Kateryna arrived in Ireland with her son in March 2022. After living in a hotel for eight months and reuniting with her husband, the family moved in with a host in Dublin,for a year and a half. They have since moved out and have been living in their own rental accommodation for a couple of months.
Being hosted was an incredible experience. I couldn’t have ever imagined that a stranger would feel so deeply into our grief and help us so much. Our host Frank gave us the chance to settle well in Ireland. Thanks to him hosting us and his support, we were able to find work, study and find a decent house to rent in the area where we wished to. We had a friendly, warm relationship with our host. At the same time, throughout our stay we respected each other’s personal boundaries. We tried to keep the house and garden clean and tidy, and treated each other with native dishes from our countries. Even after we moved out from our host home, we are still in touch and Frank helped us set up our utility bills in our new home.
"I couldn’t have imagined that the host house would become a home for us."
Positives & Challenges of being Hosted
There are many benefits of living with a host family. Daily communication with a host who is a native speaker and meeting and talking to neighbours who give you tips about life in Ireland. Your host can tell you which shop is the best to buy something, what interesting things there are to see in Ireland. Being with a host family is an opportunity to learn about the Irish way of living, about their culture, traditions, and values.
There were difficulties with communication at first, as I did not understand English well. I improved my English with time. Frank tried to speak slowly, using simple words. Now we can discuss everyday topics and share our thoughts.
Adjusting to life in Ireland
When we arrived, it was difficult. Everything was unfamiliar and we didn't know what to do or how to continue our living. We couldn’t believe that we were now safe. But step by step we got it together, communicated a lot and shared information with other Ukrainians.
Our main adaptation to Irish life and socialisation with Irish people started when we were in a host home. We got to know our neighbours, got to know other parents of our son’s classmates. If something was unclear about household chores, we always asked our host or neighbours and they kindly helped us.
Advice for future hosts
Ukrainians are kind and hardworking people, a bit closed but this is only at the beginning. There is a lot of grief and stress in our life. I would say don't be afraid and just discuss all the house rules before moving.
Our future in Ireland
We have taken very important and significant steps towards living in this new country. We are working and renting a house, and our son is studying at school. For now, that's all we need.
We hope that the Irish government will give us permission to live and work here after March 2025. We will rest a little and move on to a more successful life. We will find higher paying jobs, take out a mortgage, and help our son choose a college. We are going to continue studying English and getting to know the culture and traditions of Ireland.
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