How an Irish Expat Turned Her Italian Kitchen Into Home with Care Package from Home

• "My mum sent me a survival box of Barry's Tea, Tayto crisps, baked beans, and even a potato peeler.”
• “She basically sent me a suitcase’s worth of Ireland, minus the rain and guilt trips.”

When an Irish expat moved to the Italian city of Ferrara, her mum had just one pressing concern, would her daughter survive without a proper cup of tea?

O’Connor exclusively spoke with Send My Bag about her story:

“When I first moved to Italy, my mother was convinced I was going to starve to death. She imagined me wandering the streets of Ferrara, malnourished, weak, and begging for a decent cup of tea. So, she took it upon herself to send me a care package to “keep me going.” What arrived was less of a care package and more of a survival bunker’s worth of provisions.”

Here’s just a taste of what came in that first chaotic, heartfelt delivery from home.

“Inside, I found:

• An entire kilogram of Barry’s Tea (because apparently, Italy, a country famous for its coffee culture, was a tea desert).

• A full Irish breakfast in non-perishable form, including vacuum-sealed rashers, black pudding, and a tin of baked beans.

• A rain poncho (because “you never know when you might need one,” despite the fact that I live in one of the driest regions in Italy).

• A large pack of Tayto crisps, because nothing says “home” like highly processed cheese and onion flavoring.

• It meant a lot, mostly because I could practically hear my mother’s voice narrating every item as I unpacked it. It was a hug in cardboard form, with just a touch of panic.”

But perhaps the most unexpected item was still waiting to be discovered at the very bottom of the box.

“Oh yes. At the bottom of the box, wrapped carefully in bubble wrap, was a potato peeler. A single, brand-new potato peeler. No potatoes, just the means to peel them. Was she worried that Italy had a shortage of vegetable preparation tools? Did she believe I was roaming the streets, desperately wishing I could peel a spud but helplessly unable to do so? I have no idea.”

“The Tayto crisps definitely saved me during moments of homesickness. Nothing beats biting into a crisp and being instantly transported to childhood car trips and sandwich-filled lunches. Also, Barry's Tea became a vital part of my morning routine, mostly because I started using it to bribe my Irish and British friends into coming over for chats.”

“Yes. A roll of cling film. My mother, in her infinite wisdom, decided I would struggle to find cling film in Italy. I don’t know if she thought Italians just let their leftovers roam free in the fridge or if she feared I’d have nothing to wrap my sandwiches in, but there it was, a full roll of cling film, taking up valuable care package space.”

“To this day, I’ve never had to buy cling film in Italy because, well, I’m still using the roll she sent me!”

“It meant a lot, mostly because I could practically hear my mother’s voice narrating every item as I unpacked it,” O’Connor said. “It was a hug in cardboard form, with just a touch of panic.”

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