2025 REFLECTIONS

 

It has been a very busy year! Starting in South Africa and ending in Sligo city in Ireland is not easy, along with my husband and a three-year-old girl. I want to reflect on the activities of this year, going through every month. I find writing very therapeutic. It's like having a debrief session with a therapist. Looking at the past events, appreciating the good moments, and learning from the mistakes. 

January: I remember dropping my toddler off at a creche on the 4th of January. They gave me a starter pack with some chocolate and tissue, knowing how anxious I would be. For a good three weeks, we had tears in the morning and afternoon. I would catch Aryana playing along with the other kids in the playground, and as soon as she saw me, she would run and cry. She settled in well. I received my registration with the Irish Medical Council that month. I attended a Robbie Williams concert on the 26th of January, and it was really fun, but it made me realize that both Robbie and I are aging.  

February: We started the month attending a very nice 35th birthday party and my colleagues' baby shower. I remember February was a very hot and humid month in SA. Work got slightly busier as two of our consultants went on maternity leave. I was thrown into a very busy obstetric unit, with a hectic clinic. There were days when child pick up wasn’t possible, and I would stress to make it on time to the creche. Mom had a small gynecological operation, and I accompanied her to it. All the back and forth was very stressful, and it was during my annual leave, which did not feel like leave at all. I managed to attend the SAMS conference as well. 

March: This is a time of the year when I feel very sentimental. The Persian New Year happens at the same time as spring. That is the time of the year that I miss home, Grandma, and spring, which none of them occur in Sub-Saharan Africa. We had a brief celebration with my husband in the Turkish restaurant. We celebrated the end of the fasting month with my in-laws. 

April: It was a relatively uneventful month. I stopped working on the weekends and started having a bit more free time. Most of the evening activities, like dinner dates, gym or paddle, were not possible with baby creche pick up, so I started going to the Gym mid-week before work and on the weekends, and would visit my best friend for brunch on the weekend at least once a month. 

May: I had an interview for a job at Sligo University Hospital, and I got the job. Things became very stressful. There was tons of admin that needed to be done. Paperwork with the medical workforce, work permit applications, and ACLS, BLS, and other mandatory online courses needed to be done. On the 31st of May, we attended a fun birthday party in a little gallery. All the guests participated in creating a Johannesburg skyline painting. It is hanging on the wall here in Ireland, and has a very special place in my heart. 

June: I had annual leave and yet, there was no fun activity, only running to Home Affairs to get Aryana’s Passport and renew my husband’s, and then another trip to my home country embassy to renew my own passport, which was no fun. We were invited to a very big birthday party for my colleague’s daughter. It was full of fancy food and drinks for adults, and games and activities for the kids. We really enjoyed it. Israel made an attack on my home country, and my dad’s flight back to SA was cancelled. I was very concerned. With my immigration plans coming closer, I needed him back in SA to take care of things and help my brother take care of Mom. 

July: The craziness of June continued into July. I had to attend ACLS and BLS the whole weekend, and it was freezing cold in that venue. I was trying to publish a peer-reviewed case report that had a special place in my heart. Some days I had to wake up at 4 AM to work on the peer review corrections and make the journal article ready for publication. I was enjoying work as I was working in a gynaecology unit which was less busy, and I would make sure my trainees got their hands onto something, and learn how to operate.  Dad arrived in SA on the 13th of July. It was a relief to have him back safely. I attended one of my friend's Book launches, and I was very proud. 

August: We were getting very anxious with the visa department. I was already on the Ireland work group chat, and I needed to break the news to my South African colleagues and start serving notice. My article was published in the Cureus Journal on the 8th! I got my Visa on the 13th of August and told my Boss I am leaving at the end of the month. Luckily, one of our colleagues was back from maternity leave, so it wasn't a terrible blow for the department. Little did I know that resigning from a permanent government post has its hectic admin. From the police affidavit to retrieving the pension fund, etc. On top of that, immigration was more than real. We had to get our tickets, sell everything and pack the rest, and go. I had a beautiful farewell party with my colleagues and they gave me an SA rugby T-shirt. My in-laws threw a fancy farewell and birthday party and spoiled me with gifts.

September: I turned forty on the first of September. My best friend took me on a spa trip to Mount Grace, and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was a very thoughtful gift. knowing I probably can not take goodies anymore in my heavy luggage. Packing for an air travel is very stressful, making sure the bags are not overweight, etc. We flew to Ireland on 08/09/2025. We arrived on the 9th in Dublin; drove to Sligo on the 10th. I was at work on the 11th! I remember taking a cold shower because the heating system in the new house was not working. I attended occupational health and did my blood tests. I went to the hospital and signed my papers, got my staff card to access the critical wards. The biggest struggle was commuting from Tubbercury to the city. I was often late for work and would get home around 8pm. Most of September was a blur. For the first two weeks, I could not touch patients until I was cleared by occupational health. The biggest pain was opening a bank account and making sure the first salary kicked in before our South African savings ran out. 

October: We slowly started settling; there was still endless administrative work. I quickly discovered the public libraries near me and enjoyed their vast collections of kids' and adult books. One of the first things was applying for a PPS number for hubby and child, mandatory training, learning the admin parts of work, and opening a Revenue account for Tax returns. We came to the conclusion that the long commute is not working; I was spending up to 700 euros per month to make it to work and back. We started house hunting again. My first night shift was on the 21 October. 

November: We moved into a new house on Friday, the 30th of November. All the unpacking was done, and I was on call on Sunday. As I was recovering from everything, they told me I had to prepare for the section statistic meeting, which was crazy stressful. I started not getting good vibes from work. I started feeling that they are pushing me away and they assume that I am not competent. I clearly did not leave a good first impression. 

December: Here we are getting closer to the Christmas festivities, which are beautiful. I really do not understand the concept of telling kids the gifts they are getting are from Santa and the tooth fairy. I was raised in the Middle East. If my parents got me a gift, they would make it clear that they were not some imaginary fictional character. all the Christmas decorations are expensive and once packed take up a lot of space, and with the Irish life of moving around, I am drifting towards being minimal. The demographics and the workload of Ireland is much lighter than SA. The hospital where I work is not very busy, but the level of supervision and micromanagement becomes a bit crippling and ruins one's confidence and independence. I tried counselling a difficult patient while the unit consultant was on annual leave. She made a fuss, and it escalated and led to a huge departmental issue. I now look at the difficult patients, and tell them that they need to speak to the consultant. I do not get involved. One more dramatic incident and the department will be on fire.  I have given up the ego and humbled myself to fit into the new system again.