Caio Assuncao, technical support engineer at Tableau Software, tells us why he chose Ireland as a place to live and work, and how someone from the home of the lettuce pizza now loves trad music.
Where are you from?
This is actually a hard question for me to answer. Most of my family is from Sao Paulo, but as a child, I do not think I lived much more than three years in the same place. We were always moving to different cities in Brazil, a country as big as the European continent. I spent my teenage years in the US and later went to study in Sao Carlos, a university town only 240km away from the city of Sao Paulo, which is quite close by Brazilian standards.
The Sao Carlos/Sao Paulo region is where I stayed the longest; it is where I acquired most of my speaking accent, where I have some family and where my friends are. I like to think of myself as a world citizen.
Although less known outside of Brazil compared to Rio, Sao Paulo is Brazil’s main business center with a metropolitan population of around 20 million. It is full of diversity, with the largest Japanese, Portuguese and Lebanese population outside each respective country. Chaotic with its endless traffic jams it is a land of opportunity, diverse cuisine and nightlife.
Sao Carlos is surrounded by waterfalls, is the main place in Brazil for white-water rafting and is famous for its world-renowned lettuce pizza (yeah, just a crust with lots of lettuce).
How long have you been in Ireland?
I came to Dublin at the end of 2013, so almost one-and-a-half years.
Why did you move here?
I had been a while in the same place and I thought it was time for a change. I always wanted to live in Europe, a place where by travelling 200km one could experience an entirely different culture and language. In addition, I have dual Italian/Brazilian citizenship, but I never learned any Italian. My wife and I were tired of the stressful life of a big metropolis like London and with Dublin becoming the tech capital of Europe it was the perfect choice.
What work do you do?
I am a technical support engineer focused on analytics at Tableau. I assist our customers in creating stunning visualisations to help them understand their data. Our software connects to large databases and transforms that data into visualisations that can quickly answer questions in real time. Our team assists customers all over the world in English, French, Spanish, German and Portuguese.
How would you describe your working environment?
Awesome! Tableau is a company that is trying to retain its start-up feel. We have open access to everyone in the company and it is hard to discern who is an engineer, manager or director. We all feel we are important and valued and we try to maintain a fun environment, with food and social events whenever possible.
What do you like most about your job?
I like the training and learning opportunities, which are always available. Also, how approachable our superiors are. We are always welcome to talk to them and discuss anything we might have in mind.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
Not really. I guess the hardest thing for me was the weather. Coming from tropical Brazil it was a big impact. Finding a place to rent was also much harder than I expected.
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
The feeling and friendliness of a small town. I was not expecting that.
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
I have made many friends in the office, many of them foreigners also. Once a week there is some activity we do after hours.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
Dublin is a city that has a small town feeling with all the benefits and options of a larger town. Half an hour I can go across the city, take a walk at Phoenix Park or if I want something a bit further, I am at the Wicklow Mountains. At the same time, there are lots of shows, theaters, pubs and restaurants to enjoy. I think it has the perfect balance. I also love trad music.
