First Look

I came to Abu Dhabi, back in 2006 as a fresh new architect just out of college, with dreamy eyes in search of a changed life. I still remember looking out of the airplane window that October noon, to see the domical Abu Dhabi airport like a neatly crafted architectural model kept on a uniform sandy background. This was my first introduction to the desert – a land always heard of as a mystic place full of oases, date palms and gold! But it was much more than that...

Abu Dhabi’s skyline looked dramatic that evening as we walked by the Corniche at sunset - my instant favorite curved glass building reflecting the sky, the golf ball silhouettes of the Etisalat towers, the colorfully lit Emirates Palace and the flag pole standing tall by the theatre dome. It was an overwhelming mix culture and technology alongside a calm sea.

Till today, as I complete six years, the city has never looked the same to me.In a strange way, that first look told me that I would live my dream life right here.It was here that my husband and I started out setting up our house picking and choosing each small little item from the IKEA store at Marina Mall. Here that I got the freedom to do all that I possibly could, to be what I always wanted to be.

And finally, it was here that I stepped into this beautiful phase of motherhood. Today I show my little boy different places in the city. I recall how I arrested everything in my camera like a tourist back then…My ways of looking at the city have changed. But what hasn’t changed is that magical first impression of Abu Dhabi – as my new home. It will remain with me…forever.