My First Semester Living In Ireland
My ups and downs, the sunshine and the rain. The whole experience wrapped up in one text
I can’t believe it’s been 7 months I’m living in the Emerald Isle. Can you believe it?
Some of you have been following me throughout this whole time, others only for some part of it, and for some of you, this may be the first story you’re getting to read.
My crazy and unforgettable adventure living in Ireland after spending most of my adulthood in the U.S. is definitely a huge reason to celebrate, share and talk about. I have learned and grown so much that I believe that my story can serve as an inspiration for so many of you to pack that one suitcase and go live on another continent for at least a couple of months.
From learning how to navigate this unpredictable immigrant life to dealing with my first cultural shocks, a semester has passed before my very brown eyes. And from crying on the wet streets after a typical Irish rainy day to laughing until my belly hurt with my friends in the pub, my first semester in Ireland has been some of the best months of my life and I am so looking forward to what’s coming next.
My life changed completely after I made the bold decision to leave the U.S. after all those years, go back to my home country, spend 6 months there, and then, embark on a brand new (and not so new) adventure that was to come and live in another foreign country.
So, how do you think my experience has been so far?
Well, before I answer this question, were you here when I published my very first article in Ireland?
Because the way I’d like to say how my experience has been during these first 7 months is by answering the questions I got to answer during my first weeks here which I shared in my very first article named “Hey, Dublin”.
So, dive into this experience with me and relive some of the craziest adventures I had the chance to live.
What were my challenges during this first semester? (Initially, the question was: What have your challenges been so far?)
Challenges. Yes, they do exist. And they are plenty.
When you are an immigrant (especially when you’re a Latino) in another country, things seem to be a little harder for you.
From dealing with xenophobia and homophobia in Ireland to dealing with hundreds of cultural shocks, I have learned to fit in while still being who I am. From immediately loving certain things, such as nature, and having to learn how to accept the things you hate, such as the weather, Ireland has not only become a place that I’ve called home, but also a place that I call “The process”. (I’ll talk a bit more about it at the end).
Housing
The first and biggest challenge was to find a decent place to stay. OMG. How hard was it to find one?
If you have kept up with the news, you have probably heard about Ireland’s biggest housing crisis.
“A growing number of English-language students are being forced to sleep on the streets, in cars, or on couches in friends’ homes because they cannot find rental accommodation after traveling to Ireland.” Irish Examiner
Sadly, hundreds of thousands of international students have left Ireland because they couldn’t find a place to stay. It has been that hard, and it seems to be getting even worse. So, to find a decent room, I had to go through hell.
To sum up my accommodation nightmare: I initially had one week booked at a hostel. Yes, you can call me crazy, but this is what most international students do. They’ll book their first 2 to 3 weeks in a hostel, then look for permanent residence. However, due to the crisis here, the possibility to find a place got even worse.
So, I found a place. But when I got there, the guy who I talked to was actually trying to transfer his vacancy to me. The landlord said no, and I couldn’t move in. I had all my luggage with me and this was my last day at the hostel. I panicked and tried to book another week. Every single room in every single hostel in Dublin (there aren’t many) was fully booked. I panicked and cried but started reaching out to as many people as possible.
Boom… I found a guy who was leaving a shared room and was allowed to transfer his vacancy to whoever he wanted. I talked to him and, voilà. Here I was. Now with a new place to live.
I breathed in and out. Now I had a place to sleep every night.
Moved in. I shared the room with 3 other amazing guys with whom I got very well. We cooked together sometimes, we did the grocery together, and we went out a few times. We borrowed and shared a few of our items with one another. We were a family. Though it sounds scary that I moved in with people I had never met before, it isn’t as bad as it seems to be.
Then, after one month and two weeks, we all received a message: “Y’all are going to have to leave the place”.
We found out that the contract was a fake contract and that the landlord wasn’t actually the landlord. We had been scammed. (A very common thing in Ireland. This country is full of scammers).
I panicked. Again.
“Omg, what am I gonna do?”
What I’ve always done: Fight hard until things work out.
I reached out to my friends and one of them shared the contact of a landlady who hosts people in her home. I texted her, told her about the whole situation, moved in the next day and I have been living here ever since. For 6 months now.
Did I overcome the challenge to find a place? I believe so. The place is very far though. One hour and ten minutes away from Dublin. But it is decent and it’s a private room and bathroom.
Jobs
“It’s easier to find a job in Ireland than it is to find accommodation”.
Everyone will tell you that about living here. And yep, it’s very true.
I found a job at a popular Irish burger restaurant in my second week, did the interview, did the trial, and got the job offer. It was that easy and simple.
How long did I work there?
I had plans to work there for just my first month. However, I have loved working there that I didn’t even leave.
Before I moved to Ireland I had 3 dream jobs: To work in a restaurant. To work as a barista. And to work as a receptionist in a hotel/hostel.
I might start looking for a different job next year as a barista. And of course, before I leave Ireland, I still have to make it as a receptionist.
What my hopes were (Did I achieve anything from this list?)
- To be happy
I remember when I wrote that in my first article. My biggest goal was to be happy. Regardless of what I’m doing, being happy is always my number one priority.
Have I achieved it?
The older I get and the more I live abroad, the more I realize that happiness is not a goal, it’s a journey. It’s my everyday life. It’s the little things. It’s what I choose to do and how I choose to do those things every day. So, yes. I’ve been very happy.
- To live with dignity
I love this word: Dignity. Something every human being deserves and has the right to have.
Whenever I felt like I had my dignity violated in Ireland, I made sure to fight for my rights and demand respect.
- To be able to travel within the country and to other European countries
Of course, this has been my favorite part of my experience. Yes, I have done that. However, not so much within Ireland. I found it a little hard to do it since I don’t have a car, and public transport here SUCKS. But I have done a lot of international traveling, and it has been amazing.
I have been to Northern Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria since I moved to Ireland. Yes, 8 countries in 7 months. That doesn’t sound bad, does it?
I’m still on the run to fulfil one of my life goals: to visit 30 countries before the age of 30.
My final thoughts
“Ireland has not only become a place where I’ve called home, but also a place where I call “The process” Gabriel Morse (me)
Well, I said earlier that I’d get back to this point…
Why did I say that?
Well, simply because I know that I don’t need to live in Ireland for many years to realize that it isn’t meant for me long-term. I am happy and I feel extremely blessed and grateful for everything I’ve experienced here, but I have realized that the universe brought me here for a reason: I’m here for a purpose and a purpose only. And I knew it since the beginning. It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I can never deny the fact that though Ireland is an incredible country and I’ve been living my life to the fullest, I am not meant to be here long-term.
There’s something about the energy and the vibe that I just don’t resonate with. As a gay man, as a Latino, as someone who wants to do a million things, personally, I don’t believe Ireland is for me.
“You belong to the mess and the mixture that the United States is all about” Mayra Ribeiro
That’s what one of my best friends told me once. I was venting to her telling her about all my frustrations about Ireland that were so personal, and then she said that.
I cannot deny how much I miss the U.S. I cannot deny how much I miss New York City. I cannot deny the fact that I miss living in the U.S. more than anything in my life. I am fully Brazilian, but moving to the United States at 18 and living there temporarily between 18 years old and 25 years old shaped my sense of belonging and made me the person I am today. I am who I am because of what I lived there.
“Ireland is too small for you.” My mom.
That’s another thing someone else (now this time being my mom) told me. She didn’t say that in a mean or negative way. She knows all the dreams that burn inside my heart. She knows how many of them there are and how there’s no way I can achieve all of them while being in Ireland.
“Gabe, maybe you’re here for a purpose.” Sarah O’Connor
I will never forget what one of my Irish teachers (who is also a poet, writer, and educator) told me.
I was venting to her in class (look at me with all of this venting), and these powerful words came out of her mouth.
What these 3 people who I love so much said served as a reminder of what I already knew.
Deep inside I knew that I’d use Ireland as a bridge that would connect me to my next step. (Me saying that Ireland today is home but also the place I call the process).
Deep inside I knew that at some point I’d have to go back to the U.S. or at least do something about this feeling of longing for America (My friend Mayra saying that I belong to the mess and mixture of the U.S.).
Deep inside I knew that Ireland was going to be too small for me (My mom said that). I have plans of learning Spanish in a Spanish-speaking country, living in South Africa, teaching English in Asia, working on a cruise ship… There’s no way Ireland will let me do all of that.
And that leads me to what my teacher Sarah said: “Maybe you’re here for a reason”.
Yes, I’m here for a reason. I know that without Ireland nothing I have dreamed and planned for my future will happen. NOTHING. Ireland is a very important part of my story. It is here that will allow me to go out into the world (again) and keep living my life to the fullest.
But what this first semester allowed me to realize is that I am here for a reason and very differently from so many people in my Latin community who moved here and will stay here for as long as they can, I know that I will stay here for a certain limited amount of time so I can achieve all the professional, personal, educational and spiritual goals I have chosen to achieve in Ireland.
This is why living abroad is so powerful. It allows you to learn so much about yourself and it gives you the opportunity to live your dreams in a way that would never be possible if you stayed back home.
So, thank you Ireland. You’ve been so good to me and I am thankful.
Cheers!
P.S. — Thanks for reading! If you found this article to be valuable, please clap and follow me! 👏👏👏
