A global pandemic has been hitting the world for more than a year. Traveling - if possible at all - is a small nightmare with COVID tests, quarantines, and calls from local health authorities. Restaurants, shops, pubs, museums are still closed in many countries. The highlights of my day are the walk to the supermarket and a walk along the canal in my neighborhood. Over the past couple of months, I have lived through various degrees of lockdowns with a radius of 2 km, 5 km, curfews, and police controls. Don't get me wrong - I understand why all of this is necessary. But locked away in my shared apartment in Dublin is certainly not how I envisioned my life as an expat in Ireland.
How It Started
Thankfully, I relocated from Germany to Ireland in 2018, so way before the pandemic hit. I am grateful to say that I did get to experience the country and the culture as it usually is - I went to pubs in Temple Bar, hiked in the Wicklow National Park, went out with colleagues after work, did the 12 pubs of Christmas and celebrated St. Patrick's Day. Yes, being an expat is not always easy - you have to battle culture shocks and homesickness but there are ways to make it work. And let's face it - making things work abroad is a lot easier when you can go to the office, meet people, plan fun weekend trips and get to share the great experience when friends and family are visiting.
How It's Going
Living abroad during a global pandemic? Not so fun. All of a sudden you have to rely on a foreign government to manage a country through a crisis. I actually think Ireland has done an okay job with handling COVID, but in the beginning, I was slightly nervous - simply because I did not know what the Irish government would do, not being familiar with the political players compared to my home country.
And yes, of course I know I cannot see my family every day living in a different country - but all of a sudden I couldn't even physically go - even if I wanted to. Airlines were canceling their flights and countries were closing their borders. Being from a European country and while living in another European country, I think the situation was still comparably bearable. I have many friends who moved back to their home countries or changed their plans somehow because of countries locking down their borders. The pandemic has affected expats around the globe.
All of a sudden I realized, that being three flight hours away from my family can seem like a different planet and I worried what would happen if someone back home got sick and I couldn't go see them. My inner 12-year old immediately raised the question who - if not my mom - would take care of me if I got sick?
Where it’s heading.
The past year has not been what I imagined my life to be. The pandemic is an experience in itself, and living through it in a different country and culture can be especially scary and annoying. For a year I have been working from my bedroom in an apartment in Dublin. I don't have many exciting things to report, because I have barely left the city due to the lockdown radius the Irish government implements during high lockdown stages. I don't regret my choice of moving to Ireland, even though the current expat experience is not what I had hoped for. But we are all in this together. I am ready for the pandemic to be over and when it does, I am looking forward to more exploring!
What is your experience - abroad or at home - during the pandemic?
Kate recommends: A chose-your-own-adventure-book. If you can't go out and explore, at least those are great entertainment at home!