My husband and I are currently living in a decently big town. It has a railway station and a few good places to hang around. This is too early for me to say if the town is typically Irish or not, but we do have a few good pubs and restaurants in the town center. Let’s just say you won’t die out of boredom if you happened to live here.
On the contrary, if you are someone who likes calm and peaceful surroundings, equally spaced out housing colonies, and easily accessible commercial outlets (all within a walking distance of 1 sq km), this may be the perfect town for you to live and spend your prime youth years in. I am of this kind. I like this town and locality a lot and I am not very excited about the fact that we have to move.
We need a bigger house.
Eventually, our parents will come over and stay for a few weeks and a studio apartment just won’t do.
Moreover, increasing COVID cases are ensuring that people never get back to the office and continue working from home, which gives people like ‘us’ (immigrants), the flexibility to live our lives a little more lavishly, albeit in a bigger house with a fireplace and a desk for me to sit and spend my time reading, writing.
Oh and most importantly, don’t we need enough space to keep all those huge check-in airbags that we will be using frequently as we make trips to India and back?
Well! All these and for a dozen other reasons—we’ve got to move.
Are we moving to a big city like Galway, Cork, or Dublin or are we moving to a smaller town like Carrick-O-Shanon or Tullamore?
We have a choice to make.
My husband and I have different opinions regarding this. He has stayed in Ireland for nearly four years and so yeah, his opinion will outweigh mine, as far as experience is concerned, but hey—I still think we should move to a smaller town.
Ireland has beautiful countryside—
I have not been to a lot many places in this country and yet, every time we travel through a national roadway, I can’t help myself but stare at the spectacular natural landscape that passes by me.
Lush green grasslands spread across vast areas; disciplined cows, sheep, and horses grazing within the fenced spaces; a pub in the middle of nowhere. Everything, always, looks amazingly beautiful, like a paradise.
Living in small towns or villages may help us reconnect with nature and enjoy it at its best, while we make this new land our ‘home’.
Low cost of living—
Without any doubt, living in a not-so-urban locality will save you bucks but more importantly it will give you more and make the money worth it.
That is to say, not only are the rents in small towns and villages significantly lesser than house rent in cities like Dublin and Galway but you can also get a far bigger house in the countryside at low rent rates.
This is where I base all my arguments.
“We are here to build a comfortable future for ourselves and our families”, I told my husband.
“The only way we can do that is if we spend less and save more”, I added.
“Yeah, but we aren’t getting our youth back. This is our time to have fun, make memories, and plunge into adventures. Smaller towns won’t let us do it”, he argued.
“We have a car! We can still travel places and explore. Nothing and no one is stopping us”, I replied back.
“Yeah, but it’s not the same! Life is more happening in cities and again, we have barely lived any life. There is still a lot for us to experience. Small towns won’t offer us those experiences”, he said.
“Imagine all the money we will save”, I tried to lure my husband.
“Small towns will just hold us back”, he answered back.
We went on for about half an hour, both of us making relevant points, yet not coming to a conclusion.
We have a choice to make.
I believe my husband’s opinion makes sense too. Both of us are not sure what we will decide and where will we end up moving. Only time can tell that but here is what it got me to think—
What is my/our purpose in trying to make a successful living in another country, from very scratch?
Should all decisions be based on monetary value if you are in your early years of living in a different country?
To what extent can we minimalize our definition of ‘fun’ to ensure that we don’t spend more when we can make do with less?
Every decision comes with its own set of positives and negatives. No matter where we move, we will always have one thing or the other to crib about.
The grass always will look greener on the other side.
I just feel we are challenged to make the best possible decision that involves a fast-paced life with a city’s hustle but at a low cost. I am certain this can happen, it is only a matter of time until we figure it out.
When You Are an Immigrant, You Don't Really Have Many Choices
I feel so nostalgic reading this story. We started in a 1 bedroom apartment in LA as the newlyweds. It has the bestest memories ever. As long as you both have each other, where you decide to live doesn't matter 🤩🤩