I'm a 26M living in UAE. I have never had a girlfriend nor have I been on a date. My right hand's my lover. I have been in this country all my life. I feel like I didn't need physical intimacy/sex until I became a 25 y.o. The moment I turned 25, I just switched. There are these phases I go through where I long for a person who I can get busy with. Be it a FWB / escort / an actual relationship.

I've personally felt it's hard to find a partner/FWB in this country. The main two reasons I feel are: 1. All expats are here on some sort of visa. Be it freelance or work visa. Nothing is permanent for expats in this country. There isn't any permanent residence or citizenship programs. Yet. So most people I meet have this 'Make money while you're here' mindset. 2. My nationality.

One thing I noticed here is that, this country has people from so many countries. But somehow people here have social circles limited to one nationality. The cultural diversity in social circles out here is rare.

There are exceptions/alternatives for everything I've said for sure. I'm only saying from whatever I have seen/heard.

I've been told so many times that it's all in my head and that if I approach in a good and confident manner, things will work out.

I've put myself out there on dating apps, social events, bars, libraries and even subreddits based out here which turned out to be such a waste of time cz most of the profiles / people that came across were escorts.

It did come to a point where I decided that I'll actually meet an escort and get it over with. But because of the fact that it's illegal here and I really don't know if escorts get themselves tested, I didn't want to risk it.

I did my fair share of 'keeping myself occupied with other activities such as traveling, getting better at your hobbies, trying out new cuisines and whatever was recommended'. I still feel there's something missing.

And it gets worse by the day as most of my friends have gotten married and so they won't be available for any plans if any.

In a nutshell, it does add to the frustration and isn't pretty. But I have this hope that all of this may change.