New Lives:After years overseas John and Joyce Kerins return home with another plan, writes Sylvia Thompson.
There is a widely held notion that if you stay in a country for more than five years, you are less likely to leave.
Such a notion is probably based on the belief that we will have found enough reasons to stay or to go within that time period.
Interestingly, Cork couple John and Joyce Kerins have lived in various parts of the world, but they never stayed much longer than five years in each place.
"We're back in Cork now about two years and I'd say we'll give it about another three before we consider moving on," says John Kerins who runs computer-based reading and language skills centres with his wife, Joyce.
The Kerins met and married in their early 20s and set off to London in the mid-1980s like many Irish people of their generation. "I studied chartered accountancy with the view that it would be a good passport for travelling," says John.
Meanwhile, Joyce did a course in Montessori teaching in England and worked as a Montessori teacher in London.
"It was great fun. London was like home from home then. We still have lots of friends there. We bought an apartment while we were there and then sold it which put on the accelerator to move out."
An opportunity to work as the finance director with Pepsi with responsibility for the Middle East and Africa arose for John. The head office was in Dubai so they moved there but travelled around Africa a lot.
"Our two children, Chloe (15) and Rory (13) were born while we were in Dubai," says Joyce. "It was a great place to be with small children - there was home help, lots of new parks, beautiful beaches and the shopping was great."
While in Dubai, John left his job at Pepsi and started his own business, marketing and sampling health products in supermarkets in the Middle East.
"This was a whole new world for me. It was a rough and rugged place to do business in. You never knew where the roads would end, whether your orders would arrive on time and you were dependent on translators and interpreters for all your business."
The Kerins also lived in Dubai during the Gulf War. "American companies were very security conscious and many families were moved to Cyprus. We lived for six weeks in a hotel in Limisol but moved back when the threat lessened," explains John.
Another job offer for John - this time with Coca-Cola - presented the Kerins with the option of living in Moscow. "I'd no interest in going there so we made a deal that we'd fly to London to do our Christmas shopping and go check out the offer in Moscow," says Joyce.
One month later, the family moved to Moscow. "It was my favourite place to live even though I hadn't been keen to move there," says Joyce. "The Russians are wonderful people. They have a great ability to share and enjoy the moment. There was also a great sense of camaraderie among the expats there."
While in Moscow, Joyce started a Montessori school and also pursued a new interest in art, visiting artists in their studios. "Artists were subsidised in Russia. They got good education and privileges but with the collapse of the economy, they had to get more commercial. I bought a lot of art in Russia."
The collapse of the rouble in 1998 turned the attention of the Kerins family back to Europe. "The economy changed overnight and there was an exodus of expats out of Moscow. We had three great years there and we had to decide what to do," says John.
Barcelona beckoned and they moved to live in a Catalan village overlooking the Maesme coastline.
"We were in the mountains surrounded by vineyards, overlooking castles and the sea. It was beautiful," says Joyce.
John began "buying and selling private language schools across Europe, which he says he financed from "savings" as his salaries in Moscow and Dubai were tax-free which allowed him to do so. Meanwhile, Joyce got to know some artists in Barcelona and organised tours of studios for visitors and international residents.
"Barcelona is full of artists. It was interesting to watch the trends and begin to see artists who only exhibited and sold their paintings in the United States," she says.
While the Kerins always came back to Ireland for six weeks during the summer, Joyce had a yearning to come home to live.
"The children were at an age that they didn't know where they belonged. I felt it was important they had an anchor, a base and an identity," she explains. "I also felt I needed to come home and recharge my batteries. I knew I wouldn't grow old in Barcelona but I don't think I'll grow old here either."
On their return to Cork city, they immediately noticed how things had improved. "When we left, Cork was a derelict city. Now, it is confident and there is a nice sense of prosperity."
While doing business deals on foreign language schools, the Kerins came across a computer-based reading/language skills package which they felt they could bring to Ireland.
The highly structured, repetitive learning system known variously as Neuron Learning or Fast ForWord was already being used in up to 30 countries around the world. The Kerins bought the licence to train practitioners in the approach in Ireland and Britain.
"We train and supervise practitioners who deliver the package to families and schools. It involves children working on their reading and language skills at a computer every day for about an hour. With it we have seen children improve their reading in four to six weeks," says John.
So with their children in secondary schools in Cork city, the Kerins are staying put for now. Latin America and China are on their horizons. "I've really enjoyed moving around. We've great friends around the world," says Joyce.
"The children love Ireland but they often say that they look forward to travelling and working abroad again."