I moved from Dubai to the US. Here are 5 things I miss and 5 I love about my new home.

After I got my driver's license in 2018, I loved driving around town, partly because of how liberating it felt to go places without having to ask my parents for a ride or to navigate different bus and metro routes, and partly because of how smooth driving in Dubai felt.

The eight-lane Sheikh Zayed Road, named after the UAE's former president and ruler, Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, connects the whole country, making it convenient to drive and visit different parts of the city and country.

For those of us who've lived in Dubai long enough, we've seen the landscape surrounding SZR change drastically every year. In 2004, I could tell where a certain neighborhood in Dubai began by looking at the buildings we passed on the road.

The fact that it's a single-long highway also means you only have to remember specific exits for your desired destination — you don't even need Google Maps to navigate.

The joke among residents in Dubai is that as long as you're on Sheikh Zayed Road, you will find your way home and never be completely lost.

But the biggest appeal, for me at least, is that, until 2020, traffic was light, and one could get from uptown Dubai — think North Harlem — to downtown Dubai — think Wall Street — in less than 20 minutes, barring any road accidents.

After watching countless New York City-based TV shows and some YouTube videos before my trip to New York, I felt confident about taking my first subway ride without messing up the direction I was headed.

Thankfully, I had a smooth first ride from my home on Second Avenue to NYU — except for the one time I walked down the wrong flight of stairs and had to cross the road to reach the correct side of the platform.

Eventually, navigating the subway became second nature, and I loved how easy and affordable it was to get around the city compared to public transport in Dubai.

Until 2009, the only form of public transport in Dubai was the city buses, and connectivity to all parts of the city wasn't the best. Once the metro was introduced, commuting to major tourist and commercial hubs like The Dubai Mall and World Trade Center became slightly easier. Still, unlike New York City, where you can traverse multiple subway lines for $2.90, in Dubai, one has to pay per zone, which can quickly add up.

Experiencing New York City from one stop to another also means I can walk around and explore new parts above ground while discovering and enjoying the many entertaining activities — such as subway musicians — that happen underground.

Without overly romanticizing an often stressful everyday commute, I learned that often, as much life happens underground on subway trains and platforms as it does above.

My earliest memories of Dubai are of weekends spent at public beaches or, when the weather was right in December, at beach parks.

Ask anyone who grew up in Dubai, and they'll tell you that heading to the beach every weekend was routine, and never elaborately planned.

In my family, Fridays — until 2022, the weekend in Dubai was on Friday and Saturday — meant packing up our beach clothes and towel, stocking up on Oman Chips — a really popular brand of chips in the Middle East — and then spending all day swimming and lounging by the Arabian Sea shore.

This was usually followed by feasting on a spread of Indian food at a nearby restaurant or, on some days, a McDonald's drive-thru dinner.

Dubai beaches have fun, kid-friendly activities and spaces like beach volleyball courts, mini-waterslides, and toddler-friendly play areas, offering everyone something they can enjoy.

When most people picture a park in New York City, they usually think of Central Park. However, when I moved here, I learned there were 1,942 parks spread across the five boroughs, with smaller ones in almost every neighborhood.

I loved exploring different parks around the city and found that each had a distinct charm. Some, like Tompkins Square Park, were popular for their dog parks, while others, like Washington Square Park, were a platform for budding musicians, poets, dancers, and photographers.

Even during winter, when most places in the city feel deserted, some parks are full of life.

Being a 12-hour plane ride from my family and friends means I see them only once a year or sometimes every two years.

On most days, I am swept up by my everyday routine, but I miss waking up to the familiar whiff of my mom's home-cooked meals and the morning chaos — which, even though annoying, was comforting, too.

In New York, my roommate and I have tried to replicate the dishes our mothers made back home, but our dishes are no match for theirs.

When I moved here, I began jogging by the East River every morning. I watched in amazement how each sunrise signaled changing seasons, shuffling from bright orange hues in late summer to softer tones of purple and pink during fall and, finally, pale blue and grays during wintertime.

Now that I live alone, I've developed my own morning traditions, which involve movement and experiencing the city before the day's chaos begins.

People are always surprised when I say this, but growing up, I never watched my family fill out tax forms or run to the nearest post office to file their taxes come April.

And having been part of two tax cycles now, I've got to admit, I miss when life was simple like that.

I wish I could say I knew all about filing my taxes correctly by now, but I don't, and every March, I find myself searching for answers to the same questions on Google or sending panicked texts to friends, asking for help.

Come late September and early October in Dubai, the sun softens its blaze a little, and suddenly, hot winds are replaced with soft, chilly breezes. Then, in November, the temperatures begin to dip, and sometimes, the city is blessed with rain showers.

In the past, the rain was a welcome refuge from the summer heat, but in April this year, it led to massive floods and caused damages all around the city. Still, the occasional downpour has always been a happy sight.

This is also when the city hosts its annual shopping festival as well as a mix of festive-themed shows, fireworks, and popups. Every street is covered in Christmas lights, while stores in malls undergo a cheery-festive transformation.

If you grew up in hot, sweaty Dubai, it's hard to find any joy in the gray, dull winters of New York City.

My only sources of happiness come layering season are all the wonderful festive-themed musicals, markets, and street lights.

Still, as soon as January arrives, all traces of the festive spirit are wiped away ... and so is the joy from my life.

Around this time of year, I'm constantly plotting ways to escape the harsh cold by wishing I could temporarily move back home or head to the West Coast, but so far, I haven't been successful in my attempts.

New York City and Dubai's culture and food scene are heavily influenced by its expat populations.

I've been privileged to experience some of the world's most well-known cuisines at the best restaurants while also relishing local street specialties on both sides of the world.

While I miss my go-to night haunts like Antar Cafeteria and Al Reef Bakery, which I would visit with my friends, I've found the same joy and love in a bite of the chicken gyros sold across halal carts in New York City.

Even though I sometimes feel as though I may always be mentally longing for one place while living in another, I've realized that both Dubai and New York City are cultural melting pots with distinctly different yet very similar characteristics.