Ex-Pats

Dublin has become quite a cosmopolitan city, so it’s no surprise to hear a fellow Yankee accent on the street. Around any office, or in the streets that join them, a listener is sure to hear people speaking French, German, Spanish, or even more alien tongues like Chinese and Canadian.

So, to answer a FAQ, Yes. If you move to Ireland or come for a visit, it is possible to hear a friendly, familiar voice. It is possible to make friends with fellow Americans who now call Dublin their home.

As to our numbers, I haven’t a clue. If pumpkin pie filling is any indicator, Dublin is full of DFA’s. Every can of the stuff is gone weeks before Thanksgiving, and all the store clerks in Dunnes shake their heads in disgust and say "You people just keep coming and coming in, asking for that horrible shite."

The Irish have an ambivalent attitude toward America. We take a lot of slagging, mainly over stuff done by clueless tourists or George W. Bush. Some people have been openly hostile about intrudin’ foreigners- though no more so, it must be said, than when I moved to Louisiana. But at the end of the day, the majority of the people that a friendly joe will meet have a relative who has emigrated to the US. Or they have worked over there themselves, or rattle on about how they would love to do so. It always amazes me, how many USA tee shirts I see Irish people wearing around Dublin.

Life in Ireland is very much like life in the US, in the topics that matter. The language, standard of living, social norms and morals are the same, if with a different accent. Affinity for beer is the same in Ireland as it is in the US, which takes social situations great leaps and bounds toward common ground.

So, it’s easy enough to be a Yank in Dublin. Most new acquaintances ask, "Don’t you miss home?" The answer is "No, not really. Certain people and certain things, but I don’t miss it in general."

Here’s the good and the bad of being an ex-pat:

What Sucks for DFAs in Dublin

• The second question in any conversation, when meeting someone: "Oh, so where are you from? That’s just super! So, do you like Ireland?" It’s a bit annoying to know how every conversation for the rest of your life will run.

• Having to personally answer for every stupid decision that some flimsy, arrogant, hypocritical sell-out of a bastard makes in the motel rooms of Washington or Texas.

• Dublin’s Canadians- my mate Terry, prime example- make a big point of telling everyone they meet that they are not Americans. I say, Thank God! I don’t want anyone thinking we DFA’s run around calling each other "hoser."

• There are no Oreos or Triscuits in Dublin. Worse, there are no good pretzels. The hard sourdough pretzels, big salt crystals sparkling like diamonds--- completely unknown, over here. I miss them damn things.

• Litter. The Pogues weren’t joking, with "Dirty Old Town." Coming from American standards, it annoys the hell out of me to see parents and their kids chucking wrappers on the ground without a thought.

• There is some official paperwork that’s hell. Thanks God that jumping through those hoops only takes a few days each year.

What’s Cool for DFAs in Dublin

• OK, so there’s no pretzels. Ireland has Tayto and the best sausages on earth. Cadbury’s chocolate, too.

• Guinness, fresh from the font. My mate Halto just returned from his first visit to the US. Had a blast on the whole, but (to quote) "The Guinness over there is muck."

• Redheads- O, the destructive power and the brilliant glory!

• No random shootings.

• Irish newspapers always have excellent coverage of US events, and many of the TV shows are straight from Hollywood. (True, we do have to put up with some British TV, but it is easy enough to avoid.) It’s easy to stay up to date with what’s going on back home. Oftentimes I’ll surf onto NPR’s website, and listen to the same broadcast I’d hear back in Florida or New York.

It’s going to be strange, having my kids call me "Da" with an Irish accent. All the same, I wouldn’t trade. Ireland is changing more and more every day. It’s becoming more and more like the US. I hope that enough of this country I’m loving is still around, as they grow up.

--Completed 4 July, 2001

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