…Go For a Beer

This year I became an Irish citizen, an event today marked by a (virtual) citizenship ceremony. It’s been almost 8 years to the day since I first landed in Dublin.

Back in 2013…

Little did I know about Emerald Isle back then. It’s home to Guinness, that expensive beer we have only on special occasions. I used to have a small glass of Guinness after passing major exams in college – it was THAT expensive. Ireland is also home to one of the best bands of all time – The Cranberries (you didn’t think I’d say U2, did you?). Oh, and Ireland is those annoying guys who always win the Eurovision (seriously, 1994?).

Back in December 2013, I was supposed to go for a job interview in Dublin. I didn’t think much of it; it was just a trip at someone else’s expense; a chance to see a part of the world I had never been to.

I landed in Dublin on Dec 19th. The runner in me decided to follow the same rules for a 7-hr job interview as it would have for a long run – carbs are the key. Both the runner and the engineer in me agreed on a dinner that consisted of a sandwich and that dark elixir of magic – Guinness. After all, this was a special occasion. I was in a foreign country, about to do an interview with one of the major tech companies.

If this is a nice day, what does a bad day look like?

When the alarm clock woke me up at 8:30 the next morning, I thought the clock must have gotten stuck somewhere between the time zones – it was pitch black outside! Sleepily, I peeked outside; the traffic did seem too heavy for 6 am. I got up and googled “Dublin time now”. Google confirmed my fear – it was indeed 8:32 am. After a light breakfast (never eat too much before a long run an interview), I asked the receptionist to call me a cab. She said the office was close by and, given it’s a nice day, I’d be better off walking. It was dark and gloomy, and I was thinking – if this is a nice day, what does a bad day look like?

After the marathon interview, I crashed. Luckily, I still had another day left to explore Dublin.

The next day, my brief walk around the city center was cut short by the rain. I contemplated doing some more sightseeing but decided to have a beer instead. In a pub, I met a group of people and joined them for a drink. We were talking and drinking and joking. I learned there was other beer besides Guinness – hello Smithwicks. I also learned that the Irish make a really good whiskey – enter Tullamore Dew. As the rain was pouring and the dark has settled outside, inside I was having one of the best nights of my life, the night that would change the course of my life.

Should I stay or should I go?

Not having seen much of Dublin, I returned to Croatia. A few days later, I got a call from the recruiter saying I got the job. And so the decision process started. I didn’t really have a good reason to go – I had what you would consider a good life. At the same time – I had no reason *not* to go. A few days into my decision-making process, I told my close friend: “I just have this nagging feeling that I need to go”. Maybe I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t met that group of guys. Maybe I wouldn’t have met them if the rain hadn’t been pouring and I hadn’t decided to stop for a beer.

Either way – I packed my bags, booked that Ryanair flight, and in February 2014 landed in Dublin. As you might have guessed – it was raining and my eyes filled with tears. I couldn’t help but wonder – what did I get myself into?

Can’t help falling in love…

Little did I know that it was the beginning of two love stories. The first one was a romantic one. As it will have turned out, one of the guys I had met that night in a pub would become my boyfriend. Our love story was heavily intertwined with the second love story that was happening at the same time – a story of discovering a new culture, its people, its history, as well as its present. A story of learning new words, new phrases, the entire language, and cultural references began.

Over the years I’ve learned that the best song from one of the best bands of all time is in fact not about a mental illness. I’ve learned that hipstery pubs pride themselves on not serving Guinness. And honestly, looking at the recent Eurovision years, I wish Ireland from the 90s would win again.

While my first love story didn’t end up quite as I hoped it would, the other one left me with a home away from home, a sense of belonging, a new passport, and some amazing people I get to call friends.

In this crazy journey we call life, we sometimes unexpectedly find a home in places we were not born into, and family in people we are not related to.

Tonight we celebrate the homes we left behind, the new ones we found along the way, and the ones we’re yet to build! Sláinte