In Berlin, my rental contract is so secure that I can’t be evicted, even if my landlord sells
in Mayo and sweated out toxins in their stunning sauna with views of Achill Island. The next day, they carefully carried me and my limping leg into the Atlantic so I could splash about like an injured seal.
When it finally came time to return to Germany, I felt blue. I didn’t want to go. Over the course of my stay, people had asked if I would consider moving back to Ireland. My response was always the same: I can’t afford to. In Berlin, I’m able to live by myself in a small but comfortable apartment in the centre of everything. My rental contract is so secure that I can’t be evicted, even if my landlord sells. The next owner is obliged to take me on with the apartment, like the U2 album that came. This means I’m able to have secure accommodation, save some money each month, and still have enough disposable income to enjoy my life.
I am turning 30 this year. I would like to have enough stability to be able to have a baby in the future, if that’s the path I choose. I’ve been in full-time employment since I moved here and have put aside some savings, but I’m still completely priced out of home ownership in Dublin. A return would mean re-entering an extortionate and catastrophically unregulated rental market, which consistently puts profit before people.
I’m back in Berlin now. It’s March, but spring is nowhere to be seen. Yesterday, I walked through sheets of sleet to Tempelhof, an abandoned airport that has been turned into a city park. I stared out across the vast runways and realised that, if I squinted, I could almost experience the same sense of infinite horizons I get when looking out across the sea at home. Almost.Aoife Leonard has lived in Berlin since 2017.
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