Roxana Repecka, finance senior manager at Accenture, tells us why she chose Ireland as a place to live and work, and how she has acclimatised to the Irish ‘summer’.
Where are you from?
I’m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. It’s a very nice country with nice people and nice food. Because it is a huge country, you can find a variety of different landscapes and types of weather across different areas.
How long have you been in Ireland?
Six years.
Why did you move here?
I wanted to gain some experience abroad and Argentina’s economic environment wasn’t the best at the time, so the combination of both prompted my decision to move.
What work do you do?
My current role is in the accounting policies and transaction support team (in the finance area) but I have been doing different finance roles since I moved here. I like variety and the company offers the chance to learn and grow, so I’ve changed roles within Accenture quite a bit during these six years.
How would you describe your working environment?
Accenture really cares about the working environment and I think it’s great as a result. Also, people in the company are very friendly and approachable and the company is very flexible (for example, we have flexible working hours, arrangements to work from home, etc) which makes your life easier – even more so when you are abroad and don’t have the same support from relatives, for example, that you would have in your home country.
What do you like most about your job?
I love interacting with people in different locations. Most of the people in my team are based in Chicago and I generally provide support to teams across Europe and Latin America, so I have to interact with different cultures and social styles on a daily basis, which I really enjoy. I also like being able to build good relationships even with people I never met in person. It is challenging but rewarding at the same time.
Was it difficult to adjust to living and working in Ireland?
I think the main difference with Buenos Aires is the weather, which is mostly sunny in Buenos Aires. I believe the weather can impact your mood sometimes. I missed the Argentinean weather for awhile but I’m perfectly adapted now. Not sure if I’d like to go to work in 35 degrees anymore!
What surprised you about moving to Ireland?
The thing I wasn’t aware of and surprised me was that there is no summer in Ireland (as we interpret it in Argentina).
How does your working life help to make you feel at home here?
I made friends at work, which made me feel at home pretty quickly. I arrived in Dublin on a Friday and started working the following Monday, so I can say that the first people I met here were my work colleagues who were very welcoming and helped me to integrate and adapt to my new life by introducing me to other people, giving me advice on paper work, etc.
What do you like most about your adopted home?
I like the people. I think Irish people are very friendly and I made a number of Irish friends over these six years. I also enjoy the cultural activity in Dublin. I love going to the theatre and I think Dublin offers a range of different cultural events, which I love to go to when possible.
