Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Is living in Ireland a syndrome?

the definition of syndrome is a 'cluster of manifestations that cannot be defined in one physical condition,' well thats my definition.
I have many physical conditions but am known to have been infected or effected by one virus pre-birth, so i have a syndrome, all add up to one or thought to add up to one starting point, Rubella.
So i am using this analogy to refer to sickness across the board, with one starting point, Ireland and being Irish.

The battle in Ireland is, multi-facetted.
my twin has discovered that!
When she puts the hesitancy to work, the work-shy ethic, the lack of action and the promise of same she reels at the difference it was in the country she adopted for over forty years.
She has in essence been hit a mighty blow.

How on earth has Ireland functioned she has wondered.
How on earth did anything get done!
Well how did it, i too now ask this question.

A malaise has set in.
A sickness born from an ethos, that is distinctly Irish.
Today for instance i had my Disability Advocate.
Advocacy is getting something done for a less able person...
Meaning a person has designated that person to get stuff done..it is supposed to do exactly what it says on the tin.
This woman i have met a few times.
I have emailed many times.
we have been in phone contact, email contact and the directions have been pretty specific.
Today, as i say she arrived..again at my door with her jotter or notebook or diary whatever.
She asked me a weird question.
'what is your vision of what i can do for you?'
I giggled at the phrasing of words here.
"HUH, are you serious?"
As so happened i had my laptop nearby.
I googled my mail box to see our number of communications.
I read out.
18 emails,
7 emails.
3 emails.
Going back a couple of months now.
All saying the same thing,
all asking the same thing
and all requesting the same things.
My requests were plain.
- basic services
-support
-help to make my way in a new county
-some useful entertaining and productive communication with the natives and creative persons is needed so where can i start in an alien county where i know nobody?
-support, support support.
These were the reasons of getting the advocate.
So far nothing has materialized and today i am asked what my vision for her in regard to me is!
I thought it was pretty well explained.
I really did.
Obviously not.
Another question, one asked when i had first met.
"Now tell me what are the conditions you do have?"
"HUH?" I giggled again.
"I thought they would have been stated at onset."
"Yes, i know, but tell me again."
("Why?")
I have a syndrome.
So does she, and so do all.
A cluster of ills that go to make up one ill defined problem.
I put it in one here - we are lazy, my friend.
We have a difficulty with another word.
ACTION.
we are all blow and no go.

When my twin gets through a difficult day of getting no where with this nonsense she rings me saying she had a difficult day getting through this nonsense.
She is weary.
I AM WEARY>
Is this the 'new way?"
the new way of dealing with problems and difficulties.
The new IRISH way...or more of the same.
The Irish way!

An older sister tells my twin that 'You are in Ireland now, not London."
so it is KNOWN.
The syndrome, that is.
We have promises of letters being written, services being given, phone calls being made.
Nothing happens.
No services either.
HOme-helps do no home help they play with soap suds in the water.
To leave the saucepans for the HOme helps is called being abusive toward home helps!
Give me - and my twin - a break!

Home help manager - "Oh i didn't know you had moved into your home, when did you?"
In prep for the move and the need for er, home help, i had rung two days before the event.
'Oh yes i moved in two weeks ago.  I rang and told you as you had requested."
"OH."

I am two weeks without a motorized vehicle after crashing the one i had into a tree.
Again more of the same, symptoms of inertia and changing goal posts.
One tells me one thing, another another and another another.
If you can keep up with the deception and the rejection of what one said to another and "No, he was wrong on that, he shouldn't have said that."
WELL he did!
Nothing gets done.
"OH you have done so much in your new home, in so little time!" i am told from jaw dropping visitors.
"Yes." i say, i wanted to and i had to so i did so.
Its easy.
Its called ACtions not words.
Peezy.
You work hard at this.
You work. Period.

But as the sister said to the sister.
You are not in London now, you are in Ireland.
She didn't have to say anymore.
but she did actually.
with twin in mighty tears at the lack of action, the stumper was 'i told you you couldn't manage and you should have gone into sheltered accommodation!'
Why i ask myself is this the solution?
It isn't a solution, its an excuse for a sick person cos others cannot or won't help.
get shut of her when she bursts into tears and needs help.
Whip her dog, her fantastic dog away and stick her in magnolia with bewildered.

Promises of help too, once i have moved into my own home.
well that didn't come fast.
the manager interviewed me about my needs and what the home help would do.
We had that all before months ago when she met me up at my twins.

All the workers of the world (well, Ireland anyway) manage to not work for their clients cos they are on 'annual leave.'  (euphenism for a few days off)!
or, 'training days.'  that is sitting in a wheelchair for a few hours to realize what its like being in one.
or lifting, as in 'how do i lift a lump of potatoes in the shape of a human being?'
the cave man just lifted.
Irish people and sophisticated workers have to train to life.
they go on refresher courses too, cos they tend to forget.
One thing for sure, they don't forget to eat or to cook do they?
they forget to lift.
Yes, i am a begrudger and wailer of litanies.
I have suggested that Dr. Raging Wheels starts raging and dictating and writing.
we are a country gone awol with laziness.
money for old rope and bathing hands in soap suds for a few hours.
I have never seen it take so long to wipe down a few surfaces and wash a few crock and clut for a sick person, one sick person.
not after the Vanentine's ball, no. not after the Farnley either.
we are LAZY.
no amount of emails can describe this adequately.

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