Lena’s hilarious ‘Derry Dictionary’ as Serbian student falls in love with city

Lena Morena is a working student who has spent the last seven months living in the city and has just recently moved on.

She lived in Vienna, Austria for three years prior to Northern Ireland and says that “having moved from a large city where you are just a face in the crowd to Derry, where I was welcomed and taken care of as one of your own, made me the happiest I’ve been since I can remember”.

“As my life continues elsewhere, I will always consider Derry my home away from home and will remain grateful for the hospitality and the warmth I’ve received.”

Lena contacted the ‘Journal’ to share her thoughts and her ‘Derry Dictionary’, which she wrote when she first moved here, and while she was “trying to navigate conversations as a non-native English speaker”.

March 3rd, 2022

Time doesn’t fly in Derry as it does in a big city. No, time here takes its time.

You take the time to know your neighbour. And their dog.

The local coffee shop owner lets you try different coffee beans before you commit to a certain kind.

No subways. No hour-long commutes to work.

You rediscover the healthy childhood boredom in the lunch queue outside the local sandwich shop.

The girl on the street smiles at you as you both get caught in the rain. You go inside for a cup of tea and a scone.

A stranger asks you about their day and you learn about theirs. They tell you about their favourite pub, too. “They have the best Guinness in town”.

Every single soul appears to know how to hold a tune as the live music travels down Waterloo Street on a Thursday.

Life here doesn’t just happen during the weekends and holidays.

No, life in Derry is tailor-made for a human.

March 22, 2022

The world and the country itself are blind to what Derry and Northern Ireland have to offer - and by that I mean not only breathtaking nature, fantastic beer, and guitar tunes - I mean the wit and humanity in everyday interactions.

The firm handshakes with strangers, dirty jokes and pleasant “how are you”s , genuine smiles, and juicy gossip - dying trends in Western Europe - are still effortlessly a part of any conversation. Even as a foreigner, you quickly get dragged into the local narrative; you don’t just watch it unfold from afar.

I came to Northern Ireland on a hunch, and I am staying with a purpose.

The Derry Dictionary

Yous: The plural of “you”. It makes sense because every language besides English has a word for the plural “you”. Good job, Derry folk.

“Yous have any plans for the weekEnd”? (the accent for the word weekend is always on the second syllable for some reason)

Craic: Fun. Happening.“What’s the craic”? - What’s up? “He isn’t any craic”. - He isn’t any fun.

Aye: Instead of yes. It can be used in literally every sentence, guilt-free. “Aye, I have some plans”. “Aye, I’m getting wasted tonight”. Aye, aye, aye….

Wee: Small. But it can be used as an adjective regardless of whether you actually meant to call something “small”. “Can I have a wee coffee there, please”? “Are we going to get a wee bit of work done”?

Wains: Kids. (This one took me a WEE while to get) Abbreviation of “wee ones” aka “little ones” “Taking the wains out for the weekend”.

Your man - or alternative, albeit rarely used - your woman. The person previously mentioned in the conversation. When talking about literally any man. Even when he is not “yours”. “I just talked to your man last week”...

Good man / Good on you: This is a tricky one. Usually, it is a sign of genuine appreciation.... however, in a small percentage of cases, it means: “I want to wrap up this conversation”. (This is, however, always subtle, as Derry Folk don’t tend to be rude)

Quayside: Riverside. You read it like “Key side”, and not like… well, Quayside. “Let’s just chill by the Quayside, shall we”?

Lena Morena 2022