The Misery Of Returned Immigrant.

Brendan Landers wrote this (EXPERIEMENTING WITH FEATURES SO YOU CLICK ON TITLE TO GET ARTICLEi'M BANGING ON ABOUT) article in the Irish Times recently and it really pressed my buttons. I find alot of the professional whining in the irish media really pathetic.

I tried to send a response to the article through the web-site.But can't make out if it sent or not.
They either got nada or 10 copies of the same thing....Nothing like repetition for emphasis.

So here is what I said................

The author and many respondents seem to expect Ireland to be some sort of Nirvana which has a responsibility to protect them from the rough and tumble of the economic cycle. Might I suggest he try Cuba next time.

Anyone who has emigrated and longed to return home, if they are mature, realises home is not perfect. But its imperfections are familiar ones. Like the worn heel on a favourite shoe.

Like the proverbial new shoe, one’s new country has a host of unfamiliar and bothersome imperfections….gradually you break them in.

When I first emigrated in 1991 to the USA, my new employer gave me a course on culture shock. The final part covers what seems to have affected your author and many of the respondents. Reverse culture shock: The difficulty fitting back in and dealing with your changed perspective on your home place.

I have since emigrated to Saudi Arabia and France and plan to return to Ireland again when the situation is optimum.

Each time I return I am reminded of the things I love about Ireland mainly its vibrancy. I also discover the things I miss about my host country, invariably the weather and out-door lifestyle.

My American friends are both unemployed since Christmas. They had a house repossessed following a local property bubble bursting in the 90s and a seven year credit black-out after that. Many of my US friends are in negative equity.
My Saudi ex-pat friends have all returned home to various countries, in the face of falling wages and increased political risks.
My French friends have a lot less money than their peers in Ireland. They live in small apartments with their families. Most can’t afford to use the ski-stations on their door-step.
The car de jour is the Fiat Panda complete with rusty bumper. Their health system is excellent but if you fail to pay your required supplement, my long-term Irish immigrant friend, informs me they will send in the bailiffs and take your TV.

Newsflash, Ireland is not Nirvana, never was. Nowhere is. But it is home, always will be.
Can we not admit we enjoyed the Celtic-tiger and face into the inevitable lean years admitting we are fat!