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Being a foreigner in Ireland
True life: Moving to Donegal has been quite an experience.
Last year I moved to Donegal. For me, a young Shelia from down under it has been quite an experience. I come from Canberra, a city of 300,000 odd and the political capital of Australia. It is a well-planned and modern inland city.
Ballyshannon, the oldest town in Ireland is worlds away. The cute and ever so charismatic buildings that have sprung up in rows go this way and that, and lead to a town with a rather interesting (and very unique) traffic arrangement. The sense of community in Ballyshannon is incredible. Living with a family involved with the drama and musical societies, just seeing the turn out at Gaelic club events, and being involved with community projects gives me a feeling of acceptance in a community which I do not really belong to.
I attend the local community Secondary school Colaiste Colmcille - when I first came here I couldn't even pronounce the name! School here is very different… at home I have never sat an exam. The odd test sure, and sometimes a test worth up to 40% of my grade, however mostly grades are given by “ongoing assessment” so all your work is marked and goes towards your final score.
I see my peers at school (here) almost tearing out their hair with stress come exams. I don't blame them at all there; trying to sum up 12 years at school with a mere two weeks of data. That's crazy! In some parts of Australia they do the HSC but it's a mixture of exams and other assessment. In my Secondary school life in Australia I have also never had to wear a uniform, and I will tell you a uniform is SO much easier than having to think about what to wear in the morning. I think its great!
One thing that really shocked me when I came here was the amount of drinking that went on with people my age and younger (also older). That the way to have a good night is to go out and get as blotted as possible, so you don't even remember! It actually disgusts me and makes me worry about the number of liver failures in young people that will occur in years to come. I'm not denying that people get drunk in Australia; in fact it is a problem. But here it's an epidemic!
On St Patrick's day I ran into drunk people at like 11 in the morning, and was still running into them at 4pm the next day still dressed for the night before – and still drinking! But for all my bitchin' the Irish do know how to celebrate!
Leaving my house in Australia it was surrounded by a dirt pit which used to be our lawn, the big gums coved in sulphur-crested cockatoos making the biggest racket there ever did was. My home is not so much a very hot place but a very dry one. It is the complete opposite to the dramatic green landscapes of Donegal. Sometimes I do feel a million miles from home. But mostly I feel like I have found my second one.
By: Alice Steele
This article is part of the SpunOut.ie true life stories section – a space for young people to share their experiences of tough times and encourage others to seek help. This story is just one person's experience and it may be different for you. Remember that no matter what you are going through, there is help and support available. See the Find help section for more information: http://www.spunout.ie/help/
