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Arrived to Cork for work, but don't like the place. Having a cultural shock.
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04-08-2013 7:00pm#1Hey everyone
I arrived to Cork from London 3 days ago to work. I have never been here before and didn't know what to expect. And I can say I am having a type of depression now. The place is so different from where i used to live! I knew it would be different, but didn't realise what a huge difference it would be. I don't know anybody here (i know I will meet some people through work later on). Everybody said Cork people are very friendly. Perhaps, it is just me but I have encountered quite a few rude and rough people.
. Anyway, I miss home madly, can't see how I can get used to this place, but can't leave because the job offer is far too good and I have already left everything behind. Has anyone had similar feelings? Where can I meet decent, educated people? I booked a hostel to stay at for the first 1 week, but was just left the keys next to the door and the lady didn't explain anything, so my first impression was bad. I just can't help feeling depressed. My husband is still in England and is intending to stay there for 6 more months because of his work. I miss him a lot as well. i really can't give up my job offer.i have been waiting for this offer for 6 months. The money and experience they offer are absolutely fantastic and I couldn't get the same in London. I was overwhelmed when they offered this position.
Being absolutely alone in a foreign country is killing me, cant stop weeping. i was ready to book a flight back to London for tomorrow, but my husband talked me out of it. he said i have been waiting for this job for such a long time, that i cant give up. but i cant carry on. i feel isolated. I really would love to meet some decent people to spend time with.0
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Hi Grustel sorry to hear your having trouble settling in It happens to most I think.
This is great site for meeting new people: http://www.meetup.com
Have a look for groups in Cork and see what you think
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Hi Grustel sorry to hear your having trouble settling in It happens to most I think.
This is great site for meeting new people: http://www.meetup.com
Have a look for groups in Cork and see what you think
Thanks for that. It looks interesting. I will definitely have a proper look at it! Thanks.0 -
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So sorry you are feeling so bad. The urge would be to pack up and head home. Is your husband joining you in 6 months? As you say, you will definitely meet new people at work. I am not from Cork and living here but can honestly say they are some of the friendliest people I have met. Only time will alleviate your feeling of isolation. The sooner you start work the better.
Thank you. My husband has a steady job and is eager to make money. I thought that would be ok for us to live apart for a while, but missing him badly now. Our idea was for me to work in Cork for a while, out a big name on my CV and go back to England, but I will have to stay here for at least a year to get the necessary experience. My husband is more practical than me. He didn't want me to go, but I insisted because I was made redundant and was without a job for a month before I was offered this. The money is amazing. If I go back to England,I go back to nothing. I had lots of interviews and a few offers, but none offered the same benefits. Husband is coming here next week or so for a week and then has to go back. Now I think I made the wrong decision. 0 -
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Thank you. My husband has a steady job and is eager to make money. I thought that would be ok for us to live apart for a while, but missing him badly now. Our idea was for me to work in Cork for a while, out a big name on my CV and go back to England, but I will have to stay here for at least a year to get the necessary experience.
You have a plan in mind. It's only going to be a year. Which will fly by very quickly! Lots to keep you busy!!
My husband is more practical than me. He didn't want me to go, but I insisted because I was made redundant and was without a job for a month before I was offered this. The money is amazing. If I go back to England,I go back to nothing. I had lots of interviews and a few offers, but none offered the same benefits. Husband is coming here next week or so for a week and then has to go back. Now I think I made the wrong decision.
Which would you rather? I know what I'd prefer! Concentrate on having a lovely visit with your husband, and take the opportunity to explore. Don't forget - you'll probably be popping back to the Smoke every other weekend too.0 -
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ABajaninCork wrote: »You have a plan in mind. It's only going to be a year. Which will fly by very quickly! Lots to keep you busy!!
Which would you rather? I know what I'd prefer! Concentrate on having a lovely visit with your husband, and take the opportunity to explore. Don't forget - you'll probably be popping back to the Smoke every other weekend too.
Haha, all my income would be going to flight fares then. They are pretty expensive . Which one I'd rather? A good question. Either money or happiness. Tough one. 0 -
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I think a lot of people have had the experience of moving somewhere new and not immediately liking it. I moved to Edinburgh for University at 18 and HATED it to begin with. I was never so homesick in my life, but within a couple of months, I'd settled in completely and was very happy there for the next 4 years.
You've just left home and your husband - of course this is an upsetting time. There aren't many hostels in Cork, and most of them aren't in the nicest area, so I can imagine why you're not impressed so far. Could you afford a hotel for a few nights? To be blunt, going back to London is taking the easy way out and it's not what I'd recommend. Make it through this difficult period and you won't know yourself soon. It'll do wonders for your self-confidence and your inner strength.
It's a bank holiday weekend, which makes it harder to settle in because things aren't operating as usual. But regardless, you need to dedicate yourself to finding a home (and there are PLENTY of nice areas in Cork), and keep yourself going to looking forward to your husband coming over. Would you rather he arrived to see you miserable and weeping, or strong and dealing with everything brilliantly by yourself?
You seem like a nice person, so you'll have no problem making friends. This is just a tough period, and once you start working, find a home and settle into a routine, everything will feel a LOT better. 0 -
I think a lot of people have had the experience of moving somewhere new and not immediately liking it. I moved to Edinburgh for University at 18 and HATED it to begin with. I was never so homesick in my life, but within a couple of months, I'd settled in completely and was very happy there for the next 4 years.
You've just left home and your husband - of course this is an upsetting time. There aren't many hostels in Cork, and most of them aren't in the nicest area, so I can imagine why you're not impressed so far. Could you afford a hotel for a few nights? To be blunt, going back to London is taking the easy way out and it's not what I'd recommend. Make it through this difficult period and you won't know yourself soon. It'll do wonders for your self-confidence and your inner strength.
It's a bank holiday weekend, which makes it harder to settle in because things aren't operating as usual. But regardless, you need to dedicate yourself to finding a home (and there are PLENTY of nice areas in Cork), and keep yourself going to looking forward to your husband coming over. Would you rather he arrived to see you miserable and weeping, or strong and dealing with everything brilliantly by yourself?
You seem like a nice person, so you'll have no problem making friends. This is just a tough period, and once you start working, find a home and settle into a routine, everything will feel a LOT better.
Thanks for the encouragement. So, you live in Edinburgh? My husband is from there and I absolutely love it there.
Maybe, it will become slightly better, but never will become my home. It just doesn't feel right here. And you are right, I haven't seen too many decent clean houses yet. You get such a clean feel in England and there are so many beautiful areas 0 -
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ABajaninCork wrote: »Grustel - Did you mean BLACKROCK? That's a very nice area, with the river and the castle nearby. There's also a good restaurant there at the Observatory. You're right - it is quite a way from Hollyhill, but reachable via the 202 bus if you're using public transport. Wellington Road isn't the nicest area if I'm honest. Nice and close to the City Centre, but that's all...No wonder you feel depressed!
Like I've said before - Avoid Blackpool. Although it's near to Hollyhill, It's not the best and is very prone to flooding.
Hm, I think I meant Blackpool, but mistyped:). I only passed it and the shopping centre seemed all right, though who knows?
As for Blackrock, how do I get to Hollyhill from there? I know 202 doesn't pass Blackrock. Am I right? do i need to change a couple of buses?0 -
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There are a few of things to bear in mind about Cork.
Firstly, it's a *lot* smaller than London in terms of population, so quite obviously it's not going to have all the stuff London has and it can be quite a change to go from a huge city to a small one.
Secondly, it's mostly a Victorian City which tends to mean that the nicer accommodation is very hidden. If you walk through Montenotte, Blackrock, Sundays Well, there are absolutely huge houses but they are all hidden away behind walls and look completely invisible when you walk down the streets. However, if you walk along the riverfront at the Marnia or the Mardyke you'll see huge victorian villas perched on the hills.
Thirdly, I'd suggest getting out of a hostel a.s.a.p. Anywhere I've ever stayed in one they're absolutely miserable. It's fine if you're there as a back packer with loads of your mates and are willing to rough it, but if you're a grown-up with a job, they're not great places at all and you're unlikely to have the same kind of interests as the other guests.
Also bear in mind that in a small city (much like any small city in England) accommodation tends to focus around houses rather than apartments. So, if you've a decent income and you're planning on staying a while, I would start looking in areas like Blackrock, Douglas, Rochestown, maybe Wilton, Bishopstown if that's near where you work or if you're on the northside maybe Montenotte and Sundays Well.
It has loads of really nice accommodation it's just a matter of looking and avoiding the lowest rungs of the ladder in the city centre.
A lot of Cork people actually live in towns around the city so, keep that option open too.
Bear in mind too that there's a bit of a North/South divide in Cork, albeit not quite as clear cut as that. The area to the Northwest where Apple's located is a large collection of council estates. If you go to the Northeast it becomes a lot more affluent and leafy but kind of out of most people's price range.
On the south side, there's more of a suburban vibe. Areas like Douglas in particular have a nice suburban setting with loads of restaurants and bars and shops etc.
I had a very similar experience in London. Moved over and was working in quite an interesting job but my accommodation was horrendous. It was so bad I hardly ever went home before 9pm to avoid it and spent a lot of time miserable until I found a new house share.
It can be quite tough moving to a new city but I really think you'll grasp Cork quite quickly. It's just a matter of cracking the accent
In general, it's not very different to a small UK city in most respects and tends to have quite a bit more going on than most.
Check out the Rough Guides and Trip Adviser for a lot of tips.
Also, I'd say wander into a few artsy events or join something.
www.triskelartscentre.ie might be a good starting point for example.
Cork's not quite as buzzing as it was in 2005-7 but it's still got a decent amount of stuff going on for quite a small city.
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Also you've just arrived in the middle of a major downturn in the weather. It had been stunning for the last few weeks. I'm sure the heavy showers aren't helping.
The other thing to bear in mind is that in a small city like this, public transport is not how most people operate.
Ireland's one of the most car dependent countries on earth and you will not be able to access a lot of stuff without a car.
So, I would strongly suggest that you get one a.s.a.p. If you don't have a driving license, apply for a provisional and learn to drive.
A full UK or any EU license is valid here for driving and the rules of the road are very similar to the UK. The only differences are the shapes of the road signs and the speeds and distances are in KM rather than miles.
It's a really big issue, you're moving to what is essentially a city that is the hub of a big hinterland of interesting towns and villages with huge scenery around it and to access that you need a car.
London's the other extreme where a car's a major pain in the rear and public transport's the only way of accessing most things.
In the short term, I'd say base yourself in good quality apartment accommodation or a house that's in reach of the city centre. Check the bus routes carefully before committing to a lease if you're in the suburbs.
If you're home sick, get yourself a Tesco Mobile SIM. The calls to international destinations, including UK landlines are extremely cheap.
You can pick them up at the Kiosk in the Tesco on Paul Street.0 -
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Hm, I think I meant Blackpool, but mistyped:). I only passed it and the shopping centre seemed all right, though who knows?
As for Blackrock, how do I get to Hollyhill from there? I know 202 doesn't pass Blackrock. Am I right? do i need to change a couple of buses?
While this will be heavily disputed, many of the nicer areas tend to be south of the river in Cork. That's not to say that the north side doesn't have nice areas because it does, but it has less of them than the south. The problem with that is that naturally, the south side is a lot further from Apple.
If you're staying around Wellington Road, it's far from the nicest part of Cork. It's quite rough around those parts these days, and the streets around it like McCurtain Street aren't great either (although kind of up-and-coming). Like any city in the world, the inner city is never that great and always tends to be rougher than further out.
The 202 does go to Blackrock, but you need to stay on it through the city centre. It goes from Mahon to the city centre to Hollyhill and back. From the city centre, it goes from alongside the bus station on Parnell Place out to Blackrock.
I've had a look on daft, and there's quite a bit available in nice-looking house shares in decent areas for good prices. Here's some:
Old Blackrock Road, which would be a 5 minute walk to the nearest 202 bus stop, bringing you straight to Apple: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=726769
Blarney Street, which isn't the best area but the house looks lovely, and it's relatively close to Apple: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=724382
Parnell Place, right by the bus to Apple and to Blackrock (although might be noisy at night): http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=729736
Near Anglesey Street, so city centre and close to the bus. Friendly sounding housemates: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=727681
River Towers is a gorgeous location in Sunday's Well: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=729137
Old Blackrock Road again: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=707464
Victoria Avenue - no photos available, but again, right on the 202 line and near to the city: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=694604
Another lovely looking place on Old Blackrock Road: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=729414
That's 8 places you could arrange immediate viewings of. Frankly, the sooner you're out of the hostel, the happier you'll be. They're only in the city centre too, there's tons more places out there in specific neighbourhoods (like Sunday's Well: http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=722419 and http://www.daft.ie/searchsharing.daft?id=728563).0 -
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I'm assuming you're working in Apple?
There's a good sense of community up there too. I'd suggest that maybe you have a word with the HR team and see if they've any advice on accommodation too or if they could put you in touch with someone in the office who might be able to act as a bit of a tour guide?
Or, even in an informal way just ask some of your colleagues if they could show you around.
From what I gather, they're a friendly bunch and there are loads of people from all over Europe working up there too.
So maybe rather than asking a Cork person, ask someone from say the Netherlands or something and you might get an interesting tour of the place.
If you're on pretty decent money, you should be able to get something very nice in Cork without too much difficulty. There are quite a lot of nice apartments in the city centre.
The other thing to bear in mind is that there's often some room for negotiation on rents. So, feel quite free to bargain them down a bit. There's a property slump at the moment, although still some pressure on rentals in the city due to a lot of people that would ordinarily buy being in the rental market at the moment.
Sometimes you can get better value in terms of rental houses in the suburbs than on apartments in the city centre too as demand is driven by younger people working in some of the IT companies, particularly continental Europeans who always seem to be a little loathed to be anywhere not right in the city centre.
Personally, I'd say if you're hear for a year+, maybe embrace the more sedate suburban life style and dip in and out of the city centre as needed. There's a lot to be said for having a house with a garden and all that stuff.
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The other thing to remember is that it's only the size of say Norwich or Aberdeen. It's about half the size of Edinburgh or Brighton!
Irish people and Cork people will tend to over-blow its size quite a bit.
There's about 198,000 in the immediate city built up area and about 300,000 in the city + hinterland and close on half a million in the county, which is a huge area physically.
Where as Dublin is the 5th most built up area in the Ireland and Britain around 1.1 - 1.2 million people in the immediate urban area.0 -
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There are a few of things to bear in mind about Cork.
Firstly, it's a *lot* smaller than London in terms of population, so quite obviously it's not going to have all the stuff London has and it can be quite a change to go from a huge city to a small one.
Secondly, it's mostly a Victorian City which tends to mean that the nicer accommodation is very hidden. If you walk through Montenotte, Blackrock, Sundays Well, there are absolutely huge houses but they are all hidden away behind walls and look completely invisible when you walk down the streets. However, if you walk along the riverfront at the Marnia or the Mardyke you'll see huge victorian villas perched on the hills.
Thirdly, I'd suggest getting out of a hostel a.s.a.p. Anywhere I've ever stayed in one they're absolutely miserable. It's fine if you're there as a back packer with loads of your mates and are willing to rough it, but if you're a grown-up with a job, they're not great places at all and you're unlikely to have the same kind of interests as the other guests.
Also bear in mind that in a small city (much like any small city in England) accommodation tends to focus around houses rather than apartments. So, if you've a decent income and you're planning on staying a while, I would start looking in areas like Blackrock, Douglas, Rochestown, maybe Wilton, Bishopstown if that's near where you work or if you're on the northside maybe Montenotte and Sundays Well.
It has loads of really nice accommodation it's just a matter of looking and avoiding the lowest rungs of the ladder in the city centre.
A lot of Cork people actually live in towns around the city so, keep that option open too.
Bear in mind too that there's a bit of a North/South divide in Cork, albeit not quite as clear cut as that. The area to the Northwest where Apple's located is a large collection of council estates. If you go to the Northeast it becomes a lot more affluent and leafy but kind of out of most people's price range.
On the south side, there's more of a suburban vibe. Areas like Douglas in particular have a nice suburban setting with loads of restaurants and bars and shops etc.
I had a very similar experience in London. Moved over and was working in quite an interesting job but my accommodation was horrendous. It was so bad I hardly ever went home before 9pm to avoid it and spent a lot of time miserable until I found a new house share.
It can be quite tough moving to a new city but I really think you'll grasp Cork quite quickly. It's just a matter of cracking the accent
In general, it's not very different to a small UK city in most respects and tends to have quite a bit more going on than most.
Check out the Rough Guides and Trip Adviser for a lot of tips.
Also, I'd say wander into a few artsy events or join something.
www.triskelartscentre.ie might be a good starting point for example.
Cork's not quite as buzzing as it was in 2005-7 but it's still got a decent amount of stuff going on for quite a small city.
...
Also you've just arrived in the middle of a major downturn in the weather. It had been stunning for the last few weeks. I'm sure the heavy showers aren't helping.
The other thing to bear in mind is that in a small city like this, public transport is not how most people operate.
Ireland's one of the most car dependent countries on earth and you will not be able to access a lot of stuff without a car.
So, I would strongly suggest that you get one a.s.a.p. If you don't have a driving license, apply for a provisional and learn to drive.
A full UK or any EU license is valid here for driving and the rules of the road are very similar to the UK. The only differences are the shapes of the road signs and the speeds and distances are in KM rather than miles.
It's a really big issue, you're moving to what is essentially a city that is the hub of a big hinterland of interesting towns and villages with huge scenery around it and to access that you need a car.
London's the other extreme where a car's a major pain in the rear and public transport's the only way of accessing most things.
In the short term, I'd say base yourself in good quality apartment accommodation or a house that's in reach of the city centre. Check the bus routes carefully before committing to a lease if you're in the suburbs.
If you're home sick, get yourself a Tesco Mobile SIM. The calls to international destinations, including UK landlines are extremely cheap.
You can pick them up at the Kiosk in the Tesco on Paul Street.
Thanks so much for taking your time in giving such a detailed reply! Really appreciate it. I don't have a car nor driving licence, but will, probably, need to get one in the future. I know it is quite essential in a place like this.
As for the Irish accent-lost case scenario. Being extremely good with accents and all sorts of dialect,I simply cannot crack this one. One lady was trying to speak with me on the bus stop today. All I could do is stand there like a freshy who doesn't speak English. Haha. Too much used to the queen accent. The job I had before was in the city, London, and you only have BBC English speakers, so, yes, it is quite a change:). But hopefully I will get used to it at some point.0 -
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