You can meet him in the Entrance Area, where he takes care of the greenery, maintains the surroundings of the pond and feeds its "inhabitants". Warren McNeill works for our supplier company Panda and comes from Ireland. In May, he also participated in our Volunteer Days, in the Center for Children and Families on Hurbanova Street, together with other colleagues they helped to improve the outdoor area of the center. We talked to him about life in Slovakia, the language barrier, and his homeland.

How long have you been living in Slovakia and what brought you here?

It's been five and a half years. I visited Slovakia for the first time in 2009 when I met my wife. Even then, I was open to the possibility of moving here one day. As we got to know each other, we realized that neither of us wanted to raise children in Ireland because we felt that it was not a good and safe environment. We knew that we would move to Slovakia when we had a child. And the baby is now five and a half years old ☺️.

Have you experienced a culture shock?

The biggest culture shock was the different mentality of people compared to what I was used to all my life. It was difficult to get used to the grumpy faces and the fact that no one was smiling. It seems quite hostile until you get to know those people. Also, it is very difficult to get "please" or "thank you" from people and they do not keep the door open when they see someone just a few steps away.

What are the differences between life in Ireland and Slovakia?

The biggest differences are the weather and finances. I don't earn nearly as much as I could in Ireland, but I have a better work-life balance in Slovakia. And in Slovakia, I experienced four seasons for the first time in my life. Ireland has only two seasons, spring and autumn, or as I like to say, rain or more rain. Sometimes it gets too hot here in the summer, but it's better than 50 shades of rain. My life in Košice is more stable and family-oriented, which fulfills me.

What do you miss the most from Ireland here?

Food! And my mother and also an Irish sense of humor.

Was it difficult to move here and find a job?

Yes, especially since not everyone speaks English, so I had trouble communicating in the beginning. Now I understand Slovak more, I don't speak much, but the translator on my phone helps me in such situations. In my opinion, it would be very difficult to find a job, but I am grateful that an acquaintance of my wife gave me a chance and offered me a job. I am very happy to work in a place where there are so many people from Nippon Steel who speak English.

Where do you come from in Ireland?

I was born and raised in Dublin. The difference compared to Košice is huge. Dublin is full of different nationalities and no one pays attention to it or looks at it the way it does here, because we perceive it as impolite. But perhaps this has changed a bit in recent years with the influx of immigrants. I also feel like a foreigner in my own country now.

In Slovakia, we are not used to foreigners to the same extent as in Ireland. Can you feel it?

Yes and no. I don't look a stranger, so I fit in until I open my mouth ☺️. Whenever my wife and I speak English in public, people become more attentive and friendlier. 

Could you compare the standard of living in Slovakia and Ireland in a few words?

I can see the difference that Slovakia has gone through in the 17 years since my first visit, but the change and the Western orientation are very slow. However, as a family, we can live comfortably here, we couldn't get our own apartment in Dublin, there are many people and few properties. It would also be difficult to afford it, we would both have to work a lot. In Slovakia, we are lucky to be able to devote a lot of time to our son. My wife was able to stay here with her son on maternity and parental leave for 3 years, while in Ireland it is only 6 months. We would have financial problems and a bad feeling that a stranger is taking care of our child.

You take care of the surroundings of the pond and the greenery in the area, is it a job that you also did in Ireland?

We lived in Canada for two years and visited the USA many times during that time. I used to see elderly people in gardens spending hours planting and caring for them, and I thought I'd never have the time and patience to do that. But now that I'm getting older myself, I'm quite enjoying it and it's kind of therapy. It doesn't feel like a job anymore, it's more like I'm making my own garden and "I want the neighbors to be jealous." And no, it's certainly not a job I've done in Ireland or ever before. I also do other work with my colleagues from Panda, such as moving, mowing grass, trimming trees, watering plants in other places, repairs in offices. And I also keep the fish in the pond alive.

How do you spend your free time in Slovakia?

I spend most of my time with my family, we try to do fun things with my son. I have a few friends that I meet from time to time. If it's not too cold, we spend weekends at my in-laws' cottage in Klátov, where we make furniture and things mainly from wood. In Canada, I worked as a carpenter, I built house structures out of wood. My wife has an amazing imagination, she invents furniture and decorations for the house that you can't just buy in the store. At the cottage, we try to transform her ideas into reality. In Slovakia, I have found a work-life balance, I like that I work at the same time every day and have free weekends, which I have never had in Ireland.

What do you like here and vice versa, what do you not?

I like how beautiful the nature is here, that even in the city there is still greenery and nice places for walks and relaxation. And I'm very interested in winter sports, my wife tried to lure me into skiing and cross-country skiing. It was a disaster, I thought that after training martial arts for more than 30 years, I would have a much better balance. So we tried it only once . I like that there are fewer people here than in Dublin and life is a bit slower than in Ireland. I don't like how Slovaks drive, it's so chaotic. It's already bad enough that you're driving on the other side of the road than I'm used to, and some drivers think they're in Formula 1 and they're very unpredictable.

Are there misunderstandings due to language or cultural barriers?

Yes, people often think that if they talk to me in German, it's close to English and I'm sure I'll understand. Or that if they speak Slovak louder, then maybe I will understand better and then we look like cavemen trying to talk to each other in sign language . Many people, even those who speak English, do not understand my jokes and sense of humor.

Are you trying to learn Slovak?

Not actively, it's a very difficult language. I often know how to say words in Slovak, but it's very difficult to pronounce them in a way that people understand. It's a slow process for me, but I'm trying my best.

How often do you travel home? Aren't you tempted to return to Ireland?

Given the current political and immigration situation in Ireland, I certainly have no desire to go back. We used to go once a year, but last year we couldn't go, so I hope it will work out this year.

At the end of the interview, Warren added:

Only that if people see me by the pond, they can stop and talk to me in a friendly way, because the fish don't answer me back.