Dayo Julieta, a Kenyan woman, shared an emotional story on Facebook about her journey to Dubai and fulfilling her father's lifelong dream. She arrived in the UAE with no family, no contacts, and no safety net. Despite the challenges, she managed to get a job within three weeks and later used her savings to fly her father to Dubai on his birthday. This trip was a reality he had dreamt about for years, and it would turn out to be his first and last flight to Dubai.
Dayo's journey in Dubai began with difficulties, as she rented a bed space for 620 AED, roughly KSh 21,700, a month, sharing a room with up to 20 other occupants. The conditions were far from easy, with some of the women in the shared accommodation quietly attending job interviews without alerting her. Rather than letting the exclusion discourage her, Dayo chose to go it alone, stepping out each morning to search for work with no leads, no referrals, and nobody to call.
Dayo's determination paid off when she landed a job three weeks after arriving in Dubai. While her paperwork was being processed, she stayed back at the bed space, and her roommates assumed she had given up. Her new workplace brought fresh exposure, with a senior leadership largely made up of expatriate executives, and a culture unlike anything she had experienced before.
As Dayo's finances grew steadier, she turned her focus to fulfilling her father's dream of boarding an Emirates plane. Having watched him light up whenever the airline appeared on television, she began saving and supplemented her income through personal shopping work. She processed her father's visa, purchased his ticket on Emirates, and covered his accommodation in Dubai.
On March 8, 2020, Dayo's father stepped off an Emirates flight in Dubai, and they celebrated her birthday together. Dayo described the moment as true abundance, from arriving in Dubai with nothing but faith and a dream to being able to process her father's visa and buy him an international flight ticket.
Tragically, Dayo's father died one year and four months after that birthday celebration. The date, March 8, 2020, is one she says she will carry with her always. Dayo reflected on the experience, saying that abundance is simply having one beautiful moment with someone you love, a moment you never knew would become a lifetime memory.
Dayo's story was shared on Facebook, and it has resonated with many people. Her emotional tribute to her father has highlighted the importance of cherishing moments with loved ones.
Key points
- Dayo Julieta fulfilled her father's lifelong dream of flying to Dubai just over a year before he passed away.
- She arrived in Dubai with no family, no contacts, and no safety net, but managed to get a job within three weeks.
- Dayo's father died one year and four months after his birthday celebration in Dubai.
