I’m a little late on writing this post, as technically last Thursday marked a month of living in Ireland. But, that just goes to show how insanely hectic life has been since I moved here! Getting settled in as an expat in Ireland has pretty all-consuming.
Just for a little background info, my friend Maggie and I moved to Dublin, Ireland on a year-long working holiday authorization visa. When we moved across the Atlantic at the end of April, we had no jobs and no places to live lined up. Not nerve-wracking at all, right?! So here is a summary of our first month of expat life in Ireland!
I’ve been meaning to share this with you guys, but I was still making the list myself! I feel like I’m constantly adding on to this list based on suggestions I get from locals. But, here is my “To-Do List” during my year here in Ireland!
So, if you’ve been watching the news recently, or are in the least bit up-to-date with current events (or you follow me on instagram here or here), you are probably well aware of Ireland’s recent referendum. This past Friday, May 22nd, over 60% of Irish voters voted YES to a referendum to change the Irish constitution to legalize same-sex marriage. They became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote!!
One of Dublin’s main attractions is the huge Phoenix Park, one of the largest walled parks in Europe. It’s basically the Central Park of Dublin, and it really is so beautiful and wonderful.
BUT, I’m here to tell you about another great park in Dublin that stole my heart – Tymon Park. Now that I’m a #local, I have had a bit of time to explore this lesser known park. I truly believe it’s one of the best parks in Dublin.
You know what I hate? Leaving a city I just got to and not getting to really see it. It’s just such a tease. Such was the case with Brussels, Belgium. But even though I only got to see the city for a few hours during my little pit stop, I still really enjoyed my time there! Here are a few things to do in Brussels if you only have a few hours there!
Greetings (finally) from Ireland! I have been so SO busy since I flew across the pond that this is my first post since my big move to Ireland! I hope you all missed me while I was away : )
Things have been absolutely nuts over here. We’ve been so busy searching for jobs and apartment hunting. BUT we were able to squeeze in a night out for my friend’s birthday (no regrets on that one, though).
It’s been an absolute whirlwind, and it seems like we’ve been here a lot longer than 6 days. Each day is so exhausting! However, I find myself (sorry, “meself”) slowly adapting to the Irish culture and life in Dublin.
We’re staying at an amazing Homestay in an area of Dublin called Templeogue (which I’ll post about later). We’ve been going around Dublin on what we’ve not-so-lovingly dubbed “The Search.” AKA, going around Dublin with resumés trying to find a job.
I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a place to call “home.” I’m ready to hang up my clothes and stop living out of a suitcase, buy and store groceries, AND have people back home start sending me presents…
Throughout all this mayhem, we were able to sneak a trip to Howth, a Dublin suburb on the Dublin Bay. What started out as a quest to go apply for jobs at few places turned into a lovely afternoon filled with great views and food. And a lot of wind.
Summer is upon us people, which means it’s music festival season!
How appropriate that my last weekend in the US before my big move was spent at my favorite event in my hometown – Festival International de Louisiane. I’ve been dying to share with ya’ll about this festival because it really is my favorite thing about where I live!
Every year, it’s weekend filled with family, friends, music, food, and so much happiness. And Festival International de Louisiane 2015 was no different! It was a great way to spend my last weekend before I really cracked down on finishing up packing and cleaning before my big move tomorrow!
I have been totally and completely MIA from this blog since last week. Things have been CRAZY around here. I had my last day of work, I had the last day at my gym, I had a weekend getaway to a little beach on the Louisiana coast with a bunch of my best friends as a farewell trip.
Anyways, a lot of “lasts” have been happening all of a sudden, and it’s hitting me now more than ever that I AM MOVING TO IRELAND A WEEK FROM TODAY. Like…what?! Some nights, I have trouble falling asleep because I can’t stop thinking about it and everything I need to do before then. And it’s really starting to hit me that I will be gone for an entire year. I sometimes get emotional thinking about it!
America’s not perfect, but it has got some pretty great things. Like, all-you-can-eat buffets, for example. Well, since the day of my departure is looming ever closer, I’ve started to think about what I’m gonna miss most about the US when I move abroad. Well, 5 things/places/events I’ll miss from where I live in the US at least.
One unique experience that I’ve found about traveling through Europe is how popular and easy it is to travel by train. Anytime I visit anywhere in the US, I’m driving or I’m flying. Although there are trains, they’re not nearly as efficient or popular as they are in Europe. Travelling by train in Europe is absolutely worth it.
Although trains used to be the cheapest way to travel around Europe, in recent years there have been a lot more airlines that offer affordable flights. Airlines like RyanAir or Easyjet offer really cheap flights around Europe that have many people thinking traveling by train may not be worth it, since typically the journeys are longer.
But personally, I LOVE IT. It’s a unique part of the European travel experience to travel by train. Obviously planes are very efficient, but there’s just something about trains. Here are 5 reasons why I love train travel.
