Ireland has become the fastest growing diaspora community for Croatians in the last few years. Before you jump on the next plane, some wise words from TCN's correspondent in Ireland on May 8, 2016.
Every once in awhile we get a call from someone who knows someone that we know or just with the connection that we are Croats, and that person wants to move from Croatia to Ireland. There is always some sad story behind, the story that we can relate to, just knowing what the current situation with jobs and economy in our home country is. It is heart breaking that a father of three who has a job in Croatia can not survive with his family in an apartment that he owns, with living parents and relatives who can help them. Every time I hear some similar story, I wish to help all of them, and at the same time, I am very upset, furious about the current situation, about the stuff that is going on and that I can’t change on my own.
But in all that, I try to advise people that Ireland is NOT some safe paradise island where everything will be all right. Seems to me that there is some bad stuff spreading through out the verbal network or virtual network, about mythical Ireland, land of jobs, and fulfilled dreams. I can only imagine that something like this was in people’s minds when they were taking dangerous travels across the Atlantic to America in the late 19th, early 20th century.
When I read in todays news from Zadar, that the band Postolari even published their new song about Croatians moving to Ireland and it goes something like this:
“They tell me that there you can find a job the same day you arrive,
and you can live as a gentleman only if you want,
grass is green and here everything dies even the will for life,
we are leaving early in the morning with the first flight,
we are flying to Dublin,...”
It prompts me to write this article, just to warn people to use their common sense. Ireland is different and beautiful, but in the same time has its own problems. It is not a paradise land, or a land of fulfilled dreams. Ireland needs experts in a very narrow sector, but that’s it. To move to Ireland with the idea that 200 EUR will be enough to find a job, to rent a place to live, even for the beginning it is completely foolish and it will lead into dangerous situations. Croats in Ireland until now, have a very good, “hard working, wise, funny people” reputation. If there will be newcomers with such foolish ideas of easy going life in Ireland, I wonder how damaging will those excursions from Croatia (drop in with 200 EUR in their pocket) actual harm the Croatians already living and working in Ireland?
I can’t predict the faith of anybody, but common sense is - you are supposed to have very good information, a job, a plan how to live independently at least three months in the country if you could not find a job immediately and to do a good research what is the current salary for the job position that you are looking to find, to calculate the expenses…
Do not think that any country will give you a paradise life that you are looking for. Every country has their own problems. It is a compromise what you expect to find, and what you are prepared to accept. It is a new culture and you are a foreigner. You need to know about the country that you are moving to. The common sense is at least you have to understand and speak the language. The tragedy of a Croat, a true story that was told to me, seeing an elderly guy standing in the queue to get his PPS number, not understanding the language. The lady is trying to explain the guy what he needs to do and he was just standing there repeating: PPS, PPS. That is heart breaking. Can you imagine what desperate situation forced that old man to come to Ireland without anybody to help him?
So, today not a happy story from me. Sorry.
