The adaptation period is part of the process, and it can vary from a person to another. Some people feel the weather, the language, the lifestyle very difficult to adjust. Simple things like shopping can be an adventure to a foreign that doesn’t know they need their bag to carry their products. Or even using public transport when you don´t know you pay the fare depending on your destination.
It is after this period of adaptation that things start to work as it should be, and the person starts making friends, finding the first job, and getting to know the place they are living.
People must understand the process, and it gets time to adjust. Don’t give up at the first winter or in the first job interview fail.
Dublin city has received a vast number of foreign, coming from everywhere in the world, to study English, to work, or both.
It is the facility to study and work what brings most of the English students to the country. They see an opportunity of improving their second language while saving money. And those students also carries the desire to travel around and visit other countries.
It is common to hear all the types of languages and accents when walking through the city center streets. Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean are few examples, and these people seem to love the city they chose to live.
Hans Frex is a 32 years old Chilean guy who arrived in Dublin last July, to study English. He left his job as a Philosophy teacher, his family, and friends because he wanted the opportunity to learn a new language. And see with his own eyes the beautiful landscapes he used watching on movies.
“I chose to come to Dublin because here I can study and work. I can save money and learn a new language. I always wanted to visit the counties around Dublin, in some places is like being in a picture, it is so beautiful.”
Working in the hospitality industry was the easiest way for him to get his first job. He is a waiter in a restaurant in the city center and does everything, from cleaning to taking orders and serving the tables.
“It is completely different from what I was doing in Chile. But it is a perfect opportunity to get to know people and improve my English because I get to talk a lot with everybody.”
He also says that the Irish people are friendly and open to foreigners living here. “People are very nice and charming; they help you every time that they can, so I feel like home.”
Although he is missing home and concerned with the situation in his country, Chile has been suffering from massive protests. He desires to stay as much as he can to avail all the experience of living abroad.
“Situation in Chile is difficult right now. People are waking up for their rights and fighting for it. I worry about my family and friends, and sometimes I cannot sleep at night watching the news. But I want to finish what I came to do here in Ireland and come back to my country a better person”.
When Bartosz Kozlowski came to Ireland 11 years ago, he was only 20 years old. He feels that his home is here in Ireland, not back in Poland.
“When I came to Ireland, I was 20 years old. I was unhappy living in my country because I couldn´t be who I am. I arrived here and saw how people are open to everything. They treated me with respect and consideration; I felt that here is my home”, said the 31 years barista who works to WeWork group in Dublin.
Bartosz got married after the referendum in 2015 that amended the Constitution of Ireland to the same-sex marriage, and couldn’t be happier.
“Living in a country that does not judge you by the person you chose to be is fantastic, I have a good job here, family and friends, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Of course, it is not perfect, there are many things to improve, but from what I can tell, my life here is better than in Poland.”
Special occasions, like Christmas, birthdays, and weddings, are often the hardest for people living away from their homes. And it can be even worse when you have a young child waiting for you.
Ramatoulaye Camara is a 23 years old Process Executive working to Microsoft, she has an 18 months old boy, who is living in France with her mother.
“I couldn’t keep him here with me, as it is so expensive, all that you have to pay with daycare and stuff. It’s heartbreaking sometimes, especially with Christmas coming, and you know that the whole family will be celebrating all together. You can’t be there as well; it makes my heart bleed.”
Rama spends her lunchtime talking to the little boy every day, and she is planning to bring her mother to live in Dublin, to help and look after the baby.
She believes that Dublin is a great city to raise a child. It is safe and offers many opportunities. What she needs now is a little help. Her husband lives in Africa at the moment, but he is also willing to move to Dublin and reunite with his family.
“I would not move back to my country in Africa because the job opportunities here are better. And I think that the city is safer for women to walk alone, even late in the evenings.”
What all these people have in common is the desire to change and improve their lives.
They decided to leave their comfort zone behind and open themselves to the unknown, and doing so; they might find some stones on the way. But still, they will learn how to be stronger and how to deal with a difficult situation in life in a better way.
And as Miriam Adeney said: “You will never be completely at home again, because, part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you have to pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”
Collecting experiencies 