WELCOME TO WEST CORK: Staying here was a great decision

In the latest of our series of interviews with people who relocated here, Sandra Viray tells Elaine Desmond about moving from the Philippines to Bantry, and then Durrus which feels like home

THE Philippines. A whole nation made up of more than 7,000 islands. A team of isles bound by the Pacific Ocean, South China, Sulu and Celebes Seas.

Sandra Viray is like her country, one unit, but crediting many teams and their strong bonds for her life in West Cork

She was born in Makati, part of metro Manila. 

‘Like another urban county around the capital.’ 

This is one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

She lived near the South Luzon Expressway which makes Ireland’s motorways seem anorexic and boreen-like. 

Sandra was familiar with a buzzy background of traffic as a constant hum. Makati, she says, is, ‘a city that never sleeps.’

She received her nursing degree in the Philippines, working in a busy general ward before applying for overseas work. Sandra enjoyed the adrenaline rush when younger, the excitement of a quick response to cardiac arrests, assisting with newborns and great recoveries after surgery. 

Sandra enjoys people and she enjoys seeing people get well.

However the cut and thrust of a hospital balances life and death. 

Sandra’s husband Arvin, who now also works in Bantry Hospital. ‘I stayed also because of the hospital team,’ she says.

As a young nurse in the Philippines she and her colleagues would often unwind after work. 

The decompression of nightlife. High intensity work bonds people together - smooth teamwork is vital. 

Sandra enjoyed the grout of her work colleagues and like the Philippine islands, many strengthened the one.

Hired by the HSE, Sandra arrived in Cork in July 2005 with a team of nurses. 

An adaptation period of three weeks included two weeks work experience on CUH wards before she wound her way to Bantry’s by-ways. 

The other nurses went other ways but she kept in touch with this arrival group bonded by their first days in Cork. 

From a vast Asian metropolis to Ireland’s real capital to a West Cork coastal town.

No adaptation period could prepare Sandra for this ricochet, from constant traffic in a city packed with people to a rare car passing through empty streets after midnight. 

Her acclimatisation to Irish life was not without a squall or two.

Arriving in summer sunshine Sandra was happily duped by the weather, but then - the rain. 

At first she didn’t think she’d ‘make it’. 

She lived within walking distance of Bantry town allowing her to plug into the social hum she needed. 

With other Filipino families already based in Bantry she did not feel completely isolated, enjoying ‘good get-togethers’.

Her busy work life in Bantry hospital was a great distraction and trips to the local cinema were also a big plus.

When Sandra arrived in Ireland her husband Arvin remained in the Philippines with their two daughters, Simone and Aryn, then aged four and three. 

Naturally settling into a new life was not going to be easy without them but the full team reunited a year later.

The girls had a little difficulty at first grappling with English. 

Tagalog was their first language in the Philippines. Communication came easier to Sandra and Arvin though as most newspapers in the Philippines are written in English, the main mode of school and college instruction is English and it is also prevalent on TV.  

Arvin became the full time home-maker. It was (and still is) a busy household. Daughters Alexandra and Savannah were born in 2008 and 2012. Sandra explains it was a full team family decision to stay in Ireland - quality of life and educational opportunities are wider here.

After all four girls started school Arvin completed a pre-nursing course and he too now works at Bantry Hospital. 

A zig-zag route from his university maths studies. This spousal team works around their rotas balancing shifts and life together. 

Sandra’s Irish work-life began in Bantry Hospital’s surgical ward. After two years on a temporary contract she was encouraged to apply for permanency as soon as an opening occurred - her colleagues eager to keep her rooted in West Cork. 

She moved on to work in the Intensive Care area, now the High Dependency Unit - downgraded by the HSE.

Sandra also grew permanent roots with a house purchase. 

Rising home prices forced the family to cast an accommodation net beyond Bantry, but not too far wide. 

Durrus windows winked. Again it was a team effort, everyone’s input was important. All six family members attended each house viewing before making the final decision.

West Cork is now home for Sandra but naturally she still misses much in the Philippines. 

Her mother has dementia now and lives with Sandra’s sister. She visits when she can but most contact is via Skype. 

‘Technology allows us to be closer,’ Sandra says.

Food is another missing element - from fresh mangoes to street food such as taho (tofu dessert), squid balls, isaw (chicken bbq) and unique ice-cream flavours like purple yam and cheese.

Friends are also missed but meeting up is still possible and recently some of that first arrival group to Cork in 2005 had a ‘happy get-together’ in Durrus.

And yes, the weather. Sandra misses heat but is now accustomed to our famous rain.

‘Staying in Ireland was a great decision. I stayed also because of the Bantry hospital team. I enjoy the company of good people surrounding me’.

And we in West Cork enjoy the company of this good person.

Read more from our Welcome to West Cork series here.