Where are you originally from? What made you decide to move?
I am from Waterford, which is a city in the south east of Ireland. It’s Ireland’s oldest city and was built by the Vikings in the 9th century.
As much as I adore Ireland, I always knew I would move away. I just wanted to experience different things.
Was it a difficult decision? What was the most difficult part about leaving?
Yes and no. As life passed by I kept thinking that I was just letting more time slip without following through on my plans. One day I just said to myself if not now then never. Once I made the decision, it was almost like I was on auto-pilot and was just counting down the days to the move.
It was hard to leave my friends and family. I knew that I was going to probably move away for good, and that meant I would miss out on a lot of things.
What was it like when you first arrived?
For the first few weeks I felt like I was on vacation, especially as I had never been to North America before. I had a whole new life to build so straight away got to work trying to make friends, find somewhere to live and get a job. It was exciting and fun.
What have been your biggest challenges?
I underestimated how not having any sense of familiarity would make me feel. At the start, I was so focused on building a life here that I didn’t really make space for myself to feel the emotions that that actually involves. It took me a while to identify and understand those feelings. Subtle everyday societal differences, such as how people interact, take a while to get used to.
What is the thing you are proudest of so far and why?
I moved to Canada by myself, with no job, no contacts, no friends and just an Airbnb for 10 days. I’ve been here for over 6 years now and have a great partner, job and friends. It took a few years to really feel settled in but I am proud that I just did it. I like that I trusted myself.
What are some of the things that were/are bringing you the feeling of nostalgia about home?
Whenever I light one of my candles I am transported back home. It is perfect.
We created three candle fragrances inspired by Amy's nostalgia.
Freshly Baked Blaas - Soda bread native to Ireland
A walk by The Celtic Sea - Inspired by Amy's walks by the beach
Tea O'clock - Inspired by days spent at home drinking Lyon's tea while the rain was pouring outside.
You can now purchase Tea O'clock on our website.
