go into the room with a clear mind; I don’t want to be stressed, tired, or thinking about something else during the test. This means that while other people are doing last minute studying and checking problems before going into the test room, I keep to myself and focus on what I’m going to do. I think that talking to people about content just before a test can really stress you out, and sometimes ruin your confidence, so it’s better to focus on yourself.

Keep a level head

One thing that I always find hard is keeping a level head during a test. If I come across a question which I don’t know how to answer, I let it get to me and get very stressed out and agitated. It’s much better to leave this question and come back to it at the end, rather than spending lots of time and letting it get to you.

Use all your time

Use your time! Don’t just sit there doing nothing if you have extra time; make sure you check your answers instead of just closing your test booklet and taking a nap! You may pick up on something really important by going over your work again.

I hope that some of these exam and testing tips are useful to you, and help you get through this busy period. Let me know if you use any of these, or if you have any you would like to share in the comments below!

See you next week and best of luck with exams!

Little Miss Expat

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Finding a blue dream in Bangkok

Leave a comment April 27, 2019 littlemissexpat

Over spring break I visited Bangkok with my family, and as you will know if you follow my travels on this blog, I pride myself in finding the hidden gems of any place that I’m visiting and sharing them with you, but I have to give it to my dad for this time for finding this particular hidden gem!

The Blue Whale Cafe

Unseen, on a regular side street of Bangkok, you can stumble across the artsy charm of the Blue Whale. When you step through the door, you’re transported to a blue wonderland, complete with blue walls, blue decor, and most importantly blue food! (flavored from the blue matcha they use).

While I wouldn’t go here every day, it’s definitely an experience to try an entirely blue meal, especially right in the heart of Bangkok. Would you ever eat an entirely blue meal?