Indian expat to return home after 50 years in UAE

Abu Dhabi: 50 years after her stay in the United Arab Emirates, the country which she loved immensely, a 72-year-old Indian expat will return to her hometown of Margao in Goa. Kathleen Randhawa, who married and had children in UAE, continued to live there even 11 years after her retirement.

Kathleen arrived in the United Arab Emirates on May 3, 1971. “The UAE has given me everything. I met my husband here, and my children were born here. Although my late husband spent more than a decade in the US, I never left the UAE. Instead, I stayed here and raised my children,” she told Khaleej Times on Wednesday, “I can’t imagine another country providing me with the security and safety that the UAE provided.”

“I have seen three generations of rulers transform this city into what it is today. From the days of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.”

“Now, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and chairman of the executive council of Dubai, is taking this city into an unimaginable future,” Kathleen said.

Kathleen was born and raised in Bandra, Mumbai. She and her sister Queenie arrived in the United Arab Emirates on May 3, 1971. Queenie and Kathleen took jobs at the Ambassador Hotel in Al Fahidi.

Soon after, Kathleen met her husband, Amar Randhawa, who happens to be a hotel employee. She got married three years later in 1975.

“On that note, I am very happy to say that I do not have conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol. Also, when the COVID-19 vaccine was announced, I immediately called DHA and took the Pfizer vaccine,” Kathleen adds.

After having many happy years, Kathleen lost her husband to diabetes-related illnesses in 2015. “He was 66 when he passed away, After his death and my retirement, I spent time traveling to Mumbai and Goa,” she said.

“I will be leaving for India on June 24 to complete some long awaited work. Then I will be back. My daughters Melissa and Karen live and work here. So, I always feel like I will have a home here.”