I met most of the Foreigners of Greystones through my children in various Parent & Toddler Groups. However, to explain how I met Kris, I need to reveal a different side of myself—and go beyond my usual introduction as a stay-at-home mom and fellow Foreigner of Greystones.

Having suffered from depression throughout my life, I have often sought out different approaches to therapy. To deal with my anxiety, lack of self-worth, and irrational fears, I had always wanted to try hypnosis. When I began searching for a suitable facilitator, I stumbled across Kris and her Past Life Regression Therapy. Her practice was right on my doorstep.

Finding Calm in the Dots

Our meetings began on a strictly professional level. Even so, I liked Kris very much as a person. Her kind, reassuring way tempted me to ask about the art displayed in her therapy room. I was absolutely fascinated by the colorful mosaics and the incredible perfection of her work. It was hard to grasp how anyone could have the patience to create such pristine masterpieces.

Hearing Kris say she creates these pieces to unwind makes the flawless detail seem even more unbelievable. She uses a special technique called dotting, or pointillism. This process requires an immense level of precision and concentration. As my jaw dropped in admiration, I knew I wanted to write about her for Foreigners of Greystones.

A Holistic Approach

Kris’ educational background spans several health sciences. She has studied pharmacy, toxicology, diet and nutrition, as well as psychotherapy. I had always felt I was in capable hands with her, and now I could see why. I deeply valued her holistic approach, which considers dietary and physical components alongside mental health.

Even when I asked Kris about her “philosophy of life,” she didn’t settle for a simple one-liner.

“I believe that our philosophy of life is not a constant,” Kris says. “It changes as we get older, wiser, and more experienced. Our philosophy is based on our beliefs, moral code, life experience, and expectations. Being authentic and accepting everything as part of my own growth is fundamental. It is important to be the best example of my own teachings. I love my weakness because it is also my biggest strength.”

The Foreigner’s Alliance

Accepting change and loving myself for who I am is exactly why I sought therapy in the first place. On one hand, I feel proud to be a Foreigner of Greystones. I overcame real hardships before fulfilling my dream of moving to Ireland. On the other hand, I still struggle with inadequacy. I often battle the feeling of not belonging, despite having no logical reason to feel that way.

The fact that Kris was a foreigner as well—as strange as it may sound—circumvented the barrier I sometimes have in my head when talking to Irish people. Fearing that they might pigeonhole me due to my accent was a constant worry. Talking to a fellow immigrant erased that fear instantly and allowed us to connect deeply over the shared realities of immigrant life in Ireland.

When Kris told me she was originally from Lithuania, I couldn’t hide my eagerness. Many years ago, long before the country became a popular holiday destination, I spent a couple of weeks traveling and camping there. It barely had a tourist infrastructure back in 2006. That raw authenticity was exactly what I enjoyed. At the time, I had just quit working for a group travel operator. Their corporate tours promoted the exact opposite of the pristine nature I experienced in Lithuania.

“Golden Beaches full of Amber”

Kris’s description of her home country reflects exactly how I remembered it.

“Lithuania has unique golden sand beaches full of amber”, she says. “We have amazing pine forests with silvery moss carpets and sand dunes surrounded by the sea on two sides. There are charming, authentic straw-roof villages protected by UNESCO, still untouched by a disturbing commercial invasion. The cities are small but charming, loaded with stunning, historically interesting buildings. We also have narrow streets and inviting small restaurants and coffee shops“, Kris continues.

The Curonian Spit was a place I had yearned to visit for years. I first heard about it from my grandmother’s friend, who spoke of it with deep wistfulness. She grew up close by in Nida. After her expulsion in WWII, she felt somewhat disconnected all her life. She spent the happiest years of her childhood there and always called the Curonian Spit a magical spot. I finally understood her yearning—and my own—once I saw it with my own eyes.

This endangered strip of golden sand is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site. The dunes stretch from 400 meters in width to almost four kilometers. I consider myself lucky to have camped nearby. Visiting the Curonian Lagoon at dawn, watching the sun rise over the Baltic Sea with no other visitors around, was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Kaunas – A Place to Study and Live

Kris herself is from Kaunas. “It is the second largest city in Lithuania, known for its fine architecture”, Kris tells me. “UNESCO even named it a city of design. It is very rich with unique museums, stunning cathedrals, and theaters. It’s also an academic city with many great universities. This includes the best medical university in Eastern Europe, which I had the privilege to graduate from. Interestingly, 94% of its citizens are ethnic Lithuanians, which is quite rare for a modern European city.“

This statistic genuinely surprises me. With Covid now firmly in the past, I am sure more young people will discover Kaunas as a wonderful place to study and live.

“I Looked at Google and Chose Wicklow“

Her story makes me chuckle because it completely mirrors my own arrival. I also wanted to improve my English without leaving Europe and like Kris, I knew nothing about the small island in the Atlantic  Ocean. Consequently, we both stepped blindly into immigrant life in Ireland, finally landing in beautiful Greystones.

The Emotional Side of Immigrant Life in Ireland

Loving the place you live in helps enormously when settling into a foreign country. Loving who you share it with matters just as much. Nevertheless, leaving familiar territory behind always brings ambivalent feelings. I find it deeply comforting that Kris describes the reality of immigrant life in Ireland with a similar sensation—a quiet feeling of not belonging.

“It was a scary feeling”, Kris shares. “I believe every immigrant experiences it. You feel like you have no roots in this strange new soil. There is no family to call for Sunday dinner. Also no close friends to chat with over a cup of tea. There is no sentimental place to visit when you feel lonely. You know you’ll never bump into an old school friend on a busy street. You won’t walk by a shop window that reminds you of a special moment. Your past becomes nearly irrelevant. You are starting entirely from a blank page.“

“Outdated Taps and Fast Food Shock”

Starting from a blank page also means adapting to new circumstances. Sometimes they can be full-blown culture shocks. However, for most of us Foreigners of Greystones they are rather amusing changes that make us smile looking back. Kris agrees completely: “Most of them made me laugh rather than upset! I had some fun learning how to use a sink with two separate taps. One spewing out ice cold water, the other one boiling hot. The absent mixer tap in our kitchen sink still causes disapproval every time my parents come to visit”, Kris laughs. “Double-decker buses maneuvering in narrow busy streets seemed unreal, and amount of junk food places was overwhelming. We had only one McDonald’s at the time I left the second biggest city in Lithuania”, Kris remembers.

No Summers, No Winters

The weather seems to affect every foreigner who comes to Ireland. And how could it not?

“When I call to my parents“, Kris says, “we always have fun discussing the weather. If I ask about the weather in Lithuania in wintertime, they typically say it is very mild with no winter this year. To them, that means the temperature is ‘only’ minus 10 degrees. When I tell them in summer that we are having very hot weather in Ireland at 20 degrees, they look at me with sympathy. To them, it means no summer again this year in Ireland!”

Learn, Learn, Learn

I totally get it. We foreigners joke about the weather. Sometimes we even moan or complain. But we value our green island and wouldn’t be here if we didn’t love it. Therefore, Kris has some excellent advice for anyone looking to settle in Ireland.

“People should know that once they make the decision to make another country their home, everything in that country should concern them”, she says. “There is no ‘us’ and ‘them’ anymore. Many immigrants that I know through my work don’t feel comfortable socializing with locals. They hesitate to actively participate in many areas of life, using cultural differences as an excuse. My best advice to them is to learn, learn, learn! Dive into the language, history, culture, and traditions of the country that is your home now. The result is always rewarding. You will find something new and amazing all the time.“

Foreigners abroad often bond over the smallest common denominator. This might be sharing the same country of origin or just being foreign in the same place. There is nothing wrong with relying on a bit of familiarity away from home. But as Kris beautifully points out, true integration and thriving in immigrant life in Ireland can only happen when genuine efforts are made—on both sides.