Black Americans Living Abroad Volume 1 Issue 1 | Page 18

"We aim to raise our children as Citizens of the world."

"This has truly been a great leap of faith into an unknown land"

Eric Glanville

If you told me in 2007 that I would be living in the Middle East, I would have responded with “Why would I move there? Is it safe for Americans? Don’t they hate us?” At that time, I had only been out of the country twice and that was to the Caribbean.

Fast forward to 2017, and I have completed my second year of living in Abu Dhabi. As Americans, we are sold the American Dream of getting married, having 2.5 kids, and living in a nice house with a white picket fence.

However, living in the Middle East has opened my eyes to many things. It is safer here in the U.A.E. than in the U.S. The notion that the entire Middle East is in turmoil is a misguided idea that cripples Americans’ desires to travel – let alone live – abroad. Interestingly enough, many Americans who live in the U.A.E. fear what will happen to them when they repatriate to the U.S. This is a great place for my famil

(my wife and four-year old daughter )

This has truly been a great leap of faith into an unknown land. But God opened doors that I had to walk through to advance in life. With the help of social media, many of my family and friends are able to see various places, people and cultures they never would have dreamed of seeing face-to-face. I am blessed to open their eyes by exploring life outside of the US.