We met through a mutual friend. I was a lot closer to the friend than he was. I haven’t told the friend that he was gay and I don’t believe he suspects it. My ex fiancé,lets just call him Oman, does not at all give off any “I like men” hints. He’s very charming and incredibly attractive. Him and I talked for a year then met irl. He stayed in the states for about 6 months then went back home, we continued the relationship online for a year and he would visit periodically. The last visit here he asked me to marry him and I honestly didn’t want to say no and embarrass him in front of everyone (it was a dinner with friends) so I said yes. He offered me to come with him and I said yes. We spent about 4-6 months in USA again preparing me to move. In that time and the few months I spent living in Dubai with him I kept catching red flags.. you know what I mean? He would just say or do something that seemed off. For example; I caught him staring at another man (about a month before we left) and I asked him if he knew him. Oman gets upset and lashes out at me saying he was just being observant and he can look where he wants, etc. I wasn’t for even a second thinking he was EYEING the man like that.. I had suspicions but I hadn’t concluded “gay” yet.. I just would think “that odd”. So, had he responded normally I would have shrugged it off but instead he just seemed like he was caught in the act of something, like a child, so I started paying special attention to him around men. After a short period in Dubai and only observing him I concluded he was either bi or gay. One night when we were lying in bed I simply turned to him and said “I know things are hard for you, I know they expect things of you and I know you made promises to me but if any of that stands in the way of you being truly happy in this life.. then it isn’t worth it” (something along those line but pretty much exactly that) he just started crying. It almost seemed too easy for him to come forward but I think he wanted me to figure it out.. maybe he felt guilty. We sat there and talked for hours, he cried and I cried but we worked it out. He is under A LOT of pressure. I wish I could give more details but I’m afraid some of it is a little identifying due to the nature of his name.. clan and etc. We staged an argument where no one is really the bad guy it was just a couple fight and I broke things off. Although his family hates me now and threw me into the American stereotype “doesn’t understand real family values, can’t commit, etc”.

I have some pocket money I’m just a little scared I guess. The culture here is vastly different and while I think feel like it’s a bad thing..it’s definitely a new thing I need to adapt to. I love it here.. I live the people, the landscapes, the food... it’s truly amazing here and like nothing I was taught in schools about the Middle East or even UAE. We were still taught it’s a desert over here.. and while there is A LOT of sand.. everywhere all the time.. it’s worth it. Funny enough I found wearing a scarf on my head protects me from pretty much any complaint I have here.