An Indian man has shared a deeply emotional account of his sudden departure from Dubai after five years of living and working there. In a Reddit post, he recounted how an unexpected job termination left him financially drained and heartbroken, forcing him to return to India, an outcome he described as “the end of his dream.”
“My heart is breaking into million pieces… I have to leave Dubai tomorrow. Fired. Broke. Empty,” he wrote, describing how a single HR meeting led to the collapse of the life he had built. “One meeting. Security walked me out like a criminal. Five years hard work, overtime, skipping holidays for project, poof! Gone.”
The user had been living in Dubai since 2019, working hard to support himself and his family back home. But with rising costs and no new job prospects despite sending “literally hundreds” of applications, his savings eventually ran out. “Dubai salary sounds big but rent? DEWA? Grocery? School fee for sister back home? Petrol? All eating money like monster,” he explained.
Even selling off his belongings, “my small TV, my mattress, my little plant” wasn’t enough to get by. “Feels like selling pieces of my life,” he said.
Despite the pain, his farewell was laced with bittersweet nostalgia. “Oh Dubai… how can I leave you? The smell of karak chai in morning… the crazy beautiful light show on Burj Khalifa… even the stress of Sheikh Zayed Road traffic jam! All gone.”
The post also highlights the immense emotional toll of job insecurity. “What hurts most? Failure. Feeling like I failed myself. Failed my family… Going back to village with empty hands… shame is heavy stone in my stomach,” he wrote, adding, “My father voice on phone… trying to be strong, ‘Come beta, home is home.’ But I hear the disappointment.”
Many took to the comments section to respond. One user wrote, “You’re not a failure, you have sustained your family back home for many years. They should be proud of you. DXB isn’t the be all and end all of life, you can shine in India or anywhere in the world. If you love living in Dubai then coming back is also an option when you manage to find a role”
Another added, “I’m really sorry you’re going through this. But this isn’t the end. Take this as your new challenge and be determined. You can start again, stronger than before. Dubai is just one place. You have it in you to persevere anywhere.”