Ghost's Daughter Shapawa Hylton Recounts Leaving Dubai During US-Iran War

Shapawa Hylton says her decision to relocate to Dubai began as an act of faith, but it ended with an urgent effort to get out when the city was affected by the US-Iran war. The daughter of veteran singjay Ghost said her time in the 'City of Gold' had to be cut short once conditions became uncertain and she realised it was best to leave.

Hylton, 33, is a beauty consultant and educator trained in a range of cosmetic services. Now safe in New York, she said leaving Dubai was nothing like the smooth arrival she had experienced the previous year. "I left Dubai by transiting through Egypt. I am grateful they had us somewhere safe, but it was just not a good experience at all," she said.

Since last October, Hylton had been working mainly in hospitality. She said the original move came after she chose to follow both her heart and what she believed was God's guidance. "I only had a short time to prepare but the Lord told me to pack up and go, so I obeyed Him. I don't like cold areas, so Dubai was perfect. Plus, I have an aunt who lived there. There really wasn't any language barrier either, because aside from the Arabic language, English is heavily spoken by most, if not everyone, since people from all over the world live and work there. Dubai is one of the most travelled areas in the world, with most of the workers being ex-pats who settle there," she said.

Her professional ambitions also played a role in the move. Hylton said her services fall in a higher-end price range in Jamaica, and while she understood the worth of her work, she did not believe the local market would allow her to charge at that level. She also wanted to see more of the world, learn from other cultures and work in a place where clients had the spending power to value and pay for what she offered.

Before the conflict, she said Dubai was enjoyable. Even after tensions rose, Hylton said many people did not immediately change the way they moved around. She compared the mood to the period after COVID restrictions, when many people were eager to be outside again. At her workplace, she said weekends and holidays still drew crowds, and even phone alerts about bomb threats did not stop people from carrying on as usual. "Bwoy, I always say Jamaica is not a real place, but Dubai is not a real place either," she said, noting that many residents seemed to continue with normal life.

That mood shifted only when people had to pay closer attention to official advisories. Hylton said business slowed so much that workers were placed on unpaid leave. As government alerts came through on phones, residents became more cautious. She said the authorities had systems in place to show where missiles were landing, which helped people determine how to stay safe. In homes, they moved away from windows and stayed farther inside, including in bathrooms.

There were moments, however, when intercepted missiles made the danger feel very close. Hylton said debris sometimes landed near enough to frighten her. On one occasion, while she was cooking, the building began to shake, and the sound of falling material left her shaken. She said the experience took a heavy mental toll.

Hylton said she now wants to return to Jamaica soon and concentrate on growing her business, So Sassy Makeup and PMU Studios.