The 19th of July 2023 marked the 6-month mark for Roland & I having taken up residence in The Republic of Ireland.
I thought it only fitting, therefore, to resume my writing with a blog post of significance.
The most pressing question I suppose that I should open with answering for you all is
"Why Ireland?" In answering this question, I will better be able to highlight for you the differences and parallels between life on both continents.
My heritage is varied and far flung, as we are able to trace our family back as far as the vikings. One of my ancestors - Eileen Moxaye Fison - was born and raised in what was then Southern Ireland. Athenry, between Galway & County Roscommon, to be precise. She attended finishing school in Bray, which borders Wicklow and Dublin.
My grandparents felt it was important to keep a thread to this beautiful continent alive. They therefore registered my mum and her siblings as Foreign Birth Irish Nationals. It was this decision which enabled my parents, in turn, to do the same for my sister and I. I am therefore an EU (Irish) Foreign Birth passport holder.
Pictured above: Two Forest Weaver birds, weaving a beaded nest. I took this photograph whilst enjoying my friends Derryn & Lilli celebrate their love and get hitched over the New Year.
It is not only big events which have a seismic impact upon our lives. As many who have followed me for the past few years know, I am a qualified opera singer who has always aspired to land up on stages, be that for a regional, national or international career. I love to perform and sing onstage; it is a calling. For this reason, after one year post-university as a freelance concert singer and vocal coach, I moved to Cape Town in 2020 with the intention to audition for the Cape Town Opera Company. It was not long after I moved there that Covid19 hit our shores.
Cut to July 2021, and I was not only contending with the ongoing National limitations placed upon cultural gatherings, but also with the riots which, as it happened, coincided with my 26th birthday too. Covid times called for me to engage more full-time with my skillset as a music and singing educator. Amidst all of this, I met the man I knew would become my husband. This period in South African history marked a period of introspection for us all, where Covid19 made us consider the kind of life we aspired to - and how few could actually afford it. It shone a light on the resilience of our people, out of necessity; but also how far to breaking point a lack of sound governance had (has) brought us. Corruption, nepotism, money-laundering, mis-management and the appointment of the unsuitably-skilled to positions of authority, flailing water and electricity infrastructure, gender-based violence statistics that placed us at No.1 in the world, no real social welfare to speak of, and a 74.8% youth unemployment rate at it's peak ... Yes, it was for these reasons that, during the 10 days of the riots, after decades of holding out, I reached breaking point and my future husband and I decided to move abroad.
I must cut this depressing list with a very important caveat. I will always be a Proudly South African Soprano, and we will always regard ourselves as having two homes. It is the country that raised us, it is my musical inheritance. There are landscapes and lifestyles that those from abroad can only dream of having. We boast 12 official languages, a melting pot of cultural influences, and a peoples known abroad for their resilience, work ethic and manners. I believe in a South Africa that will bounce back. I do believe , however, that the overhaul required to clean up the country from the inside out will take decades. I respect those in governance who are decent human beings, attempting to root out corruption. I admire those who choose to stay, and those who have no option but to stay and make it work.
Pictured below: Rondawel-shaped birdfeeder and European-looking birdhouse, given to us for our garden by our incredible Irish landlords. An apt visual display of the two places we call home.
My husband and I, however, had the option to move elsewhere, and we have done so. We briefly considered England, where I spent two months of my post-Matric youth in lieu of attending the Rage Festival. The Republic of Ireland, however, unlike England, enabled my husband to enter the country on his South African passport and gain a Stamp 4 and IRP card. These give him the rights to live and work on this continent, and apply for Irish Citizenship after 3 years of residence. It has also given him state-funded opportunities to reskill as a Coder, starting with Web Development. The Republic of Ireland is a nation which boasts state-funded high-quality equal education for all. Something which we know we pay all too dear for in South Africa. Something which we aspire to offer to all; but sadly do not.
Pictured below: Euros from Hibernia/Ireland. and France. It is always a reality check, a reminder of difference.
Moving from a currency used in South Africa and accepted in Namibia, to a currency used by 20+ countries is no small adjustment. And "woah booi", did it cost us dear to convert our South African savings into this currency, and make it stretch before gaining employment.
Knowing we'd made this leap without jobs lined up nor permanent rental secured, we travelled light; arriving in Ireland with one suitcase and item of hand luggage each. The first 3 months were tough, living in one-room temporary accommodation in Carrigaline (Cork) and then Ennis (Clare) before securing a rental in Limerick (bordering Clare). So traumatic (albeit briefer than some) an experience was the housing crisis for us, that for the first month of residing in our apartment I couldn't look at a suitcase and we only left the apartment for work or to go to the grocery store down the road.
Cut to 6 months down the line, and I can list some other, lighter, or more humorous differences between life on these two continents.
1. There are no snakes in Ireland. Except those that are the result of bizaar pet habits. Woopee!
2. Having grown up in Hilton KZN, we've handled the incessant rain and cold far better than other South Africans may be able to. Suffice it to say that the umbrella Epworth School gave me as a farewell present has been put to much use!
3. Ireland speaks about having 4 Seasons... But oh no it doesn't. It has Winter, or Spring. Autumn and Summer are variants of these two aforementioned seasons. Quite often, I've found, you will have all of the seasons in one day. The hallmark of Summer, however, is the need for blackout blinds, with a sky that is not asleep at midnight.
4. If you want passport photos done, in Ireland you can go to a photobooth or a pharmacy.
5. South Africa's interest rates and Tax Free Savings incentives are phenomenal precisely because it isn't really a socialist state. We pay 20-40% tax on our income here *gulp*; but we can rely on quality public healthcare, public transport, child-grants for all (per child), and state-funded quality education.
There is a movement in South Africa that, despite it's desire to celebrate the resilience of those staying in South Africa, resulted in the shaming of those who do not. It is to this narrative that I feel it important to say that we/I do not apologize for this move. We do not feel there is any shame in saying by leaving that "This is not good enough". We wish to thrive, not just survive. We moved not only for the gender-based safety of living elsewhere and better job opportunities for us both; but also for the futures of the children that we intend to have / raise in the future. We intend, from abroad, to do all we can to support and champion the future prospects of South Africa and its peoples. We will cast our votes, envisioning the queues on another continent. And we will always return to our first home, to visit our loved ones, and so that I may embark upon musical tours. In i/emigrating, we are not giving up on South Africa. Instead, it is a brain-drain strategy which all who leave hope will finally trigger a reaction other than apathy from those who run the beautiful rainbow nation that we all called home.
We know, too, that there are things Ireland can never give us. The primary one being consistently-visible sunlight, blue skies and naturally-produced Vitamin D. There is a South African mein or "vibe" that you cannot replicate anywhere else in the world. Ireland has it's own troubles, which South Africa does not have to the same degree. Most notably, a housing and cost of living crisis. There are families living in garages, on the streets, or sleeping on cots in the passageways of peoples homes because the number of occupiable and affordable dwellings available to the country can only meet 1/5 of the demand. It is strange to have moved to a country where there is so much in the way of job opportunity, yet where rent costs nigh-on one salary and 1 in 7 youth are considering permanently emigrating because of never being able to afford to move out of home if they stay. Now, I am told, England is not far behind.
Pictured below: My husband and I celebrating part of our honeymoon in The Southern Drakensburg Gardens of the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
In 6 months of living abroad, I have learnt that the shades of green here are darker to those in South Africa. A life outdoors in Ireland is still possible; but it requires a rain suit. The Irish love their sports too; hurling especially. Going from a country with a population of approximately 59.39 million to one with approximately 5.33 million is a mind-warp. Moving abroad requires you to embrace multi-faceted levels of discomfort. You have to leave your loved ones to live their lives , whilst you make a new one for yourselves. You will meet very kind strangers, who will help you to adjust and live in this new reality. It is never too late to start again, reskill, and reinvisage the life that you want for yourself.
It is never too late to get back up on stage.
Pictured below: My husband and I celebrating my 28th birthday on the Aran Island of Inis OIrr. Myself in costume, in my new role as Solo & Chorus Singer at Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquets and Folk Park.
