Each month in Home from Home we ask someone to compare Dublin with another city in which they have lived. Sometimes they are Irish who have lived (or are still living) abroad, sometimes they are expatriates in Dublin. This month we spoke with writer Yahaira Reyes, originally from the Dominican Republic who has recently made Dublin her home after over a decade living, studying and working in Amsterdam.
You lived in Amsterdam for more than a decade and for Dublin for under a year – what are the major differences between these two capital cities?
Well when it comes to the architecture, Amsterdam has a more fairy tale look than Dublin, and although they are both small and very easy to cover by foot because of the larger buildings in Dublin, the city looks bigger, broader. In my eyes Dublin looks like an American city and Amsterdam like the typical old European town.
You yourself were an immigrant in the Netherlands and now one in Ireland, two countries at very different stages of multi-culturalism. How welcoming were each of them?
Both of them were welcoming in very different ways. Perhaps precisely because they are at different stages their attitude is different. In Amsterdam, foreigners of all shapes and sizes are an old and strong part of the country’s policy of “open mindedness”; you arrive, you are accepted because that’s just the norm and you quickly become another soul in the city. In Dublin, there is still this curiosity towards foreigners, there are more of us here now than a few years back but there is not yet a strong integration between cultures as in the Netherlands. I think the welcoming behaviour in Ireland is part curiosity and part genuine interest in people who are different than you.
I imagine there is a far smaller Caribbean community in Dublin than in the Amsterdam given the Netherlands’ links with Suriname. Is there one at all? Who do you find yourself integrating with over here? Other ex-pats or locals or a mix of both perhaps?
No, I don’t think there is even a “community” for Caribbean people, There are Caribbean people here but not enough of us to create a community. Anyway, I don’t focus too much on nationality when I’m trying to make friends, if we can have a fun conversation, I’ll probably be your friend pretty quick and be interested in your story. I have Irish and ex-pats in my friends circle.
What do you miss about the Netherlands’ that you cannot find in Dublin?
Well because the Netherlands, actually Amsterdam in particular has been so diverse for decades, the availability of products from all over the world is very strong. I have been scanning Dublin for specific hair and body products with no luck… it is maddening to think I have to go to Amsterdam just to get my special hair gel and leave-in!
That said you do like Dublin – seeing as you moved here! What are you favourite things about your recently adopted city?
Where to start? Maybe a story of my first day in Dublin: I was lost in the city, looking for the PPS office around Parnell street, not a clue where I was. I took a deep breath, let go of my crippling shyness (sometimes) and asked an old lady for directions. The lady didn’t just said, turn left or right, she took charge in a magnificent way! After thinking for a minute, she actually was surprised there was a PPS office around there, so she grabbed my hand and said: “Let’s find it!” We went to a hospital near Parnell square and asked there, and then she walked with me to the office, while on the way she told me stories of her growing up in Dublin; how a girl give birth right in front of that hospital because she ran out of time and why she was allowed to walk in the middle of the street (“It’s my city so I’ll walk where I want to.”) As I walked away towards the entrance of the office, she stood there watchful making sure I made it. Tell me, who doesn’t fall in love with people who act like this? This was not an isolated incident, the kindness of your people is beautiful and it was what I was looking for! For the rest, you have a beautiful island, a strong artistic culture and people who are good craic… what else could I want?
Words: Ian Lamont / Photo: Carlos Acosta
