Expat Life in Ireland // Month #5 recap and photos
Ah, my dearest readers. Do not fear! After my little hiatus, I have finally returned with lots of stories to tell about my fifth month of life living in Ireland as an expat!
September was an absolute whirlwind of a month. This was the month I’ve done the most traveling since I’ve moved to Dublin, both externally (traveling to both Copenhagen and Croatia) and internally (doing a mini road trip through Ireland’s Co. Clare and Co. Kerry AND attending Ireland’s biggest music festival)!
The fact that it’s already October 9th and I’m JUST NOW getting around to posting a recap of September shows just how insane this month has been!
But, with each month here I become more and more grateful that I’ve gotten to move to a foreign country to start a new life and make new friends, and that everything has gone smoothly and worked out! This whole “living in Ireland” thing has worked out really well and has been a BLAST.
Even though last month was relatively chill since I started a new full-time job, this month was feckin HECTIC. But hey, my visa will eventually run out! And unless I can figure out another way to stay, this expat life in Dublin won’t last forever. So I need to make the most of it!
Electric Picnic
The month began with a weekend at Ireland’s biggest music festival – Electric Picnic. Getting to see some of my favorite acts like Sam Smith, Florence and the Machine, CHVRCHES, and many more surrounding by the fun-lovin Irish was so SO much fun. After sleeping in a tent with noisy neighbors for 3 nights though, I started to think that maybe I’m a bit too old for the festival-camping life? I may be #YoungAtHeart, but my body is starting to rebel on me. Check out a detailed recount of my experience at Electric Picnic here!
Copenhagen
After getting back from the weekend at Electric Picnic I was completely worn out. BUT THEN I had to basically re-pack my bag and leave for Copenhagen a few days later! Barely having time to recover, my roommate and I headed to Copenhagen for a long weekend thanks to cheap flights we found on RyanAir. One thing I love about living in Ireland is how cheap it is to fly to other European countries.
Copenhagen was an absolute blast. We spent the weekend shopping at markets, riding bikes around the city, taking walking tours, and partying with people we met at our hostel (Irish people, naturally). Plus, it’s seriously so beautiful. Check out my recommendations for Copenhagen here.
Culture Night
I had enough fun in the first half of the month to last me for a while. BUT it didn’t end there…the next weekend I attended Dublin’s Culture Night, a one-night event with hundreds of events throughout Dublin City. Arts and cultural organizations like museums, galleries, theaters, bookshops, etc opened their doors until late with hundreds of free events, tours, talks & performances. That’s one of the things I love about living in the city…there’s always something going on!
All-Ireland Final
Then, there was all the excitement of Dublin playing Kerry in the All-Ireland Gaelic Football final! EVERYONE in Dublin was glued to the TV to watch the game. All of the pubs in the city were packed! And after Dublin won, the energy in the city was unbeatable! Later on in the week, I happened to stumble across the homecoming ceremony for the Dublin team, where all the players came on stage to officially present their trophy to the city.
My Parent’s Visit – Irish Roadtrip & Croatia
Shortly after, I had some great visitors come – MY PARENTS! We did a road trip through the West and Southwest of Ireland – From Dublin we traveled by bus to Galway. In Galway, we rented a car and drove to the Cliffs of Moher via the coastal highway. Next, we drove to Killarney and from Killarney did the Ring of Kerry. More of that to come…it was an amazing trip filled with incredible scenery! It was so amazing to show them around the life I’ve built for myself here as an expat in Dublin.
And finally, right after we returned from Killarney we got ready for our flight to Croatia. We ended September driving the coastal roads of Croatia and visiting some amazing cities.
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Whew, I’m tired just re-reading all of the activities from this month! I feel like I haven’t had time to blog, watch TV, work out (which is fine with me…) or even sit down. But October will be a lot more relaxed. Now that I’m back from Croatia (with a bit of a tan, even!), the only plans I have in October thus far are a Diplo concert on Monday and a few Halloween activities (including a Halloween night party in a haunted castle in Galway, NBD).
Sorry for the long rant, but that just goes to show how busy this month has been! I feel so lucky to be able to have such amazing travels, be able to constantly meet such amazing people in Ireland, be able to see my amazing parents after so many months apart, and be able to live out my dream of living abroad! Becoming an expat in Dublin has truly been an experience of a lifetime.
I’m already almost halfway done with my year abroad, ya’ll, and it just keeps getting better and better!
Here is my fifth month of life in Ireland, in photos! And if you missed last month, check it out here!
Since I’ve had such an amazing month traveling to some great places, stay tuned for posts coming soon featuring things to do in Copenhagen and more details about our Ireland road trip! I can’t wait to share stories, photos, and advise with ya’ll!
