Dubai became a real journey of emigration for us, rather than a pretty postcard. At first it was difficult, unfamiliar and so hot that any trip became an ordeal. We rebuilt everyday life, looked for schools, homes, friends and our place in a city that never stops building. Four years later, the UAE has become home, though the journey continues — through neighbourhoods, work, cars, coffee, mistakes and new attempts.
I launched Project 80: a path from 97.5 to 80 kg without magic or heroics. Every day I send ChatGPT my weight, walks, sleep, and photos of what I eat, and it helps me see the system rather than individual slip-ups.
For 1,360 days an old Arab villa in Umm Suqeim raised our children, let rain into the bedroom, broke its air conditioners and sent me onto the roof to retrieve the electricity. In the end it summoned an army of cockroaches and kept half our deposit. We moved to the Palm — grateful, but exhausted.
Today, July 12, we are moving!
Today we are leaving our old Arab villa in Umm Suqeim and moving to Palm Jumeirah. Moving a family of five took two large trucks, an extra pickup, and the wonderful Union Movers team.
Not long ago Daria Alexandrovna slept in a pram among the Marina skyscrapers, travelled in my arms and learned the pool under her brothers’ watch. By 8 July, the baby had given way to a young lady with a book, a bow and opinions of her own.
Her first proper class, her first teacher and her first whole-class photograph. After a wonderful time at The Forest Oasis Nursery, Daria begins a new chapter — now at Raffles World Academy alongside her brothers.
Attended a meeting of the Dubai Healthy Person community — chamber business psychotherapy in the new art space DOM. Speakers, live conversations and the question that hangs in the air on everyone: what’s next?
Today I tried Brazilian jiu-jitsu for the first time at Roger Gracie Academy in Al Barsha. My kids have trained for three years, and I only now stepped onto the mat myself. The first session was tough. This weekend we are going with the kids to a competition in Fujairah
Ten minutes between “take shelter now” and “all clear.” These screenshots aren’t stills from a thriller — this is daily life in Dubai, 2026. While the skies decide the fate of regions, we balance work calls and emergency alerts from MOI. Hard? Yes. But people adapt to everything
@nevsky_alexander
On Instagram: Dubai beyond the postcard — family, the city, discoveries and life between projects. On Threads: thinking out loud about design and AI. On YouTube: videos that need more room than a story. Follow me wherever you feel at home, and let’s keep in touch