Two Peas in a Pod

“You’re not here/there yet, but I can already tell you that you won’t want to leave…” these were (approximately) the words that a number of people told me before I moved to Ireland. These were the words from people who either live here, or had spent some time here. And these words turned out to have a lot of truth to them. I’ve only been here just over six weeks now and I’ve fallen in love with Ireland. It’s stolen a little piece of my heart and the last thing I want to think about is the fact that I’ll have to leave.

I do have an inkling as to why I’ve grown so fond of this country – it has a lot of similarities to New Zealand. So, in light of that, I’ve decided to write about just how similar my home country and my adopted home are.

1. Both countries are “island” nations, surrounded by coastlines, much of which is simply stunning (much of which I also have yet to explore).

2. NZ and Ireland both have a native language, Maori and Irish respectively, that isn’t spoken outside of the country. It is also taught in schools, but the number of people who can speak it fluently would be a minority.

3. Because of these native languages, both countries have some town names that are pretty tough to understand. Unlike NZ however, many Irish towns that I’ve seen so far seem to have Irish and English versions. Not all of them though…for example there’s Dun Laoghaire, pronounced “Dun Leery”. An example in NZ is also the longest place name in the world: Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu (okay that might be an extreme example…)

4. The population of each nation is actually very similar, with a difference of around 125,000 people.

5. From what I’ve heard, many Kiwis and Irish seem to explore other countries more than they do their own. I’ve been to places here that some of the locals have never even visited, and I’ve lost track of the number of people who I’ve told to visit various attractions in NZ while they’re there, yet I’ve still only seen photos of many of those places.

6. We’re all fond of a drink or two (or three), but as yet I haven’t concluded my research into who holds their alcohol better. Watch this space…

7. On that note, both countries have a number of Irish Pubs. Oh wait, they’re just pubs here in Ireland…

8. NZ and Ireland both have a multitude of fish and chip shops, and it’s an extremely popular form of takeaway. There’s no questioning who I think does it better though…

9. Finally, as always, my favourite part: the people. Kiwis and the Irish are some of the most down to earth, genuine and welcoming people I’ve ever met, and I can testify to the fact that we seem to get along pretty well.

So you might now have some sort of an idea why I love living in Ireland so much. It’s ironic really, because Ireland was never part of the plan, and it was kind of last minute. But as we all know, you can’t often predict the best things that will happen, and these things seem to happen for a reason.

Over the next little while I hope to write more about my time here in Ireland – this blog may have slowed down a little over the last few weeks, but I haven’t. So until then…

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of knowing and loving people in more than one place.” – Miriam Adeney

That’s all for now,

Jordyn x

(Below are just a few snaps from my recent trip to the seaside village, Howth. Click here to see more photos from my first six weeks in Ireland).