Imagine having to relocate from the trendy King's Road in London to a hotel apartment in Al Barsha, still largely a construction site. The switch was a shock to the system for Lena Shehab, an expectant mum who had entered the eighth month of her pregnancy. Having moved to Dubai in 2009 in the pursuit of a better lifestyle, Lena and her husband, Marwan Shehab, were looking for a community where they could raise their soon-to-be-born baby in peace and quiet.
"I was slightly shocked by the amount of ongoing construction. Coming from London, which is established and has a generous mix of parks and green spaces, Dubai seemed chaotic. We were initially taken to see an apartment in Jumeirah Lakes Towers. I don't mind living in a high rise in, say, Manhattan. But my idea of an ideal home is not one that overlooks a motorway. For me, it didn't tick the right boxes," recalls Lena, who used to work as an asset manager in a London investment management company.
Accompanied by real estate agents, the couple made umpteen viewings of villas in The Springs, Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim. While the run-down appearance of certain villas in Jumeirah put them off, the homogeneous homes in The Springs didn't find favour either. Then, casually flipping through a local guide, Lena came across Green Community in Dubai Investment Park (DIP). Intrigued by its description as "an oasis in the desert", she ventured out to explore a vacant bungalow in Green Community West, agent in tow. It was instant gratification: "I was wowed. I could see kids riding bicycles and dogs on the streets. I knew instantly that I had found my community," says Lena.
An indelible first impression
She eventually opted to rent a three-bedroom town house in Green Community East. "The minute I drove through the gates and saw the abundant trees, the fountains, birds and cobbled pathways, I knew this was the community I was after." However, Marwan had his reservations. A senior manager in a telecom investment firm, his job involves extensive travel. Justifiably, he had concerns about whether his young wife and baby would be isolated in the suburban Green Community.
To justify her love for the area, Lena took her husband on a tour to demonstrate its self-sufficiency — replete with a community mall (The Market), medical centre, nursery and more. Marwan was convinced.
"I liked the community, but I knew that getting to it would be the only problem. It took me about a year to fall in love with Green Community. Now when I come home, I look forward to driving through those gates. We're removed, in a world of our own," he enthuses.
Soon after the couple rented the town house, their son, Remi, was born. Having been mainly home-bound during the summer months, Lena started stepping out and socialising in the park with other stay-at-home mums.
Participating in music groups and toddler-related activities, Lena rapidly expanded her friendship circle. "If I had been somewhere else in an independent villa, I would have probably had to take a bit more effort to go out and involve myself in groups," she says.
On Wednesday mornings, you can find Lena and many other mothers cycling through Green Community, with their kids strapped safely in the rear seat, en route to a children's playgroup, which is organised in different homes every week. "I've met a lot of people this way and have gone on to socialise with a few of them in the evening without the kids as well. If I particularly like someone in the group or my son gets along with one of the children, we set up play dates through this," adds Lena. Time constraints owing to baby chores and the daunting traffic at the Dubai Investment Park (DIP) roundabout dissuade young mums like Lena from venturing outside the community. This in turn, however, forges closer ties among the residents.
"We isolate ourselves a bit and that's why we make such good friends within the community," she says.
Never a dull moment in the community
There is plenty to keep Lena occupied within Green Community. If you don't find her splashing around in the community pool with Remi or catching up with friends over coffee at the Courtyard by Marriott, you're likely to find her cycling around the trails, taking in the beautiful sights around. Come October, and the smell of barbecue wafts through the air. "We have an amazing park. We don't need to drive to Safa Park to stretch our legs or let Remi run around," says Lena, adding, "In the evenings, after putting my son to sleep, we go for a walk through the gardens or go out to have a coffee. In another city, this is exactly what you'd do. But in Dubai, people don't do this all that often. For me it's much more important to have these facilities at your doorstep than, say, being five minutes away from the Mall of the Emirates."
Among the retail outlets she frequents, Lena recommends Choithram for food shopping, the Hair Lounge for styling services, the N Bar, Feet First and the Yoga Om Studio for spa services and exercise classes. When she indulges in a bit of shopping or pampering at The Market, she leaves Remi at the Kids Zone. Among the diverse restaurants in Green Community, she particularly likes Haru (which specialises in sushi), Zenzi Thai and San Lorenzo (Italian).
"When I have family visiting, there is no obligation to take them outside the community for a bit of entertainment. They can walk around the park, go to the mall, go swimming etc. If I am out, I ask my maid to take Remi to the park. If we were living in an independent villa somewhere, I wouldn't be happy with my maid taking a stroll with the baby on the streets. There is a sense of security here," adds Lena.
With the Children's Garden nursery situated in the heart of Green Community, Lena has made up her mind to enrol Remi there once he turns three. "It was an added bonus to have the nursery at our doorstep and, living here, we have priority."
The only pet peeve of Green Community residents is the traffic mess at the DIP roundabout. "I am not the first person to be intimidated by that roundabout. Thursday afternoons are awful. However, traffic's fine in the evening, say around 9 pm. The roads are blissful on Fridays since there are no trucks." The fear of having to negotiate traffic results in families tweaking their social commitments and schedules accordingly. "We become a bit like hermits here. If our friends invite us over, say, on a Thursday night, we have to start planning beforehand. I don't like that too much," admits Lena.
The ups and downs of suburban living
Living in a slice of suburbia inevitably comes with its share of disadvantages. "We are quite removed from the rest of Dubai. I haven't been to the souqs or the beach all that often, which is a shame. In some ways we're missing out on what Dubai has to offer," Lena says. With these downsides in mind, she already has her sights set on another area, were the family to move again. "If there is one place I'd like to move to, it would be the Green Community Motor City. The build-quality of the homes there is as good as it is here, the community enjoys better road access, a fantastic Spinneys and you've got all those shops," she says.
Meanwhile, in possibly the highest praise that Green Community could ever receive, Lena reflects: "If I were not living in Green Community, I am not sure for how long I would have coped in Dubai. I am still discovering things and enjoying the people around me. I have made some lovely friends. If I wasn't living here, I would have had enough of the city by now."
