When I landed in Dublin Airport 13 years ago, I was far from thinking I would still be here after all this time. I had planned to stay for only two or three years, which already seemed quite an ambitious plan for the recruiter who offered me my first job. « The majority of foreigners stay on average one year » he said to me. As it happened, he was right. I’m not even counting the amount of people I met and went back home in the blink of an eye.
The past 13 years have been a big adventure, and still is, but I’m not talking about an action-packed or crazy stories type of journey. After all, I didn’t go backpacking through the Australian outback or volunteer in Africa. I didn’t go on a teaching gig in China or on surf trips to Bali. The culture clash was probably less visible than if I had moved to the other side of the planet.
My adventure is mostly human. Sure I didn’t go to all those exotic places, but I have met people from all corners of the globe, and this would have NEVER happened if I stayed home. I have friends all over the world and not only did I learn about Irish culture, I discovered many other places.
My husband is from Mauritius. I have Indian and Danish neighbours. I used to work with Hungarian, Polish, Lithuanian and Slovakian people. I have friends from Moldova, Great-Britain, Croatia, Spain and the USA… I learned a lot about other cultures, especially tolerance, respect and differences. I can also manage a few words in each language. Bad words, mostly, but that’s usually what we remember, right? And I ate A LOT of good stuff cooked by those people. Traditional dishes and biscuits and cakes… Food can really make people connect, trust me!
Most importantly, I have met wonderful Irish people and discovered a fabulous country. I couldn’t thank my host family enough for feeding me (a bit too much) and really helping me out when I was stuck at the beginning. The first few months really shaped the rest of my Irish experience and that particular family is the reason I realised this country was really worth it.
The Irish are very family centred and it takes a bit more work to really have a solid friendship with them, but I think we managed to find a good balance between Irish and foreign friends.
There have been some highs and lows during those 13 years. I sometimes got bored and frustrated, but I never gave up, and I still think I have a better quality of life here than in France.
When I look back at my time in Ireland, I will think about the wonderful landscapes and the never-ending rainbows, but most importantly, I will remember THE PEOPLE.
And that’s what makes this adventure human.