Cultural Questions

[arabmed]

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These questions is for North American students that experienced the Irish culture.

Did you find it difficult to adapt to the culture?
Did you find any racism there? I am Middle Eastern, would someone like me encounter any problems living there?
Is it multicultural?

Thanks for the help.

 

[med2UCC]

These questions is for North American students that experienced the Irish culture.

Did you find it difficult to adapt to the culture?
Did you find any racism there? I am Middle Eastern, would someone like me encounter any problems living there?
Is it multicultural?

Thanks for the help.

I had no problems adapting to the culture, but in many ways it is similar to the culture in the part of Canada where I live.
There is racism in Ireland - there is racism everywhere. Humans seem designed to react negatively to people who are different. That being said, it is not a huge problem. Moreover, all the med schools have a large cohort of Malaysian students and students from the Middle East. In my class we had a number of Kuwaitis, a few people from Oman and about 30 Malaysians. They didin't seem to have major problems with either the culture or with racism. You should be fine. Be aware that every social gathering you go to will involve alcohol, but no one will care if you don't drink.
Ireland is becoming more multicultural, but it is still pretty white. Dublin is more multicultural than the smaller cities. I lived in Cork, and there were quite a few people from other countries there, but not like Dublin. Cork is an easier city to live in, in my opinion, and in my opinion has less racism. Cheers,
M

 

[leorl]

In terms of jobs offered post graduation, you will be at a disadvantage if you are non-EU, non-white. But in terms of time during medical school, you shouldn't find it too much an obstacle. There is a subsect of Irish people who are racist, but in general, the Irish culture is becoming more and more open.

 

[elainep]

I am not North American, I am Irish but hopefully I can give you some insight. there is a certain amount of racism in Ireland, unfortunately, but no more so than in any country that is predominantly white. What you will get, especially if you live in a disadvantaged area, is the usual gangs of kids hanging around outside shops who might pass comment as you are walking by. I live near local council flats and you do hear inappropriate remarks sometimes, but these are only bored kids and they will generally pass comment on anyone who looks different e.g. 'alright fatso', 'state of your hair' etc. Nobody pays much attention to this. I have heard the odd remark about people of other races by these types of kids on the bus the odd time but it is the rule rather than the exception and their intention is to draw attention to themselves and what idiots they are.
Ireland, especially Dublin city, is becoming increasingly more diverse in terms of race. Incidents of racism are by far the exception and hopefully something you will not experience if you come here. By and large people will chat to you in the pub and be interested to hear where you are from etc. and the vast majority of us welcome people from different countries and cultures - it definitely makes socialising (whether you drink or not) more interesting.