American ex-pat recalls first setting foot on Irish soil
People enjoying fresh air and outdoor activities at Marina Park, Monahan Road, with Pairc Uà Chaoimh in the background — not an easy one for a Texan to pronounce. Picture: Larry Cummins
There are certain dates engraved in the collective memories of a person and their family — birthdates, anniversaries, the day you start your dream job, the day you retire, and so on.
For me, one of those dates is November 1, 2020. This is the date that my family and I landed in Dublin to begin our journey. We were officially American ex-pats living in Cork, Ireland on assignment with Boston Scientific Cork.
We were ready (and naĂŻve)! We were the perfect students and did everything that the subject matter experts instructed us to do.
We secured a rental home and our 10-year old daughter was enrolled in school — uniforms already purchased.
We navigated the maze of regulations required to relocate a beagle and we even had a few belongings in transit from Dallas, Texas to make our new house feel a little like home.
On the work front, I was prepared!
As a 20-year Boston Scientific employee in Human Resources, I knew the company, I knew our medical device business, and I knew how to do my job. The agreed-to expectation was clear — do your 14-days in self-isolation and we will see you at the Cork site on November 16. All was going so well — we were excited, energised, a little nervous, but ready for a once in a life-time adventure!
Then December 27, 2020 happened. Another date that will be engraved in not only our family memory, but all of us across Ireland.
This was the level 5 lockdown and as newly arrived residents; we were not prepared. We felt stuck and isolated as a family and the days very much blended into the other — with only work and virtual school to distinguish between weekdays and weekends.
Not all of our items had arrived yet, so clothes and footwear not being considered essential presented an interesting challenge — especially when you have a growing child in your house. We were in a new country without our extended family and friends. Our neighbours tried to be welcoming, but we couldn’t get beyond waving across the road as we all followed social distancing protocols.
While I had my career to focus on, my husband’s only adult interaction was me and the shop assistant at our local SuperValu — and I am honestly not sure which one of us he preferred chatting with.
It was hard — full stop
So, while our experience didn’t start as expected, I did learn a few things along the way. First, I am thankful that while we did catch Covid in the spring, we have all fully recovered. My heart goes out to anyone reading this who has suffered loss or long-term effects due to the pandemic. I have learned about how resilient my family is and what they can endure. If someone had told me five years ago, this would be our initial experience as ex-pats, I might not have made the decision to move.
While we haven’t been able to experience the grand adventure of travelling all over Europe, the hidden blessing was a deeper exploration and understanding of this beautiful country and our adopted home. Once the intra-county travel restrictions were lifted, we focused our time exploring Ireland way beyond what we might have done otherwise.
There have been moments of unexpected humour along the way such as when we were stopped at a Garda checkpoint and asked when we arrived. Our very confident answer: 11:30am.
The Garda response: “Off with ye” and a not too subtle eye roll. To be fair, we didn’t realise he meant when did we arrive in Ireland until it was pointed out by a work colleague. I guess the rental car loaded with three Americans should have been more obvious to us. And speaking of humour, don’t even get me started on my use of Irish — it is truly cringy to hear someone from Texas saying “Pairc Uà Chaoimh”.
But what I have appreciated most about the past 14 months since our arrival is the people. I have seen the spirit and generosity of a country that can quickly unite and pull together for the common good of all — not allowing differences of opinions or beliefs polarise the country.
I have been impressed by the culture of education and development. There are so many opportunities to further advance the competency and skill needed in the future through the partnerships with educational institutions, industry, and Government.
These partnerships will continue to keep Ireland a critical and relevant player in the multinational investment ecosystem.
I have seen firsthand the perseverance, determination and dedication of a workforce who is focused on doing what is required to meet the needs of our physician customers and the patients they care for by simply getting the job done.
I don’t think this is unique to my company, but I think it is just embedded into the DNA of the Irish workforce. A colleague of my mine always uses the quote “tough times don’t last, but tough people do”, and it certainly applies to Ireland.
So, while I wouldn’t recommend doing an ex-pat assignment during a global pandemic, I would not trade this experience for anything. At the risk of sounding too cliché, I have had both personal and professional experiences that I would never have experienced back in the US. I have made friends and forged new relationships that will enrich myself and my family for years to come. As prepared as I thought I was before I arrived, now I am truly prepared for whatever comes my way in the future.
Thank you, Ireland!
