What the UAE gave this Romanian expat beyond career success

Dubai: In communist-era Romania, the world outside often felt like a locked door with no visible key. But even in that environment, curiosity found a way to survive.

“Around me, in my family and among friends, there were always quiet conversations, often almost whispers, about seeing the world, expanding our horizons and discovering what life looked like beyond the borders we knew,” Raluca Marcu told Gulf News.

Those whispers have been turned into action after Romania’s revolution. Travel has been opened and horizons expanded, but something still felt unfinished.

“Travelling somewhere and actually living there are two very different things. I wanted to experience the world more deeply, not just as a tourist, but as a person learning to adapt, understand different cultures, and grow in a completely new environment.”

That distinction would quietly shape every decision that has followed.

Turning point

By the time she has built a career in marketing, communications, and PR in Romania, Marcu has already known that she wanted an international path. So she has made her intentions clear early on.

“I told them from the very beginning that if there was ever an opportunity abroad, even a short-term assignment, I wanted to be considered,” recalled Marcu.

That opportunity has arrived in 2015, a role as Gulf Marketing Head in Dubai. What appeared to be a professional milestone has soon become something more personal.

“For me, the UAE was not just a career move. It was the continuation of a much older dream: the dream of seeing the world, expanding my own limits, and giving my son the chance to grow up with a wider view of life.”

City built on speed and ambition

According to Marcu, Dubai was unlike anything she has experienced before, not just in scale but in mindset.

“It was one of the most courageous and defining decisions of my life to make a new home in a city where ambition is normal, where people from everywhere come to build, and where reinvention is part of the culture,” exclaimed Marcu.

But alongside opportunity came the reality of rebuilding life from scratch without a familiar support system.

“One of the biggest challenges was not having the traditional support system around me. No grandparents nearby, no familiar network, no one to quickly step in when life became complicated.”

Every decision has carried added weight, not just for her but for her son as well.

Daily discipline

The early years have been defined more by adjustment. Work, parenting, logistics, and emotional pressure have often converged at once.

“You have to stay strong even when you are tired. You have to make a new country feel like home while still carrying your old home inside you,” shared Marcu.

She has admitted that there have been difficult moments but also lessons that changed her understanding of strength.

“I learned to ask for help, to build a community, and to focus on what I can control. Dubai taught me that resilience is not always loud. Sometimes it is simply waking up, showing up, doing the work, and doing it again the next day.”

Wider lens

After more than a decade in the UAE, Marcu has highlighted that the Emirates left a lasting imprint on how she sees both people and possibility.

“The UAE gave me a wider lens. Living here means you meet people from every culture, background, industry, and belief system,” explained Marcu.

That exposure has naturally built adaptability. “It made me more open, more observant, more adaptable, and more respectful of difference.”

But the biggest shift has been internal, a change in mindset that defines life in the UAE.

“You stop asking, ‘Is this even possible?’ and start asking ‘How can I make this happen?’”

Personal reinvention 

That mindset has been the foundation of her business, Loupe, a boutique consultancy focused on image, identity, and executive presence. For Marcu, the work has been deeply rooted in personal experience. 

“I help people understand how they are seen, but also how they see themselves. Image is never just about clothes. It is about context, culture, psychology, and communication,” stated Marcu. 

In a fast-paced market like the UAE, she believes presence has become a professional necessity.

“People move fast, opportunities move fast, and first impressions matter.”

Lived experience

Beyond career growth, Marcu has noted that one of the UAE’s most powerful lessons is about belonging.

“The Emirates taught me that belonging is not always something you are given. Sometimes it’s something you build through contribution, consistency, and respect,” said Marcu.

Today, she speaks to professionals, founders, and individuals navigating change, but her advice has been grounded in her own experience.

“You can be scared and still be strong. There will be days when you feel powerful and days when you feel completely down and alone. Both are part of the journey.”

Her message to those waiting for the “right time” is direct. “Do not wait until you feel fully ready. Most of us build confidence by doing things before we feel ready.”

And for those rebuilding their lives, she has offered a final perspective shift. “Never confuse starting over with starting from zero. You bring everything with you: your story, your skills, your culture, your resilience, your intuition.”

For Marcu, the UAE has never been just a destination, it became a transformation. Eleven years on, the move continues to define her, not by where it took her, but by how it changed her.