If you can believe it, I met Amanda when she worked at the place I now work! Her friendly and chatty demeanour attracted me to her, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at all interested in her accent. I’m always thrilled to meet expats in the places I live and now that we’ve repatriated, I was THRILLED to meet a like-minded soul – as she says below, making friends here can be difficult, so when I met another expat I was basically “BE MY FRIEND” at her!
Where were you born? I was born in Campbellford, Ontario and grew up in Pickering, Ontario
Where are you living? I live in Ballycarry, Northern Ireland, about 15 miles north of Belfast
How long have you been there? 11 years!! It’s the longest I’ve ever lived in one place
How long do you expect to be there? Forever, I guess, or until circumstances take me somewhere else
Where else have you lived? Pickering, Ontario, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Waterloo, Ontario, Edinburgh, Scotland
What you love about where you are living? I love my view. It’s what enticed me to buy my house in the first place, and everyday it makes me fall in love a little bit more. I love how if you drive pretty much anywhere you’re surrounded by greenery, history, and dramatic coastlines. I love the few friends I have who make living away from home (wherever that is) amazing. I love the cool community groups that are popping up and I’m getting involved in. I love how amazing the vegan and coffee scenes are right now; almost every week it feels like we’re getting something new and exciting. And I love the emerging low-waste and eco-friendly scene that’s growing at an amazing rate.
What is the worst thing about where you live? The weather. I miss having seasons, so, so much. Here, it’s just… well, varying degrees of rain. Cold rain in the winter, slightly less cold rain in the summer. Except for that one week of the year we get amazing weather….
The hardest part of living where you live? Being away from my family. I have 7 cousins back in Canada who are all getting married and having babies, and I’m definitely missing being part of their lives, regularly. Plus, there’s nothing like those friendships from high school and university… I miss the easy conversations about anything and everything. It’s always the same when we meet back up, but I miss them on the daily.
What has surprised you most about where you live? How hard it is to make friends. I don’t know if this is a “being an adult” thing, or to do with this country, but I’ve had friendships end completely out of the blue here on… well, let’s just say on more than one occasion. That’s why I’m cherishing the few that have lasted over the years.
Your biggest lesson learned? Don’t open a brick and mortar business in a town resistant to change. Definitely my biggest and my hardest lesson.
One reason you wouldn’t have missed living there for the world? It was nice being closer (location wise) to my grandparents during their last years. And I love being closer to my family on this side of the ocean – it’s really nice getting to know my aunt so much better and hang out on her farm! And being closer to my cousin’s and their families who live in England and Scotland.
The best food? Potato bread. Easy.
The best sight? The Antrim Coast Road on a bright, sunny, clear day.
Your biggest fear for the future? Brexit; losing free travel to Europe and all the other downsides that will come with exiting the European Union. Also that the dinosaur parties in government will forever get re-elected so no positive change for human and environmental rights to happen.
Funniest incident? The funniest thing has to be when my Mum and I went to Dublin for a few nights one December. We got extremely drunk together the first night we were there and ended up in the Temple Bar, chatting with these two Irish lads. They asked where we were from, and both of us said Canada. One of them looked at me and said, “no you’re not! With an accent like that, you sound like you’re from the feckin’ North!” Mum and I had a good laugh about this… At this point I’d only been living here a couple years!! The entire few days together here were an absolute blast — and definitely a huge bonding experience for us! — as we ended up being too hungover to enjoy the hop-on-hop-off bus tour we had booked the next day. Once those hangovers abated though, the rest of the trip was a blast!
What NOT to do in your location? I would probably recommend against the big tour companies that take you up the North Coast. Yes, they’re convenient and you get some history along the way, but they’re so fast and don’t give a lot of time to explore at your own pace. I’d always recommend hiring a car for a day or two and explore all the nooks and crannies the Coast Road has to offer.
The person who has inspired you most where you live and why? I’ve been in love with local company since they founded six or so years ago. I discovered Itty Bitty Book Co at the Belfast Christmas Market and got chatting with one of the owners (Al), and end up buying a beautiful print from them. Over the years I’ve picked up inspirational prints and gratitude journals for myself and friends. And in the last year, I’ve had the privilege of meeting Astra McNicholl in person and she has fast become one of my biggest inspirations and a really good friend! Astra’s commitment to bringing happiness and gratitude to Northern Ireland is wonderful. She’s focussed on tackling the mental health epidemic and has recently launched an initiative to provide schools across the country with gratitude journals for every single child. Astra is also an expat, from South Africa, and a total inspiration for positive energy and happiness in her everyday life. I love following her on social media (seriously, so many positive, wonderful posts!!) and every time I see her in person, I feel so refreshed with my life! Everyone needs a friend like Astra!
Best piece of advice you could give to newbie expats? Find a community of inspirational people. You’ll learn so many new things about Northern Ireland. I’m recently involved in Lean In Belfast, and only wish I’d found them earlier. These women have changed my perspective on the country and just blow me away on the daily. Highly, highly recommend finding a group to support and share your struggles.
Anything else you want to add? Northern Ireland is a country on the brink of change! There are so many positive and progressive voices speaking up against the past violence and division that rocked the country. Of course, Northern Ireland isn’t without its problems, and these political and social issues that flare up every now and then, but change is happening. Together we can move forward into a brighter future.