Are you an Irish person living in another country? How do small daily interactions with people impact your experience there? Tell us what it’s like where you live – how do small human exchanges differ to Ireland? Use the form below or email abroad@irishtimes.com.
Travelling across the UK last year from Wales to Stonehenge, the simple interactions with locals made this seemingly unexotic road trip holiday feel quite sunny indeed. The small open smiles, the warm hellos, the feeling the supermarket cashier was genuinely glad to meet me. In Italy, the travel headaches of maneuvering cobbled and stepped streets with little children always seems to be outweighed by the welcome of the locals - who smile, make faces and pat the heads of the kids, treating them like celebrities.
Living abroad gives a strong sense of these small interactions. Do hikers say hello passing on country roads? Do passengers chat on long journeys? Does the cashier talk about the weather? Does the barista ask about your weekend? How does the experience of small social interactions differ when you are an emigrant?
There was strong reaction to a piece by Rosanna Cooney this month about her efforts to speak to strangers in Ireland, which European Commission research found was the loneliest country in Europe.
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“I made a point of saying hello to everyone that passed by me in my building. I started to strike up conversations while queuing for coffee, for buses, for gigs,” she says. She notes “psychologists have found that even minimal social interactions… bring feelings of happiness and a greater sense of belonging than when we cocoon ourselves from the world around us.”
Let us know your thoughts using the form below. Tell us about an interaction you’ve had with a stranger recently. Tell us if you are a recent emigrant or have been abroad for many years.
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You can let us know what you think using the form below. Please limit your submissions to 400 words or less. Please include a phone number for verification purposes only, we will respect time zones. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please indicate this in your submission – we will keep your name and contact details confidential.
We will curate a selection of submissions for an article but please note we may not publish every submission we receive.
- Are you Irish and living in another country? Would you like to share your experience with Irish Times Abroad, something interesting about your life or your perspective as an emigrant? You can use the form, or email abroad@irishtimes.com with a little information about you and what you do. Thank you
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