9 cultural shocks Italians experience when moving to Ireland
Hi! My name is Margherita and on the 1st of September I moved to Dublin as an Italian student from Bologna. I can tell you that was an awesome change, but a little bit shocking. Although Italy and Ireland share European identity, they have different cultures, traditions and history. Even if I was struck by the attractiveness of Dublin, the abundance of job opportunities here in Ireland and the richness of Irish cultural heritage, the first few days were an eye-opening culture shock. I’ll explain it to you now, enjoy reading!
1) The Weather
One of the most immediate and impactful culture shocks is the weather: you instantly realise that you have passed from days of full sun and relatively warm temperatures (thanks to Italy’s Mediterranean climate) to absolute randomness: in fact, you can’t be prepared in Ireland if it suddenly starts to rain and half an hour later maybe the sun brightens up and it’s “summer”. This has an impact on everyday life too, because it can be frustrating to rearrange plans at the last minute: it’s difficult to keep up with the unpredictable!
2) Food Traditions
When it comes to food traditions Italy is really proud of its cuisine, made of fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, oil, vegetables, pasta, seafood and much more. Also we give such importance to sharing meals with family members and friends and spending time at the table solving problems and talking about life. For this special tradition which I carry on my shoulders, I’ve found it strange at the beginning that Irish people often have meals on their own, quickly and without conversation. It’s also common to see Irish people get a takeaway coffee, unlike in Italy, where you will see more people sitting, drinking coffee and chatting.
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3) LANGUAGE BARRIERS
While English is widely spoken in Ireland, the Irish accent and local slang are difficult to understand for non-native speakers. But I think it can be a fun personal challenge to learn the Irish dialect thanks to local people.
4) FASHION
In Italy we have to say that fashion is a thing. A crucial thing. Our main cities are centres of relevance to the fashion industry. We like styling our clothes before going out. For example, for me it’s important if I choose one specific piece of jewellery over another: it makes quite a difference! I noticed moving here to Dublin that people care less about how they look. Don’t get me wrong, I think this way of living is very admirable. Still in certain circumstances I want to prioritise aesthetics over practicality, because a little sense of style and an elegant formality never hurt anyone.
5) Work-Life Balance and Work Culture
Another interesting point that I noticed concerns work-life balance and work culture. The Irish environment can be often more relaxed towards hierarchy and may have a flat organisational structure. In Italy we have many workplaces where the pecking order must be respected and the formal titles play an important role.
6) Pubs and Drinking Culture
For Irish people pubs are the heart of their social life. Pubs are places where you can connect with people, share stories and build memories. As an Italian student, I was really impressed by the atmosphere I could find in pubs and that wasn’t familiar to me. It’s a completely different thing because in Italy it’s more likely that what happens here in a pub, would happen at a table during dinner time and this could last for hours. Also you can find Irish people drinking Guinness at any time of the day and this thing always surprises me, like how do they do that?
7) University and Education
In Ireland they have a dissimilar educational system, starting from the tests or the physical structure of the colleges. Italian universities appear less modernised and in the majority of courses the professors require the student to take an oral exam (here instead you have to submit many assignments). Also we have no clubs or societies in many colleges: universities in larger cities are the exception. In my personal opinion, in Ireland they have a more welcoming and stimulating environment to fully live the university experience.
8) The Cost of living
I admit that I have prepared myself for the high cost of practically everything in Dublin, but it is still tough. I’m not used to spending high amounts for products that don’t seem worth it. In Italy we have a lower cost of living compared to Ireland. Of course, it varies significantly by region, but overall for me it’s more manageable to live in Italy.
9) More multicultural, more foreigners, more languages
The last thing I want to stress and that I think is fascinating and inspiring is the amount of foreign people you can find in Dublin, along with the different cultures and languages. Everyday I love that I can hear several different accents in town and eat typical dishes from various countries of the world. You can say that Ireland has a friendly and open environment for expats. I think in Italy you can live the same experience but more in the largest cities, where many internationals come.
What culture shock did you experience when you moved to another country? Tell me your story in the comments!
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