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Category Archives: Emigrant/Immigrant Life
Playing the Skins: The Expat’s Second Chance At Life
As adults we rarely get the chance for a “do over”. When you move overseas, you are, to a greater or lesser extent, given the chance to change who you are. You can try on different masks, and be someone … Continue reading
I Am Moved By Water: Water and the Flow Of Migrants
I am moved, even haunted, by water. For me, the sea, lakes, rivers, canals, and streams have always had a special, almost mystical, pull. I am an infrequent sailor, an abysmal paddler, and a romantic wannabe live-aboarder. My life is … Continue reading
The Song Of My People: The Expat’s Guide to Foreign Language
For anyone traveling overseas, speaking the local language is not just useful, but may well save his or her life. For expats and immigrants, threading the needle of “becoming a local” (if that’s even possible) involves picking up not just … Continue reading
Stone Fences: Struggle, Sacrifice, and the Expat Life & Legacy
For the past week I’ve spent an hour or so every day digging in the garden, preparing a 4-foot by two-foot patch of ground for planting. Ever day, as I pull dozens and dozens of stones from the ground, I … Continue reading
Posted in Dublin Life, Emigrant/Immigrant Life, Immigration & Emigration, International Moving, Irish Countryside, Irish History, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life, Things to See in Ireland
Tagged emigration, expat (expatriate), home, immigration, Ireland, Irish Countryside, Irish Tourism, real estate, The Irish, travel
7 Comments
Why Ireland Is Better Than the United States: One Man’s Joy At Not Living Somewhere Slavishly Devoted To ‘The Individual’
After nearly three years of living in Ireland, the thrill and curiosity of not living in a superpower has dulled a bit, but still fascinates me. On a daily basis the need not to compete with everyone, and the need … Continue reading
Where Are We Going: Expectations of Life & Country
For migrants (emigrants and immigrants), notions of “destination” and “direction” are key. They are going someplace new, but, more importantly, they must concern themselves with where that place, their new home, is going. Is it going where they want it … Continue reading
The Right Question: Cultural Nuance For Migrants (and Others)
A thought has been gnawing at me. A question. Several, actually. I was recently at a gathering of folks from the travel industry, and struck up a conversation with a woman who has been, for lack of a better term, … Continue reading
We Come Bearing Gifts: Immigrant Contributions to Society
When I wrote about an incident of racial profiling that my wife and I suffered in Dublin, much of the feedback from Irish locals was along the lines of “Well of course we dislike ‘them’ (immigrants). They’re taking all the … Continue reading
Posted in Dublin Life, Emigrant/Immigrant Life, Home & A Sense of Place, Immigration & Emigration, International Moving, Irish Economy, Irish Life & Society, Modern Life, Politics
Tagged business startup, dining, emigration, entrepreneur, ethinic restaurants, ethnic food, ethnicity, expat (expatriate), foreign-owned business, home, immigration, imports, Ireland, Irish economy, life lessons, nationality, politics, real estate, travel, voting
4 Comments
Size Matters: The Peaks and Pitfalls Of Downsizing or Supersizing Your Country
It’s safe to say that when we moved from the United States to Ireland, we downshifted to a much smaller country and a much smaller economy. But, while Ireland may have fewer resources than the U.S., this immigrant uncovered a … Continue reading
Posted in Dublin Life, Emigrant/Immigrant Life
Tagged America, culture & society, Dublin, emigration, expat (expatriate), HSE, immigration, Ireland, Irish economy, United States
3 Comments