It had been a few weeks since our last visit to Abu Dhabi. We had left the bike behind, came home, and focused back on building iotaap, our IoT platform. But deep down, I knew the call would come. I just didn’t know when.
Then one day, it happened. Our local partner called and simply asked, “When are you coming?” That was it. That was the signal. No turning back. I was moving to the UAE.
My colleague from the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences, Robert, joined me. We got an apartment at Leonardo Residence, which at the time was the only residential building in Masdar City. That apartment became our home and our office. Boxes, laptops, tools, gear. It was all mixed in. Work during the day, crash at night.
Parts started arriving. We were adjusting to the heat, the sand, and the local food. I still remember this one yellow-orange juice that tasted great, but… let’s just say it came out the same way it went in. Not ideal for digestion, but we laughed it off. We had bigger things to focus on.
We started setting up our little lab inside the apartment. Calls with family back home happened almost daily, mostly through video chat. Everything felt exciting and new. There was still talk about that weird illness, but nobody seemed worried. Life in Masdar felt calm.
In the next few stories, I’ll share what those first weeks really looked like. The challenges, the fun, the strange surprises. Stay tuned, many interesting details are coming up!
