From DJs and dumplings to St Patrick’s Day: the importance of cultural celebration

Undergraduate study is for many students their first experience of living away from home. It is a time of rich learning, adventure, coming-of-age and proving one’s independence.

Despite the thrill and joy of new opportunities, students can find themselves missing the comforts of home. For international students — who face additional challenges such as learning how to open a bank account in a new country, getting to grips with unfamiliar transportation systems and creating a network of friends, all in a foreign language — those comforts can feel very far away.  

To help mitigate the risk of homesickness I recommend our international students embrace their heritage and the new culture presented to them by living in Ireland. As a welfare officer, I know that students who feel part of a community will be more likely to integrate in the classroom, social circles and the opportunities presented by their new location. These students are less likely to feel isolated or homesick, which has a positive influence on their mental wellbeing.

Embracing cultural differences

The easiest way to embrace these cultural differences in Ireland is to experience one of the many festivals on offer. Today, for example, is St. Patrick’s Day. The world-famous celebration of Ireland’s patron saint is celebrated by every community in Ireland and by the Irish diaspora internationally. Thousands of Irish people, residents and tourists will enjoy a huge parade that takes place in Dublin, Ireland’s capital. For me, however, the best events are the smaller parades in local communities. They showcase the diversity Ireland offers and can really open a student’s eyes to how welcoming Ireland is.

Home comforts

Cultural events are huge amounts of fun but it’s important to consider that some students could struggle to connect with a new culture initially. They may develop a feeling of belonging to neither their home country nor their study destination. For this reason, I like to help create space for students to celebrate their own cultures. This maintains their connections to home and introduces other students — and staff — to new cultures. It’s a helpful signal to all our international students that they share commonalities and experiences across cultural differences and creates a warm and welcoming environment.

At the Dublin International Study Centre, which we deliver in partnership with University College Dublin, we annually assess our students’ demographics and celebrate the key festivities that will support our students to feel included.

In the last few months alone we have had held a Lunar New Year party and a Kuwaiti Day celebration. It is truly heart-warming to see how proud our students are to share their own culture, and how eager others are to learn about their peers’ heritage and tradition. It’s also often a wonderful chance to feast on delicious food.

Níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán fhéin 

In Irish we have an expression: níl aon tinteán mar do thinteán fhéin. It is our version of the classic saying that there’s no place like home but translated literally it means that there’s no fireplace like the one in your home. I believe that to be true but we hope that while studying with us here in Ireland, our students can keep warm by our fireplace through fostering a sense of community and belonging for all.