Spending Christmas in exile
Wayne Speight and his younger sister Hayley have never spent Christmas away from home — until now.
The siblings, from Cork’s northside, are spending Christmas together in Toronto with friends and their respective partners. Wayne’s been here for three years, while Hayley arrived in May.
“I decided to stay for Christmas as it was too expensive to fly home,” Hayley says. “But I am one of the lucky ones as I have my brother with me in Toronto, which doesn’t make being away from home half bad.”
Wayne, 28, was part of the reason Hayley, 23, decided to move to Toronto.
“I knew if I ever wanted to see family, he would be around.”
She was also finding it difficult to get work after graduating from UCC in Sept 2012 with a social science degree. She and boyfriend Darren always wanted to travel so decided to go for it.
Hayley didn’t land her dream job right off the bat. “You always hear there are great job opportunities in Toronto for people. And it’s true, but you do need some experience behind you.”
She started working as a hostess in a restaurant to make some money.
After four weeks, she got an interview for global investment firm, CITCO.
“I have been working there now almost six months and I haven’t looked back. I never thought business would be for me, but I’ve surprised myself as this is the career path I should have taken from the beginning. I love working with CITCO.”
Wayne, who misses Irish takeaway food and a proper pint, is an analyst for another downtown firm.
“I had only planned on staying here a year and then go travelling to Australia and New Zealand but it was quite difficult to save and I fell in love with Toronto.”
Heather Walker from Donegal is planning a “multicultural orphans” Christmas dinner in her flat in Toronto.
“Hopefully I can learn to cook by then,” said the 26-year-old, laughing.
Heather will spend the day with her Canadian boyfriend, Irish friends from Leitrim and Dublin, and a few Japanese friends.
It’s her third Christmas away from home and second in Toronto. She doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
“I’ve made great friends here and I love the city. There’s so much to do, and I still have lots of exploring to do in Canada.”
Heather first moved to Toronto in Jan 2011. “I wanted to travel and get away for a while. My flatmate in Dublin was Canadian so I’d heard good things.”
Heather left Toronto to go back to study in Edinburgh, and returned with more experience.
“It took me three months to find full-time work the first time I came here. It was a little easier this time because I had a better idea how to present my resume for Canadian employers, plus I had Canadian experience and references second time around.
“My background is in theatre, and I work for a movie props place at the moment.”
Heather also volunteers with the Toronto Irish Players as a sound technician, a community group running since the 1970s.
She got her residency this summer. “I’m here to stay hopefully. I would love to try living in other Canadian cities too.”
Damien Webb arrived in Toronto in the searing heat of June. Now he’s looking forward to a white Christmas. The Roscommon man, a construction worker, who couldn’t find work at home, is thriving in Toronto.
Damien hopes to spend Christmas Day in New York.
“I have three weeks off at Christmas so hopefully I’ll get to New York for a week and spend New Year’s in Toronto. I decided to stay to experience how they celebrate over here.”
Damien is planning on travelling with his flat mate from New Zealand, who he met at a hostel when he first arrived.
It’s not his first time away at this time of year; he spent two Christmases in Australia, one in Melbourne and the second travelling the east coast. Damien works for an construction firm in downtown Toronto.
“I was lucky and secured work after a week via a contact with Gaelic football team I played with. I’ve since got union work with an Irish company, Ward and Burke.”
Although he’s enjoying life in Toronto, he doesn’t want to commit to staying just yet.
“I am undecided how long I’ll stay as I don’t like to look too far ahead but will more than likely stay two years and perhaps longer.”
Jenny Regan from Cork moved to Toronto in May to do what she calls her “life laundry”.
“My main goal was to change things up a bit, have an adventure and enjoy new experiences.”
Jenny, 37, is working on contract with the ministry of community and social services. She found it tough to get started though.
“I used to wish I had a trade. It is a different process here. You have to change your CV to a resume. You can’t come over thinking you will land your dream job right away based on your Irish qualifications and work experience. There is work here but it is competitive so you must be a bit brazen and sell yourself, a notion that is a bit alien to a self-deprecating race like us.”
She found the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre’s employment seminar invaluable.
“I’d highly recommend it for all new arrivals.”
She is planning a relaxing Christmas day with her flat mate and whoever pops around.
“I will probably cook, watch movies, eat, drink, Skype and Viber friends and family.
“I will catch up with friends here on Boxing Day.”
She decided to stay in Canada as flights home were “ridiculously expensive”.
“I would prefer to use the funds to go somewhere sunny and warm for a break in the New Year.”
Jenny plans to return home in May. She misses a lot of things: “Penneys, Taytos, sneaky hot ports in a few of my local haunts in Cork (Mutton Lane and Vicarstown), John Player Blue cigarettes, Murphy’s Stout.
“But mostly I miss how politically incorrect Irish people are, their irreverent and impulsive sense of humour and their unique and bubbly personalities.”
By Elaine Loughlin
The Christmas countdown has started with thousands making their way home each day.
This is the busiest time of the year for Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports as family and friends make their way to Arrivals to welcome loved ones home.
For many of these voyagers the journey begins on the other side of the world and involves long stopovers and multiple flights.
In Australia’s Melbourne Airport Gemma O’Connor, from Rochestown, Cork, 32, and her boyfriend Jared O’Meara, 31, were excited to be checking in.
Gemma, a business analyst, met her Australian boyfriend while travelling and the pair have been living in Melbourne for the past year and a half.
“We met in Columbia three years ago and travelled together for a while and then we spent a year in New Zealand,” she said.
The couple were first flying to London to meet her sister who currently lives there and they are then travelling back to Dublin.
“My father is meeting us at the airport, then I think he is taking Jared to see all the attractions — Croke Park and the Guinness Storehouse.
“Jared hasn’t experienced a northern hemisphere Christmas. When the fairy lights are on the Christmas tree and the sun is shining in the window it’s not really the same, so I am looking forward to showing him an Irish Christmas,” she said.
This Christmas is the first time Grainne O’Sullivan, from Rathmolyon, Co Meath, has been home in almost three years.
The environmental health officer, 25, said: “It hasn’t sank in yet that I am going home but I will be really excited when I get there. I am a little bit nervous because I haven’t been home since I arrived here in April 2011. I am looking forward to spending time with my family.”
Cork native Ben Shannon said he was looking forward to meeting new members of the family born since he was back in Ireland last.
While checking in, the 29-year-old from Mallow said: “I have been in Melbourne since August 2010 but I left home in April 2009. I did the whole backpacker experience around Australia on a working holiday visa and then settled in Melbourne.”
“I can’t wait to go home to be honest,” said Ben who last returned for Christmas in 2011.
Although he loves life in Australia he said it can sometimes be difficult living so far away from home.
“An uncle of mine died last year, I guess it doesn’t quite sink in when you are so far away from home. The family has also grown, I have a few extra cousins that I haven’t seen yet,” he said.
Alicia Gilroy and her boyfriend Kenneth Faherty were also in Melbourne Airport to begin their trip home together for Christmas.
The couple met in Australia and Kenneth from Moycullen, Co Galway, said he was nervous about meeting Alicia’s family for the first time in Dublin airport.
“We met in Perth around a year and a half ago,” said Alicia from Ballyconnel, Co Cavan.
The 23-year-old is looking forward to playing for the first time with her niece Lilly who turns one in January and is also attending her sister’s wedding on December 28. Plasterer Kenneth, 26, first moved to Australia two years ago.
“It wasn’t for work reasons really because I was working at home until I left but I just wanted to travel,” he said.
“My mother and father were over here last Christmas in Perth with me. But it still wasn’t the same as it would be at home, they don’t celebrate it the same over here at all.”
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