Yeah, suffice to say I learned a lot, so it was a great experience living abroad, and like you said, it was great to be able to share it with the little one.

As for getting back, yeah, it’s been a culture shock already, even back at the office. Takes some getting used to the pace again, and unlearning some Irish speaking-habits I picked up. One fellow already commented my accent sounds a bit different. ;p

i agree with another post-er above, that you guys will need to give yourselves some adjustment time to get settled again.
cheers!

Hi Jackieo, loved that little witticisms.

There are good ships, and there are wood ships, the ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be.

robby

Arunlikhati: That’s what prompted me to make the move in the first place. Very similar advice by people I knew at work who prodded me, plus my own desire to get out of West-Coast based thinking for a change.

Kyoshin Looking forward to seeing you in Seattle. Hope your flight is a safe one and not so tiring! Send me an email if you can with your plans and we’d be happy to meet you. Wife was wondering when you’d come.

Marcus Yeah, people we know who moved to Dublin in the 90′s swear by the massive changes that have undergone it. Wish I could have been there to see the contrast.

ロバート As the resident “Irish expert”, I was really glad you chimed in. I would argue that the changes and growth I saw in the last year alone, in spite of the bad economy this year, are a sign of resilience and growth. I got that impression from the same co-workers (all non-Dubliners) I talked to in the post. Things certainly slow down, and at the moment unemployment is getting pretty high, but I think things will adjust and the changes are irreversible. I sound pretty optomistic, but that’s my impression.

As for the backlash, my wife and her friends (Japanese who married Irish and lived there a long time), have experienced plenty of that backlash both in and out of Dublin, but compared to stories of other places in the EU like Belgium from these same ladies, it’s not nearly as bad. The West Coast has a long history of immigration, but the EU not so much (save a few places), so I think this is a new chapter for them.

Also, for the Dublin vs. Ireland comment, I know what you mean. I’ve heard all the jokes about Dublin since most of my co-workers are non-Dubliners, but also few deny that Co. Dublin has one-quarter to a third of Ireland’s population, so I bet changes there will gradually make there way out. No joke, once while driving in a remote part of the Co. Sligo area (for said wedding), we frequently saw Chinese restaurants right in the middle of really small towns that probably existed for centuries and never had any such thing. Small change, but fast-forward 50 years and we’ll see what happens.

In any case, glad to have been there, and to have experienced all this first-hand, among other things. Thanks for the poem too. I actually nkow that one well (in English, not Irish), as my mother used to tell me that one.

There has been a lot of change in Ireland due to the boom years. You have to wonder if it will be sustained now the bubble has burst. Although outside of Dublin Ireland has a very different character. I’m not sure Ireland is 100% comfortable with it’s new internationalism. (We changed our citizenship laws in the face of it)

A grandparent is enough to claim citizenship. Being famous is enough to be claimed as Irish. The most interesting (and a bit surprising) lately is Muhammad Ali.

Safe Journey.

I’ve been to Dublin a couple of times, but my trips were in the early 90′s I think. Perhaps the first was in the late 80′s. I can’t remember. Anyway, yes, I’ve heard a lot about how it’s changed since then. And, like you, would love to go back in the few decades to see what it looks likes then!

Have a safe trip home mate and all the best,

Marcus