THE ARRIVAL

After 5 months in France, I have eventually found something new to do, maybe not as fun as in Czech Republic, but still, it's abroad, in a new city, far from home, and with a lot of new things to see and to do. So, here I am, Belfast ! :)

So, i guess the first thing you wonder is : "Why Belfast?" Very simple : because of the job. I simply answered an announce on a website, the company called me back the day after, i got files to fill in, then i got a telephone interview and eventually they told me : "Book the first plane! We want you!" Well, of course, there it's all about boasting...

Because when I arrived for my first day at work, I was far from being the only one French to start here. Actually, we are a dozen of French people, who come from quite different horizons, and have been chosen by my company (which name i think i'm not entitled to unveil) to become part of the team. Here is what will be my "office" soon :

What is my job about ? Very simple. I'll be customer agent. My company is to Customer Service what Ryan Air was to airplane companies. They have started with a dozen of employees in 1999 and now, they have more than 500 employees, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and they have even opened offices in Eastern Europe. This company counts among its clients some of the most known informatics and internet companies in the world.

I arrived in Belfast last sunday. I was provided a room in an hostel for the first days, booked by my company for the newcomers. Curiously, they chose one far from the city centre, right in the districts where Loyalists and Republicans used to fight. That was a good place only because i could have a good view of the city skyline, or kind of :

To go to the city centre, I had to follow the Peace Wall, a great wired fence which is the frontier of the Republican districts. What is sure is that i've never seen a city with so many barbwires, fences, walls, security cameras in my all life ! It's like a war zone. But, it's far from being what it used to be, 15 years ago. Thank God, money has poured in, and foreigners too, like me. So, sectarian violence is decreasing steadily.