I’ve now lived in the UAE for more than a decade. From Abu Dhabi, I’ve watched three US presidential elections and numerous political decisions shape America’s direction since I left in 2014. My family and friends still live in Massachusetts, so what happens in the US continues to matter deeply to me, even though I am more than 10,000km away. But living abroad has also shielded me from some of the consequences, so I don’t always feel as personally affected by the results as I once did.