I had an opportunity to live in Ireland for four months where I felt I belong to nowhere now. First, I lived in Sri lanka for about 26 years (home country) and the feeling I get in Sri Lanka is different no matter how bad the current situation is in Sri Lanka (political and economical). Because, that is where all my family, relations, neighbors and most friends are and from. Then I moved to US and felt it was great. But when time passed by, I felt that liking a country is different than where you belong. That is, I like US but I belong to Sri Lanka.
Then for past four months, I lived in Ireland and then I further realized that now I am becoming lost. Ireland's culture and community is closer to what I used to be. That is, it is a Catholic country (even though Sri Lanka is not a Catholic country, my environment was) and people loved to have little communities and engage more in social activities and casual chats where in US people are more independent as I observed. I used to go mass while I was in Ireland to the Sacred Heart church at Westside, Galway. The church atmosphere and people reminded me my home church and mass I went when I was there and a kid with my parents and family. I do not know how to explain, but I felt like it is much closer to Sri lanka than US. Event the sermons were closer to what I heart in Sri Lanka. May be its just what I imagine or may be it is the reality that Ireland culture is closer to south Asian culture (in catholic communities I mean). This may be because many missionaries from Ireland and Europe built Catholic communities in the Asian countries in the recent past.
First few weeks were harder for me to adjust as I had to walk about 3 kms everyday to work (one way) the weather was almost uniform. That is, it was always the same temperature between 0 and 10 C. neither you get snow or feel warm. the houses were built using cement and bricks and hence it feels much colder inside. Heating systems are working using oil and pipe line heating. In Ireland, it was always drizzling or raining with wind. Always and always it was. If I take weather prediction for a day during January to March, everyday it was raining between hours breaks. Sometimes I started walking in no-rain condition and when half way through, it starts raining. So weather, I didn't like at all.
Well, people are in general, most of them are friendly and helpful. There are always outliers. One day, when I was trying to get 404 bus to work I accidentally got into 405 bus. That was the first time I was trying to get into a bus to find out the route. That driver was so rude, I asked "can I go to business park?", he said "get in, I dnt know". When I was getting coins to pay the fare, he was annoyed. He should have noticed that I am a stranger and may be I don't know the ticket cost. So I had to just get alone and realized that it was going in the wrong road and then got off from the next bus stop and walked again to work. That was really really rude of him. Other than that very selfish, self obsessed bus driver, I think many others I met (Irish people) are very nice.
When months passed by, I became to realize that I am feeling I am in cultural dilemma. I was raised in Sri Lanka, living in US and experiencing Irish culture. That was the period that reminded me, I actually belong to Sri Lanka and my values are coming from there rather than from any other country. But, in the end I feel like, I like US and from Sri lanka but do not like Europe to live in for a long period :).
First few weeks were harder for me to adjust as I had to walk about 3 kms everyday to work (one way) the weather was almost uniform. That is, it was always the same temperature between 0 and 10 C. neither you get snow or feel warm. the houses were built using cement and bricks and hence it feels much colder inside. Heating systems are working using oil and pipe line heating. In Ireland, it was always drizzling or raining with wind. Always and always it was. If I take weather prediction for a day during January to March, everyday it was raining between hours breaks. Sometimes I started walking in no-rain condition and when half way through, it starts raining. So weather, I didn't like at all.
Well, people are in general, most of them are friendly and helpful. There are always outliers. One day, when I was trying to get 404 bus to work I accidentally got into 405 bus. That was the first time I was trying to get into a bus to find out the route. That driver was so rude, I asked "can I go to business park?", he said "get in, I dnt know". When I was getting coins to pay the fare, he was annoyed. He should have noticed that I am a stranger and may be I don't know the ticket cost. So I had to just get alone and realized that it was going in the wrong road and then got off from the next bus stop and walked again to work. That was really really rude of him. Other than that very selfish, self obsessed bus driver, I think many others I met (Irish people) are very nice.
When months passed by, I became to realize that I am feeling I am in cultural dilemma. I was raised in Sri Lanka, living in US and experiencing Irish culture. That was the period that reminded me, I actually belong to Sri Lanka and my values are coming from there rather than from any other country. But, in the end I feel like, I like US and from Sri lanka but do not like Europe to live in for a long period :).
