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. For the Irish abroad, the Pacific Northwest is probably the least-explored corner of the continental United States, despite its familiar wet climate and laid-back atmosphere. Ella Jordan paints a picture of an America more typical than the parodies of Portlandia, but with the easy-going (if less hardbitten) nature of our own city.
So why did you choose Portland for your J1?
An American friend suggested Portland as somewhere easy-going yet lively without all the chaos of New York. The more I looked into it, the more good stuff it seemed to have going on: food, live music, public transport, cycling, an actual *hot* summer and one of the States’ biggest independent bookshops. I liked the idea of going somewhere that I really knew nothing about, but it still being America that unfamiliarity would be more intriguing than intimidating.
What did they make of a Dubliner spending her summer there?
Most people weren’t too familiar with the concept but past the introductory conversations about being Irish I don’t think people paid too much attention to it as so many people there aren’t originally from Portland. Ireland is seen through a fairly stereotypical lens: booze, leprechauns etc. But Americans do see it as a friendly, open place and people weren’t too aware of any of Ireland’s political, economic or social issues. The craic and our friendliness form the typical image they hold of Ireland, never the doom and gloom that seems to be an intrinsic component of our character.
You were working in an Irish pub as a hostess, and had to be “quintessentially Irish”. What did that entail?
Well firstly all the obvious stuff: red hair, pale skin and Irish accent. There were incredulous customers who thought I must be putting on the accent because what were the chances that a real Irish girl would ever work in an Irish pub.
You’ve said before that you’d like to live long-term in Portland after college but at the same time you can see yourself settling in Ireland. Why makes you think this and will Ireland will always be home?
Portland is super easy-going and there is a real enthusiasm and pride for the city that I think is true of Dublin too, even if our pride is rooted in cynicism and dry wit. I hope I’ll live in a city that has friendly, interesting people who take pride in enjoying their city, so if it’s a choice between Dublin and Portland I can’t complain.
Words & Photo: Laura Gozzi
