I LOVE HARD

We moved to Northern Ireland, mum’s home, in the early 90s.

My dad died the year before, and mum asked us whether we wanted to stay in Botswana or move to NI.

Aged 7, 8 and 10, my sisters and I voted for Northern Ireland. Why? Snow.

I think it was probably a decade later before we actually experienced snow. And that was on a visit to my uncle in Sweden.

Of course, the decision wasn’t really ours. And mum was doing what she thought best, having been widowed at 43 and left with three young kids.

We’d been back to NI for Christmases, and life with our grandparents quickly became our norm.

Much like the snow, what didn’t come so quickly was an understanding of the NI lingo.

I’m still mortified by the poster I made to express my love for a certain member of the pop group Take That.

“I LOVE HARD”

Written in full colour, all CAPS.

Hard?

Yes. Hard.

Because that’s what I’d heard when my friends were discussing Gary, Mark, Jason, Robbie and HOWARD!

The Northern Ireland accent is a ‘hard’ one, and my untrained ear had a lot to learn.

I still cringe at my sisters’ laughter when we talk about that poster.

As they’d say in NI – morto!!

And while I thought I’d have to translate Northern Irish slang for my other half, it’s actually our daughter who’s bringing home some lovely nuggets that we have to unpick and work out.

We’ve worked backwards to understand that a pal at school is not Jick but Jake.

She’s hearing the Ards accent and repeating it back confidently.

She won’t tell you ageen.

Again.

It won’t be long before she’s graduated from baths to par shars.

Power showers, for the uninitiated.

And for now we’re getting used to ‘so I did’ as the standard addendum to most sentences.

Her how, now, brown, cow is more high, nigh, brine, cai, and neither of us is quite sure what words will come out of her mouth next.

But that’s the fun, isn’t it?

Another young girl working out what it is to be in Northern Ireland, and a part of this wee place, hopefully quicker and easier than my own journey was. And maybe with a bit more snow.

Let’s hope she gets the names right on her first poster.