3 Cultural Shocks I’ve Had Since Moving To Ireland

PART ONE

The most common question I get asked by most people I come across is what are the biggest cultural shocks and differences between Brazil and Ireland. Though I had always heard about so many of them before I moved here, the reality is that I only found out what they really are after I got the chance to experience life in this new land.

However, the funny thing that has happened to me since I moved to Ireland is that though I’m originally from Brazil, I can’t compare these two countries only. And that is because I lived most of my adulthood in the United States. I know that my roots are in Brazil, but the U.S. feels like home as well.

With that being said, I never compare Ireland to Brazil only. I always compare it with both countries.

Moving to a foreign country when you’re 18 and then spending most of your adulthood there shapes your perspective on the world as well as your sense of belonging.

On top of that, I am also a world traveler. I’ve been to 21 countries. This allows me to always compare one country with another. And when you do it, that’s when you start to notice most of these differences.

Cultural shocks happen when the cultural and personal exposure you’ve had in your whole life in a certain place and the way you were taught about what living life is, are shown to you in a completely different way. It’s when you see that nothing you’ve been taught and exposed to in your whole life is what works in this other new land.

So, allow me to share with you some of the greatest shocks I’ve had while living in Ireland. These details are based on my personal experiences here, and based on the conversations I’ve had with friends from all over the world who also got to experience a little bit of the “Irish life”.

P.S.: The intent of this series of articles is NOT to say anything negative about this lovely country. It’s important to understand that people from different countries are likely to have different perspectives, and things that are accepted and tolerated in one country, might not be in others.

Also, this is the first of three articles on this topic. So, stay tuned for more.

3- The country is smaller than you think

I knew it already before coming here. But it was so weird and shocking to me when I got to actually experience this difference here. In less than 4 hours, you can cross the entire country from east to west.

Coming from Brazil, which is a huge country, and living in the U.S., which is also a very large country, this is something that would never happen. You can drive for 8 hours and still remain in the same state in Brazil. Driving from New York to California would take you days, whereas driving from Dublin to Galway (east to the west coast) would only take you two and a half hours.

I have to cross the entire city of Dublin to go from my college to work. This only takes 35 minutes on foot. What? A 35-minute walk to cross the largest city of Ireland? This is something that can really shock us.

The name of my state in Brazil is called Minas Gerais. It’s not the largest state in Brazil, but it is bigger than Spain. One state in Brazil is larger than a country. So, I was so used to driving for hours to get to my destinations.

And because of the size of Ireland, when you say that driving or commuting to a place will take about 40 minutes, Irish people will find it an eternity, when for me, I don’t actually feel like that. But the reality is that a one-hour drive in Brazil or in the U.S. is nothing, whereas here, it is indeed a very far place to go.

I personally love that. It allows me to explore the country in a very easy way. I can plan day trips and they won’t feel as exhaustive as they would if they were done in Brazil or in the U.S.

2- People are friendly but very reserved in a way they won’t pop in their bubbles to make friends with you

How many times have you heard that Irish people are the nicest and the friendliest people in Europe? Me? Maybe a million times before I moved here.

And indeed. What welcoming, friendly, charming, and polite people we have in Ireland. Irish are in fact some of the nicest, sweetest and friendliest people I’ve ever met. I am Latino. So, you know my standards are very high when it comes to hospitality. I can feel when someone is being fake-nice or when they are actually being welcoming and hospitable.

Going to a pub in Ireland is the most fun thing in the world. You don’t have to go in with friends. You can walk into any pub by yourself and you will still manage to join all the nice and fun Irish people you’ll find there.

However, this is how far they’ll go. They’ll stop there. I find them very friendly, but not willing enough to pop in their bubbles to let other people in so they can actually make friends.

They will mingle with their own group of friends and that’s it. If you ask the locals how many international friends they really have, most of them will say zero. I mean, they might say that they know many people from other countries. It’s not that they’ve never initiated a conversation with somebody from another country, it’s that they meet people but not in a way where they’ll develop a deep and strong connection with them. Knowing somebody from another country, or working with somebody from another country doesn’t necessarily make you friends with that person. Knowing isn’t the same as being. I might know who you are, but not be your friend. These are very different things.

In addition to that, if you ask any foreigner who has been living here for years, they will say that they can count on one hand how many Irish friends they actually have.

For instance, one of my best friends has been living in Dublin for 7 years now, and he says that he only has one Irish friend. ONE. Out of all these years that he’s been living here and all the places he has worked and studied, he only has ONE Irish friend. He told me that, based on what he’s noticed, they are very family-centered people (which is not a bad thing at all) so they’ll live with their parents until they’re 30 or even more than that, and that they are very close to their school friends. That will result in them not really stepping out of their circle of friends and family and being welcoming to immigrants in a way where they will build a strong friendship with someone who hasn’t “naturally” been part of their lives.

In a lot of Latin countries, such as Brazil, this is so different. You can meet somebody at the bus stop today and one week later that person will invite you for a drink at their house, and before you notice, you become best friends with that person.

I’m not saying that the Irish culture should change or that I was expecting them to act like every other Latin country, but what I’m saying is that I wish it were a little easier to pop into their bubble so I could join them in what they do.

I know Americans aren’t the most friendly in the world and that I always complained that I didn’t have many “American friends” when I lived in the U.S., but compared to living in Dublin, so far, I can say that Americans might not seem to be friendly at first, but you can actually build deep connections with them throughout time, whereas Irish people are super friendly at first, but they will set their boundaries right away with you in a way that bonding with them and actually making friends can be a little too hard.

I really wish I could go from shallow conversations to having a deep connection while building a genuine friendship with them. I don’t want to know someone who is Irish. I want to be friends with someone who is Irish. That is a completely different experience.

1- People are reserved, but they are loud

I have nothing against people who are loud. I am loud myself. In fact, the loudest person you will ever meet in your life. My loudness walks into a room before I even do.

With that being said, I actually love that they are loud. It makes me feel like I don’t have to change who I am. But I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t expecting that. Especially because I find them very reserved and that automatically makes us think they’ll be shy and quiet. But no. They are loud. Very loud.

Coming from Latin America, I know that we Latinos are so loud that people across our continents can hear us. But wait until you come to Ireland. Omg, they will scream when they’re talking.

The worst for me is when I’m on the bus and they’re on the phone. One day when I caught the 6 am bus to go to work, somebody was on the phone and they would talk so loud. I mean, it’s 6 am. My brain has just started working.

When they’re drunk, forget about it. They will sing songs on the streets and talk even louder.

This was very new to me. Sometimes it bothers me, but as I said, I’m loud myself, so who am I to judge?

Would these things be considered a cultural shock for you?

Have you ever been to Ireland? Do you agree or disagree with me?

I’d love to hear from you!

Don’t forget to stay tuned for part two. Follow me on Medium so you don’t miss the next story.

Thank you so much for reading my article. I really appreciate it!