With a population of employee’s equivalent to the town of Roscommon, Intel Ireland is home to a vibrant, diverse and dynamic collection of people.
Intel is a place that is full of brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and neighbours and over the next number of weeks, we will share stories of these people as part of our latest series of the People of Intel.
Ankit Singh, 27
Data Analysis & System Automation (Yield Analysis Department)
I’ve been working at Intel for a year but have only visited the site twice because of COVID. The first time I went onsite, the campus was so huge that I got lost, and ended up pushing an emergency door and setting off the fire alarms! The second time I made sure to make a map and orientate myself.
I’d been an international student here in Ireland in 2019 doing my master’s in Data Analytics. It took me a while to settle in Dublin because accommodation was really hard to find and I struggled with the food and weather. It’s hard to find authentic spicy Indian food here as I think the restaurants tone it down quite a bit. I never cooked before I came here, and a couple of months after I arrived, I tried to make my own food but it was a disaster, so I had to call home and ask for recipes so I could cook on my own. Now I think I’ve become quite good of a chef! I’m going back to New Delhi in September after almost a year now and so my mum is very intrigued to sample my cooking! I like the food in Ireland, and it feels fresh and healthy. My manager at Intel is Italian and I’m trying to learn some yummy recipes so I might cook some of those dishes when I am back in India to see what my family thinks.
I knew the Irish breakfast was very popular, so I tried that when I arrived but found it very heavy, but I like it now. We tend to do it the other way round in India. We eat lightly in the morning and end the day with a heavy meal, whereas it feels healthier here spreading it out lighter over the day.
Despite finding Ireland hard to adapt to at first, I really like living in Dublin now. My wife and I both love the nightlife and shopping but the biggest change for us is walking. In India, nobody walks anywhere, mostly because of the heat and pollution. But in Ireland people wouldn’t think anything of walking four or five kilometers, and I’ve become so much fitter and healthier since coming here. In fact, my mum constantly tells me on video I’m looking too thin! We live near Phoenix Park and love to walk after work and enjoy the green spaces and clean air. We’ve hiked round Bray, Howth and Greystones and recently we visited Donegal and climbed Slieve League. Our next trip is to Cork. I’ve even taken up running and so my family might be surprised when I start suggesting walking when I go back.
Before coming to Ireland, I planned to go to US but switched last minute for a couple of reasons, including the fact that the lifestyle and pollution levels here were so much better. I found that year of study very, very difficult as it was my first-time outside India. Although I’d lived and worked in a different state to my family, it was very different living in a student shared apartment in a new country. I was pleasantly shocked to realise how much more culturally diverse Ireland is than I expected.
I wanted to travel and get some international experience and I was the first in my family to leave India for further studies and a job, and so it was a big step. When I was about to leave, my father got very emotional and asked me not to go. And for the first three months I just wanted to come back home, but my parents were very supportive and encouraged me to finish the studies, and they were right, as I soon settled in and really enjoy it here now. In fact, because of my positive experience here, some of my friends have now applied to come and study in Ireland.
I’m only 27 and so am not sure what the future holds, but I’m happy here although I miss my family. One of the advantages of working for Intel is the chance to work in other countries too, and the flexibility that some of my team members have of working from different countries. You are expected to work hard at Intel, but it also has a huge social aspect to it, which I really enjoy and hope to get more involved in as restrictions ease – perhaps even sharing some of my newly learned Indian cooking skills! But I’d love to start a cricket club. I’ve been involved with cricket since childhood. In India, cricket is like GAA in Ireland, and reaches deep into the community. I played for my college and at a professional level and so hope to get the chance to play in Ireland at some stage.
Joining Intel during a global pandemic wasn’t ideal but we’ve managed to build a good team and we have video coffee chats and a quarterly virtual team party where we all make our own cocktails. We’re planning on doing a virtual cultural food swap evening where we all have to make food from a different culture to our own so I’m going to try Italian. I also like the fact that in Ireland your work team is more like a family. In India it remains very professional. I feel anyone in my team would help me out and life here feels very community driven. I love the open green empty spaces, and hope to travel a bit in Europe, especially Norway. But in the meantime, I’m just excited to get home in September for a visit, eat spicy food and play cricket and improve my skills in both so I can bring them back to Intel!
In short, my time here in Ireland and at Intel has been nothing but amazing!
Read some more of the stories from of our People of Intel series.
Additional information about Intel is available at:
Web – intel.ie | Twitter – @Intel_IRL | Facebook – Intel Ireland
Media contact: Sarah Sexton | sarah.sexton@intel.com | + 353 1 606 8537