A bottle without Cork

by Alpona Dutta (Ireland)

A leap into the unknown Ireland

Ireland was not my first choice. It never had been. I had fancied studying in the United Kingdom but destiny had a different tale to say. I’m neither a fatalist nor do I believe in ‘what is meant to happen, will happen’. I’ve a rather pragmatic approach- Something like ‘I will make it happen’. Dublin, the capital city, is petite in its own way. My friends found it breathtaking, yet somehow I could never grasp the essence the Irish culture has to offer. I come from a place which is nestled in the hustles and bustles and compared to that, this was a village. Extreme weathers, less populated, stores shutting down in the evening that marks their day being finished, it was a different culture. It’s said in the process of living on your own, you discover how you yourself are the changemarker. I had never dated anyone all along but did just before coming to Ireland. I broke up with my boyfriend; I started dating another person and broke up again- I thought love wasn’t for me. My grades suffered, things weren’t good back at home, I cut off from the world. I wanted a job because more than the money, I needed to keep myself engaged. I decided that perhaps I could pursue doctoral studies in case I do not land a job directly. In this never-ending quest of wanting to know more and seek more, I embarked upon this journey of travelling to parts of the nation with respect to my intended study- Coffee culture in Ireland. Personally, I’ve a huge aficionado for coffee which only seems to be increasing by the day. To get into the depth of the subject matter, I mailed about 10 coffee store owners each day (it must’ve been around 80-85 in all). Out of so many, about a handful people responded and agreed for a meet-up (God bless them!) One of the respondents was a person from Cork. It sure does sound hilarious when I spoke to a couple friends that I’d be going to Cork just for the interview and be back soon, since I had another event scheduled in the interiors of Dublin that very afternoon. People laughed, people were shocked but who really cares? I booked the first bus and the train back accordingly. I had actually envisaged Cork to be a rustic part of the country but I was in for a surprise! It was beautiful! I don’t want to sound like an ambassador of that place but perhaps since I had zero expectations, I was in for a ride. The interview was great and the store owner was one of the sweetest I’ve ever met. Cork had a beautiful landscape, and that’s where I learnt a little more about the Irish history and landscapes. Ireland without cork is like a bottle without cork- your day would be incomplete if you do not get in the Cork essence. It was at the volunteering event later that I had almost cancelled that I met my current love, that’s all about it XOXO