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French Expat In Ireland - Expat Interview With Ketty
| Published: | 6 Nov at 7 PM |
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Filed: Interviews,Ireland
Ketty Elisabeth is a French expat who moved to Dublin in 2004 to live the Celtic Tiger dream. After her studies in Tourism she settled in Ireland where she met her Irish other half, 4 weeks after she arrived. Ketty works in the tourism industry and have travelled extensively to over 40 countries in the world. Dublin has loads to offer and she loves going to the theatre, gigs, art exhibitions and any cultural events that the Irish capital has to offer. She's also a foodie and writes about food on her blog called French Foodie in Dublin (see listing here)
Where are you originally from?
The Loire Valley region in France.
In which country and city are you living now?
Dublin, Ireland.
How long have you lived here and how long are you planning to stay?
I’ve been living here for the last 8 years and I have no intention of leaving.
Why did you move and what do you do?
I fell in love with Dublin during a short trip to Ireland in 2004 and always wanted to live in an English-speaking country. I work in the travel industry.
Did you bring family with you?
No
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?
I thought it was quite easy to settle in Dublin. It’s a capital but very small. It was easy to meet people from the start. Obviously, at the beginning the language was the biggest challenge but I learnt fast.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I moved when I was 21 and it was easy to meet people my age because Dublin is very popular with Erasmus students. I met people from everywhere in the world that’s why I loved it. The best places to meet people have always been workplaces, parties and pubs. I socialise with a mix of expats and Irish people.
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
The must-sees are: Dublin Castle, Temple bar area, Guinness factory, Trinity College and Kilmainham Gaol. There are pretty towns by the seaside that are very close to Dublin like Howth, Malahide, Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire. Ireland’s countryside is stunning with many amazing sights like the Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula.
What do you enjoy most about living here?
I find life easy. People are laid-back and easy going, they know how to have fun. There is no heavy bureaucracy like in France and the work environment is more casual. I love that Dublin is cosmopolitan.
Also Ireland is well located to travel anywhere in the world, weekends away are so easy to organize.
How does the cost of living compare to home?
Rents are certainly more expensive and the healthcare system like dentists and GPs are much more expensive than in France.
What negatives, if any, are there to living here?
The negative is to be missing moments with my family and friends but Ireland and France aren’t far from each other so I’m lucky enough to be able to go home regularly. I’m not the biggest fan of the Irish healthcare.
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving here, what would it be?
Don’t only socialize with people from your country, I avoided French people for a long time which helped in my learning of the language and my immersion in the Irish culture.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
For me the hardest is to see people leaving Dublin, this is the downside of having expat friends because people eventually go back to their country.
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?
- Research basic information like healthcare, social security number, looking for accommodation, opening a bank account before you move
- Learn the language: if you’re moving to a country where people don’t speak your language, try to take some classes before you go, it helps you to integrate.
- Don’t let the Irish weather get you down
- Have hobbies that make you meet locals
- Don’t compare your new place to your home country. Food/culture/language/weather/people don’t have to be like where you are from. You need to adapt.
Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
My blog is a food blog. I’m writing about French food in Dublin but also posting restaurants reviews, recipes and foodie tips about Dublin and everywhere I travel to.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
You can contact me through my blog, Facebook or Twitter.
Ketty has her expat blog called French Foodie in Dublin http://frenchfoodieindublin.blogspot.co.uk/ which is very worthy of a visit. She can be found on Twitter @FrenchfoodieinD. French Foodie in Dublin has an ExpatsBlog.com listing here which would love a nice review if you can spare a quick moment! If you liked this interview with Ketty, please also drop her a quick note below.
Here's the interview with Ketty...
Where are you originally from?
The Loire Valley region in France.
In which country and city are you living now?
Dublin, Ireland.
How long have you lived here and how long are you planning to stay?
I’ve been living here for the last 8 years and I have no intention of leaving.
Why did you move and what do you do?
I fell in love with Dublin during a short trip to Ireland in 2004 and always wanted to live in an English-speaking country. I work in the travel industry.
Did you bring family with you?
No
How did you find the transition to living in a foreign country?I thought it was quite easy to settle in Dublin. It’s a capital but very small. It was easy to meet people from the start. Obviously, at the beginning the language was the biggest challenge but I learnt fast.
Was it easy making friends and meeting people; do you mainly socialise with other expats?
I moved when I was 21 and it was easy to meet people my age because Dublin is very popular with Erasmus students. I met people from everywhere in the world that’s why I loved it. The best places to meet people have always been workplaces, parties and pubs. I socialise with a mix of expats and Irish people.
What are the best things to do in the area; anything to recommend to future expats?
The must-sees are: Dublin Castle, Temple bar area, Guinness factory, Trinity College and Kilmainham Gaol. There are pretty towns by the seaside that are very close to Dublin like Howth, Malahide, Dalkey and Dun Laoghaire. Ireland’s countryside is stunning with many amazing sights like the Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry or Dingle Peninsula.
What do you enjoy most about living here?I find life easy. People are laid-back and easy going, they know how to have fun. There is no heavy bureaucracy like in France and the work environment is more casual. I love that Dublin is cosmopolitan.
Also Ireland is well located to travel anywhere in the world, weekends away are so easy to organize.
How does the cost of living compare to home?
Rents are certainly more expensive and the healthcare system like dentists and GPs are much more expensive than in France.
What negatives, if any, are there to living here?
The negative is to be missing moments with my family and friends but Ireland and France aren’t far from each other so I’m lucky enough to be able to go home regularly. I’m not the biggest fan of the Irish healthcare.
If you could pick one piece of advice to anyone moving here, what would it be?Don’t only socialize with people from your country, I avoided French people for a long time which helped in my learning of the language and my immersion in the Irish culture.
What has been the hardest aspect to your expat experience so far?
For me the hardest is to see people leaving Dublin, this is the downside of having expat friends because people eventually go back to their country.
What are your top 5 expat tips for anyone following in your footsteps?- Research basic information like healthcare, social security number, looking for accommodation, opening a bank account before you move
- Learn the language: if you’re moving to a country where people don’t speak your language, try to take some classes before you go, it helps you to integrate.
- Don’t let the Irish weather get you down
- Have hobbies that make you meet locals
- Don’t compare your new place to your home country. Food/culture/language/weather/people don’t have to be like where you are from. You need to adapt.
Tell us a bit about your own expat blog.
My blog is a food blog. I’m writing about French food in Dublin but also posting restaurants reviews, recipes and foodie tips about Dublin and everywhere I travel to.
How can you be contacted for further advice to future expats coming to your area?
You can contact me through my blog, Facebook or Twitter.
Ketty has her expat blog called French Foodie in Dublin http://frenchfoodieindublin.blogspot.co.uk/ which is very worthy of a visit. She can be found on Twitter @FrenchfoodieinD. French Foodie in Dublin has an ExpatsBlog.com listing here which would love a nice review if you can spare a quick moment! If you liked this interview with Ketty, please also drop her a quick note below.
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Copy and paste code to display the Featured Expat Badge:Comments » There is 1 comment
Gerrie wrote 11
years ago:
I like this interview and I like this blog even as I like Ketty's blog!
