Diego Silva was coming to the end of a backpacking trip around Europe in September 2017 when he decided to settle in Ireland. <\/p>\n
From the city of Montes Claros in Brazil<\/a>, the 33-year-old was inspired by his cousin and her husband, who had recently made Co Kildare<\/a> their home. She works as a theatre director and he is a drummer in a band.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are the kind of people that I identified with at the time. They are adventurous,\u201d says Silva, who now works as an engineer in Waterford<\/a>. <\/p>\n Having travelled the world, working in a circus and living in Japan for a while, his cousin had moved to Ireland, where she now lives with her husband and their two children.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are the kind of people you don\u2019t see all the time and I was actually inspired by them, by the story that they told me. At the time I was willing to take a risk and put myself into this new adventure.\u201d <\/p>\n Silva\u2019s journey began in Dublin<\/a>, where he first took up a short-lived job as a rickshaw driver while living in a hostel.<\/p>\n \u201cThe experience was really hard. I couldn\u2019t really cope with the work, with the job.\u201d After two weeks, Silva decided he\u2019d had enough. <\/p>\n [\u00a0\u2018I work with a lot of Irish people around my age. Sometimes they ask me questions that are a bit weird\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n \u201cI was working at nights and collecting drunk people, bringing them from one pub to their homes or to different pubs… I was just like, this is not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n To make matters worse \u2013 \u201cit was raining a lot at that time as well\u201d. Silva was faced with the reality of Irish weather, a stark contrast from the Brazilian sun. <\/p>\n He was balancing work with study, having signed up for an English language course in the city centre.<\/p>\n \u201cLearning a new language for me was something big as well. I was really excited at the time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cI just needed to put some money in my pocket. I didn\u2019t have a lot after buying the English course, so I was always working and studying at the same time.\u201d <\/p>\n After spending a month living in a hostel, Silva moved into a three-bedroom apartment with five new friends in the north inner city. <\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t living in a very nice place,\u201d he says, recalling how the area felt unsafe. However, his flatmates, with whom he is \u201cstill friends today\u201d, and the affordable rent there, appealed to Silva at the time and he stayed for two years.<\/p>\n Silva moved between a few jobs \u2013 waiter, baker, and finally retail assistant \u2013 and soon began to feel comfortable in the Irish capital.<\/p>\n The pub culture stuck out to him as \u201cunique\u201d as a social 25-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pub culture was really strong, especially in Dublin, so we got to meet many people. I think people go a little crazy here. I used to think that\u2019s why they close the pubs at a certain point.<\/p>\n \u2018Waterford \u2013 it\u2019s been great as well. Dublin \u2013 it was amazing at the time. It was a really different phase of my life. I was doing a little bit of study, a little bit of work and then having a very social life\u2019<\/p>\n \u2014 \u00a0Diego Silva <\/p>\n \u201cI think the pub culture is something that\u2019s only experienced here, maybe in England as well. It\u2019s unique.\u201d <\/p>\n One common trait that Silva says he has noticed in Irish people is \u201cthe will to just help others\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cI think I was lucky to have people help me all along the way. This is kind of similar… I think it\u2019s something I would relate to my culture in Brazil.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Irish were always really chatty,\u201d he adds. \u201cThey always want to know about your story. They like to interact and make connections.\u201d<\/p>\n Ireland\u2019s natural beauty also struck Silva as a standout feature of his new home. \u201cWe started doing hikes. Sometimes we would go for two to three days hiking. That was something new for me. In my region [in Brazil] it\u2019s so hot you can\u2019t be outside for so long,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cI think one of the best sides of Ireland is the nature here.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u00a0\u2018I didn\u2019t expect to find an exciting life in Dublin\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n After a fulfilling two years in Ireland, Silva wanted to pursue further education. <\/p>\n He returned to Brazil at the end of 2019 to gather his thoughts and make a plan. Months later, the world was placed under lockdown. \u201cCovid came and I couldn\u2019t come back, although I wanted to.\u201d<\/p>\n Silva remembers this as a challenging time, as his parents were also divorcing. \u201cI was just having a very hard time in Brazil. With the whole situation, I got really depressed. I couldn\u2019t find a job, it wasn\u2019t a great spot to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually he got a job as a validation engineer, but was keen to return to Ireland. In February 2022 he was finally able to do so. This time, Silva was living in Shannon, where he juggled working as a night porter in a hotel with a six-month English language course.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the whole night, I would go to English classes, then go home, go to bed and back to work. Just this crazy routine. But it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n After being accepted to a year-long course in data analytics at the University of Limerick (UL)<\/a> that December, Silva \u201ccouldn\u2019t really work nights any more\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point, I left the hotel and worked as an operator in an electrical panel company.\u201d<\/p>\n Fast forward to November 2023, and he was busy applying to jobs and for accommodation.<\/p>\n [\u00a0 People \u2018In Brazil, it\u2019s all about the food. Here it\u2019s more about the drink\u2019Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n He landed an engineering role based in Waterford and found a place to live there. He will soon be two years in the job. <\/p>\n Having lived in three parts of the country, Silva feels each represented \u201cdifferent times in my life, different periods\u201d. Shannon was \u201creally nice\u201d thanks to the close relationships shared with his housemates and colleagues there.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that was the nicest place I lived. People were really close to me. I was really friends with them,\u201d Silva says.<\/p>\n \u201cWaterford \u2013 it\u2019s been great as well. Dublin \u2013 it was amazing at the time. It was a really different phase of my life. I was doing a little bit of study, a little bit of work and then having a very social life, going to parties and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Overall, he feels the move to Ireland has been a huge learning experience, \u201cnot only professionally, but I know a lot about myself\u201d. <\/p>\n Silva is now happy with the life he has built and plans to stay in Ireland for at least another three years. \u201cFrom then on, I don\u2019t know, I still have this desire to live in a different country even than Ireland.<\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t go back to Brazil but I\u2019d go to a different country in Europe, maybe one of the Nordic countries.\u201d<\/p>\n We would like to hear from people who have moved to Ireland in the past 10 years. To get involved, email newtotheparish@irishtimes.com<\/a> or tweet @newtotheparish<\/a><\/p>\n