Tip #9 - Technology. Use it.

Merry Christmas! Nolaig Shona! (Gaelic)
Apologies for the delay in my weekly posts, but as you likely all can understand, December is always a very busy time of year for anyone. The pub I work at has lost a couple of full-time servers - ironically, they both are traveling to Canada to work and do the same thing as myself - love life. That being said, I've been working pretty much 6 days per week and it's pretty exhausting. The weekly paycheque has been nice for Christmas presents for those back home and also to start saving up some funds for some upcoming tours/trips.
I'm trying to think what has all happened since my last post, other than working. We had our staff Christmas party and it was fun to hang out with my coworkers outside of our busy pub and get to know people a bit more. I also managed to injure myself slipping on the icy streets here and sprained my ankle and knee so after a week or so now, my legs and knees are a nice black/blue/yellow collage. They are slowly but surely healing and I had to take a few days off of work because I would have been pretty much useless to them seeing I could barely walk and definitely could not do stairs - which are quite common at our pub.
Other than that, I just did some xmas shopping for the fam back home, spent some time with the girls/Jonny and getting prepared for Christmas. We hosted the Cdn girls and Rachelle's cousin that's visiting for Christmas yesterday. Made my first ever turkey and it turned out great. (pic of before and after below).

I also made butternut squash, stuffing, gravy, cauliflower/cheese sauce all from scratch and, well,  attempted mashed potatoes. Now, I have made mashed potatoes with no fail at least 20 times in my life (I have many witnesses) but when I went to check on them as they were boiling, they literally had evaporated into potato BROTH. We concluded that we got a bad bag of potatoes even though they looked completely normal. When I told my family about this later - the average comment was, "Isn't Ireland known for their tasty potatoes?" and yes - this is true but I guess not in my case on Christmas day. Either way - we didn't really miss them because we had so much food as the girls brought CHEESE (lots of it), salads, and desserts. We also did a fun little Secret Santa exchange and listened to lots of Christmas music. Even though we were all deep down somewhat sad that we weren't with our families back home, being together seemed to bring our spirits up and we made the most of the day.

 Some of the feast - lots of leftovers. :)

 Our Canadian-Galwegian guests

So my tip for the day is, if possible when traveling...try to take advantage of what the great world of technology has to offer. In that I mean - the world wide web, Skype, Facebook, email, etc. If it wasn't for Skype, email and my great international phone plan that I have now with my new iPhone 4 (product placement inserted here...haha), keeping in touch with my family and friends would be so difficult, especially yesterday when I wished that teleporting was a REAL thing. I skyped with my aunt/uncle/cousin and of course my family and even my precious pup - Chelsea. Maybe she can't talk but just seeing her with her reindeer antlers and covered in her traditional xmas ribbons made my heart smile. Yes, technology can be frustrating and some do misuse it more than less it seems these days but I definitely would have a hard time living without it. I'm also thankful that my mom is 'in the know' with all the gadgets and such. For example, with her new laptop, she was able to bring me along to the Landreth Christmas so I could even skype with my Grandma - a first for her and she loved it...and so did I!
I do agree that sometimes receiving cards and letters in the mail is still a great feeling (thank you everyone that sent me some and I'm sorry that I'm so slow with sending mine out) but on an everyday basis, it's great to see emails from my Mom (everyday - thanks momma!!), my family, my friends and such in my inbox or messages on Facebook or comments on my photos because I feel like I can share my experiences with you all back home. It's hard to think how life was before the web and the digital world.
Anyway - that's my tip for the day and my update. I hope to have another update next week but if I don't have the chance, I wish you all a happy and safe New Years! Here's a few more pics from the last month.

Snowing in Galway

 Xmas Eve at our flat

 Merry Christmas :)

 Sunny Xmas day looking out our Balcony

 Deformed kneecap (right) and colourful legs - one week post incident.

Miss you all so much....xo

Tip #8 - Travel with layers...

Hi All,
I'm trying to stay true to my weekly posts and I may be a few days late here and there due to my work schedule so please forgive me. I'm trying to remember what has happened since I last posted but I think the newest thing is that I now have a roommate and friendly face from back home - Jonny Boy. :)
Yes, he arrived last Tuesday afternoon so I took Tuesday till Friday off of work to go and meet him at Dublin airport and then show him around Galway and meet the other girls I've made good friends with here. I took the bus in the morning to meet him and it was a pretty good drive considering my stomach doesn't do well with public transit. It was quite a foggy day (see below) but it was a nice quiet ride and I enjoyed the peace and quiet as I had been working for 10 days straight.

Being the Landreth that I am, I made sure to be early because you never know when flight times can change. Sure enough, when I arrived it stated that his flight would be in a half hour early which was fine as then I wasn't waiting for an hour and a half. I felt like I was in one of the credit card commercials where you were eagerly awaiting the arrival of a loved one at the arrival gates...haha. Of course we had the long embrace and then I had to quickly run to the 'toilet' as, again having the small bladder of a typical Landreth, I had to go pretty much the second his flight landed and I didn't want to risk not being there when he walked through the gates. I knew that he was likely sick of flying and didn't want to jump back on a 2.75 hr bus ride so we lounged in the foodcourt for a bit to catch up. 
I was pretty tired as I was up late unpacking (yes, I finally unpacked) and tidying up for the new 'roomie' so I fell asleep on the way back to Galway. I knew that Jonny would want a shower after his full day of traveling and warned him about the size of the shower stall. Afterwards, I took him out for his first dinner and he had his first official Guiness (pic below).

Then we met up with Rachelle, Ashlie and Carlee as they were eagerly waiting to meet the new 'Canadian' to add to our posse. :) We had a few pints and called it a night as it was a long day for both of us...more so him of course.
He seems to slowly be settling in. Much like I was when I got here, he is eager to get a job and into a routine and make some money so after my days off work, he started going around all the shops and pubs to hand out CV's. I'm sure he'll find something in no time because he's got tons of experience. I also took him out for a nice birthday dinner as his birthday was last Friday and then met up with the girls again for pints.

He then had his first Supermacs experience and it was the craziest we have ever seen it. What a great night for him to experience it for the first time! It was so packed that we had to wait 5 min to get OUT of the place and the security (yes, they have security there every night) was literally pushing intoxicated boys away from the entrance. Talk about mayhem in Galway but it was also entertaining.

Now - my tip for the day...when traveling to destinations where the weather can be 'unexpected'...my tip is to travel with layers. In which I mean, bring clothes that can be easily layered for cool and hot and VERY cool temperatures. For example - Galway. Apparently we have hit record-low temperatures in Ireland and it's been on average between -4 and -15 in the last week or so. We even got a couple centimetres of snow last week. To prove it - see the miniature snowman that Jonny built on our balcony below.

The locals don't know how to deal with it all exactly and apparently Dublin shut down their buses for a few days and even the airport yesterday due to icy roads and runway. They were literally putting TABLE SALT on the roads as they aren't equipped with the salt and sand that we have back home for icy conditions. Unfortunately as well, due to the frigid temperatures, the pipes going from our kitchen froze. So for the last few days we haven't been able to use our sink or laundry machine. We tried everything - a drain snake (which they don't really understand here), several different types of Drain-O, litres and litres of hot water and even heating up the pipe outside with a heater. We FINALLY had progress today and as we speak, our laundry machine is doing a cycle to clean out all the backlogged water that was sitting in our machine for a few days. Oh the things you learn from living in a country that's hundreds of years older than your home country.

Anyway, that's about it for now. I have to go to work tonight for just a few hours but then I'm back on full days tomorrow and Saturday. It was a pretty good week with work and I even got to put in some admin hours helping out the girl that does all the marketing for the pub. It was tedious inputting but I'll be helping her out more with some other marketing tasks and it will be a nice change of pace from climbing those flights of stairs at work all the time. :)

I guess that's it for now....have to get all my Christmas shopping done so the package HOPEFULLY arrives on time in Canada. Missing you all and hoping you're staying warm like me. Remember - layers!!!

Until then...Shannon xo

Checkin' in...

Hello all...just a quick update on my life thus far in Galway, Ireland. To be honest not much has happened because I have been working at the pub for 10 days straight (ugh, I know). Yes, I know I'm not here to work like crazy rather love life and I promise that's still my intention. I want to work many hours up till the holidays and then maybe I'll cut back a bit on hours after the New Year so then I can take some time here and there to go do some traveling around Europe and Ireland. I'm settling in well with work and even though I've been there just over a month, I trained a new server yesterday.
I'm also experiencing my first cold & flu in Ireland which has not been particularly fun but wasn't expecting it to. I have realized having a flu here in Ireland is much worse because I was a spoiled child back home where my mom would take care of me and I would have Chelsea (my pup) by my side. So, when you're far away from home, your entire body aches, you're stuffed up and don't have the energy to make any food or do anything at all...the feeling of being lonely and also homesick settles in. Fortunately and unfortunately I had work to keep me occupied but also drained what little energy I had left out of me as well. My coworkers and managers at work were great and gave me longer breaks and sent me home first when things started to die down at work. Yesterday, I definitely hit the 'inner funnel' of the cold so even though I got sent home a bit early, it was a long day and I was so happy this morning when I woke up well-rested and realized I had the day off.
Today, I have to finish organizing the flat as I had zero time this week, finally finish unpacking (I know, crazy that I haven't yet), pick up some last few things to complete the place and tidy up. Jonny gets here on Tuesday afternoon and because I booked Tues-Fri off to show him around and relax, they booked me all day Monday to work so everything must get done today pretty much. I'm taking the bus Tuesday morning over to the airport and then I don't have to go back to work till Saturday afternoon. Oh joy, oh rapture. :)
So, that's about it thus far. We might try to squeeze a day in at the Cliffs of Moher this week as the weather has been pretty nice (clear and sunny today) but I know that I'm here for a year so there's no rush either. It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around here (minus the snow) as you've likely seen from some of the pics I have posted with all the Christmas decorations and so forth. There is a big Christmas market that I might go visit today if time permits but it's up till Christmas Eve too so I've got some time.

Hope everyone back home is doing well and feel free to write or email anytime.

Miss you all very much...xo

Galway pics...

Hi all - here's just a quick peek at some of the sights in my home away from home. Click on the pic and it will redirect you to my album of pics. I will take more as time goes by and when I take some tours around Ireland. I tried using Flickr but it's even too confusing for me being a pretty big tech-geek. Enjoy...

Tip #7 - Capture everything

I'm trying to get better at posting so I'm aiming to do one post per week as I work usually 5 out of 7 days and the two days I have off, I'm trying to do fun things around the city. For example, Carlee and I both had Tues/Wed off this week so we did some grocery shopping and were tourists during the day taking pics of the city and coastline. I'll be posting those pics soon for sure because I want to ensure that everyone back home can see how I'm capturing almost every moment throughout my adventures. I know I haven't really posted many pics yet in terms of Ireland but, unlike the Cdn girls here, I haven't had a chance to do any tours. I guess it's the 'planner' in me where I wanted to station myself first somewhere, establish some roots and income and then I can start planning some road trips and tours around Ireland and parts of Europe. I keep reminding myself that I AM here for a year so there's no rush. Plus - Jonny is going to be here in less than two weeks so I figure we could do some tours together as the girls have already done a lot of touring around parts of Ireland.
Rachelle, Carlee and I went to our first official Ireland rugby game. Our home team is called the Connacts and even though they aren't ranked high in the standings right now (10th out of 12 teams?) the hometown pride and support is very strong...much like the Leafs in Toronto but less embarrassing. (Go HABS!) It was a pretty cold night but Carlee and I bought some Connact toques, got ourselves some Connact scarves right before we entered the stadium, layered up and had some Guiness to keep us somewhat warm. Rachelle, being an ex-Canadian rugby player was teaching us all the rules and lingo throughout the game. She even managed to catch the gameball when it went over the sidelines and kept a hold of her beer too! Such a true Canadian girl right there and we were all so proud! After the game we went down to Skeffs, a popular pub in town, because with our ticket stubs we got a free pint. After that we headed to our favourite pub - the Spanish Arch - hoping to hear the live Irish band that's always playing but they were just jamming in the corner and not on stage. It was still a good night and naturally we saw some 'interesting' sights at Supermacs (Irish version of Mc Donalds) filled with many intoxicated students and such as usual. 
The weather has been all over the place this week. Pretty much the weather changes literally every few minutes. On my two days off, I woke up to it being sunny and clear and by the time I went upstairs to get myself a cup of coffee and some breakfast, it was grey and misty. Its been really windy lately in the last couple of nights too so many of the restaurants (including our bar) and the nightlife hasn't been very busy. Oh well - thus is Ireland weather and, although I miss the snow in Canada and definitely will at Christmas, I can't complain too much about the weather here as it's pretty mild. It reminds me a lot of BC (Vancity) where it's just a really damp cold and misty precipitation.
I guess the biggest news lately is that I have my OWN flat now!...well, till Jonny moves in in a few weeks but still very super exciting as it will be nice to have a friendly face around!  The place is great and I'm still slowly unpacking. It's two floors (located on top of a tailor shop) with two bedrooms, a tiny European bathroom including a claustrophobic shower,  an open-concept kitchen/dining/living room, and a large balcony facing a quaint backyard. I did my first load of laundry last night (washer is located in my kitchen where a dishwasher would be). I also hosted my first dinner last night (no, takeout at 3am from Mc Donald's with the girls on my first night doesn't count). Carlee's mom sent her a care package that included some KD (Kraft Dinner) so we had a 'carbalicious' night with pizza, KD, garlic bread, brie and veggies. Dessert? Rachelle brought pie...mmm. We were literally lying on the floor digesting for a good few hours after.
Other than that, I'm just trying to relax here and there and get things slowly organized in the new flat. Jonny is coming in less than two weeks so it will be super exciting to have a someone to share some of my journey with and also the monthly bills....just kidding. :) I'll send a post soon as to when new pics are uploaded to my Flickr account.

Must get some sleep as it's almost 2am now and  I have to open tomorrow at work which includes a 10-hr shift....ouch.

Miss you all very much. xo

Welcome to Ghoulway...

So....it’s just about 6:30am and I’m sitting outside the Immigration Bureau in Galway because I need to register my residency card as they only give you a temporary stamp for a month once you land in Ireland. The office doesn’t open till 7:30am but unfortunately this is the system – you have to get here super early to get in line to GET a ticket to then wait in line, after they open. The sad thing is that I arrived just before 6:30am and there was already four people waiting ahead of me. Anyway – I’m crossing my fingers that everything goes smoothly because, well, I’d prefer not to get sent back to Canada just yet.

Apologies on the delay of the blog update but I’ve been working a lot (which is good for my bank account…well, once I get one opened over here) and Halloween was super busy as well. If you don’t know already Halloween is just about as big as Christmas here with lots of festivities starting the week OF Halloween. So needless to say work was very busy and I’m very much looking forward to today and tomorrow off. I was worried about getting another part-time job but honestly the hours that I’m getting are pretty good and I’m just happy to have a job since it’s very hard to find work in a small tourist town during the winter season.

It was actually mandatory for employees to dress up in a Halloween costume at work on Saturday and Sunday and they even brought in professional make-up artists Fri-Sun to do all the staff's makeup. So, I put my awesome Transformers t-shirt in Vegas to good use, bought yellow/black striped knee socks and a yellow tutu and called myself ‘Bumblebee the Transformer’. I even had the make-up artist do my make-up on Sunday night with the Transformers logo on my face...all she had to do is look down on my shirt as a reference anyway! The shirt was a hit with everyone, naturally, as the Transformers symbol on my shirt actually lights up and it’s activated by sound (although after my friends told people this when we were going out I had some inebriated people yelling into my chest). I even had a customer offer me money for the shirt but it’s a rare find so I had to decline. The Canadian girls and I went out after I was finished work to a few bars on both nights and the costumes were interesting and funny. It was great to see some fun creativity although some took it a bit too far. Examples – we saw a group dressed up as the Ku Klux Klan and two girls dressed up as the Twin Towers with airplanes as props. There’s always a few each year who forget what’s appropriate and not so much. 

What else? I’m moving into my new flat on Sunday (see pic below - blue door) and I’m very, very excited about that because as much as my stay at the hostel has been not unbearable and the staff (minus the scary Polish cleaning staff) are really nice. You know you have been there too long when everyone knows you and calls you on a first name basis but after Sunday, no more flat-mates that don’t understand the concept of whispering when you’re sleeping, crazy old ladies barging into your room at 2am and yelling at you for having your 'radio' on (ie. My laptop) and blaming you for the ‘poor living conditions’ (it’s the 9^th best hostel in Ireland), not have to worry about the security of my things and my food and lastly – no more living out of my suitcase/backpack…sigh. 

Other than that I have just been spending time with time with the Canadian girls. They all have jobs now and two of them might try to get second part-time jobs but luckily we are all now working and settling in well. I think they are more excited than me to move into my own flat because they are all renting rooms in different houses so apparently my place is going to be the ‘hub’ for our social gatherings, movie nights, Christmas dinner, etc. which I don’t mind because I always enjoy company and when living in Toronto I didn’t have many guests other than my bff Rimi (miss you!)

Well...I guess that's it for now and again, I do apologize for the delay again on the post but hopefully I can do weekly ones as I'm sure my adventures won't be as frequent in the future versus the past month. It's hard to believe that I've been here for one month now and I have a flat, a stable job and a great group of friends already. :) I am going to do some tours soon to Connemara, Cliffs of Moher and Aran Islands and, also,  start taking some pics on my day off so stay tuned for those.

Talk soon my friends/family....xoxo

PS – thank goodness I usually come prepared with headphones and technology to keep me occupied. If I learned anything by living in Toronto and taking the public transit, always be sure that you have headphones and a fully-charged iPod to drown out the noise around you (aka. Intoxicated people, loud talkers on their cell phones, ‘not-all-there’ people, and in this case at the Immigration bureau, a very vocal and whiney toddler – even if I can’t understand the language he is speaking).       

PPS - everything went well as I wrote this post while I was waiting in line but I ended up getting called into work for Thursday and a longer shift on Friday...sigh. So much for having two days off work.                                        

A lot can happen in 7 days...

So I realize that I haven't really been a great blogger in the last 7 days as I haven't posted anything but the good news is that I have good news to post. :)
Well, let's see...after moving to a different hostel because they didn't have room for little ol' me last Saturday (Galway is a big party city on wknds), I stayed at another hostel for one night and came back to my preferred hostel Sunday where I met three great ladies - Ashlie who is from Nova Scotia, Carlee who is from outside Montreal and Rachelle who is from outside Saskatoon - all smalltown gals and naturally we all 'clicked'. They had known eachother for a week but were all in the same boat as myself - traveling to Ireland on their own in hopes of staying in Galway to live and work for a year through the SWAP program. We've had lots of laughs and memories thus far and I'm sure we have many ahead of us. They did things a bit backwards than myself where they secured a place to live and then worried about finding employment. They are all renting rooms in different houses but we are all about less than 5 min walk away from each other...which is great. And so far, I think our work schedules should jive pretty well for meeting up during the evening too.
Yes - work schedules or as they call them over here 'rosters' means that I am now an official server at the Dail Bar in Galway city centre. It's a great place and the inside is pretty much all wood design and it's two floors. You can Google it and they have their own website complete with lunch and dinner menus and even though I have to say it, the food is REALLY good. :) It's a workout and a half when I go in there because it's a 2-floor restaurant to begin with and the kitchen where you pick up the food is on the 4th floor...soooo....we all have to take turns being the 'runner' where you are literally running everyone's food for them. I have volunteered twice in both of my shifts because I need the exercise and it gets me comfortable with what food is what and getting to know the layout of the restaurant. I was pretty much thrown right into taking tables and things are quite more fast-paced here in Ireland which is surprising because all the people are so laid back to begin with. But, I think I will fit in well with this restaurant and I count my blessings everyday that I have a job as some people have been here for 2 or so weeks and haven't had any luck finding work.
Second piece of good news is that I found a place to live last night and it's about 200m from my work. It's a two-floor apartment above a quiet tailor shop right in the heart of the city and I felt at home as soon as I walked in the door. Everything is a bit out of date and different in Europe - a standard-sized fridge here is what we call a mini-fridge or beer fridge back home, if you have a dishwasher you are living in luxury (which I am not), the washer for your clothes is in the kitchen, the 'cooker' (stove) looks like one you would buy at Toys R Us for little ones and the decor is just - well, let's just say I feel like I'm living at Brady Bunch's house in the 70's. BUT - the landlords are great and remind me of Mom & Dad (miss you guys), they lowered the rent for me because they 'want to find someone to take great care of the place' as they live out of town and I'm HOPEFULLY moving in next week. Since the girls are sharing apartments with other people, I've already volunteered my place for Christmas dinner, movie nights and  official 'the place to be' (for all you Seinfeld fans) for the next year.
So, as you can see things are slowly starting to fall into place. Hopefully I get enough hours at the bar to survive financially but if not, I don't mind picking up another part-time job so I can save a bit of money for some trips here and there. :) I work 8 hours shift tomorrow and Sunday which I don't mind but I know it's going to be hard work as the bar is pretty busy constantly and those flights of stairs are a bit tiring after a while but motivation is key. Luckily in a week or so, I can easily go home around the corner after my shift and relax and not have to worry about odd hostel flatmates or the weekend party-ers disturbing my sleep. Looking forward to next weekend as Halloween is huge in Ireland (note the sign below - Welcome to Ghoulway) so I'm sure the girls and I will be doing something fun or 'get into some good craic' as they say over here. Here are a few candid pics thus far and I promise I will go and take some good ones of Galway soon. Until then...keep fit and have fun.

Uploaded photos..

Just a quick note to let you know that I've signed up for a Flickr account to easily upload and share my pics thus far. Here's the link if you want to check them out. I'm not the best photographer but I do my best....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/howtolovelifein730days/

Enjoy.

Tip #6 - Be proactive.

Well, I took the leap and left Dublin and made my way to beautiful Galway. It's about 2.5 hours west of Dublin on the west coast and I boarded the bus yesterday afternoon and arrived safe and sound. It's a popular destination for tourists and students and reminds me of a Irish-version of my Stratford...but it's a tad bigger in population - approx. 75,0000.
As many had informed me, Galway is a great place to reside in and work but, due to the fact that the economy is still rebuilding itself and it's mainly a summer tourist place, you have to be very open to any type of work and be very proactive in terms of going door-to-door to find work. So, being the determined person that I am, as soon as I checked into my hostel I was out the door within in 5 minutes going place to place handing out CV's. I focused on the pubs, cafes and restaurants first and then today and tomorrow I will focus on the retailers and even the hostels. Seeing I'm from a small town, being very friendly and personable are key personality attributes so even if places weren't hiring, I thanked them for their time and moved onto the next place. Some places even recommended other pubs or restaurants to go to that were hiring which I found very helpful. The pub district was quite confusing so I pretty much walked around in circles but there was literally a pub or cafe within an arms reach it seems. Overall I handed out all 20 CV's I had in my folder.
As I was on my way back to the hostel (once I figured out where I was) my phone rang and the owner of one of the pubs called and asked me to come back as he was out when I handed my CV to the bartender. Note to self: write down the names of the pubs in which you hand your CV out to because you don't sound smart when you don't know which pub they are referring. He was quite friendly and tried his best to give me directions back to where they were located. The funny thing about Irish people is that if something is more than 5 min walk away, they think its 'out of the way' but I assured him I could come back. After walking tracing my steps back to the area things were getting a bit more confusing. Luckily, an older man saw that I was lost and asked if I needed help and after trying to explain where I was to go, he believed the pub I needed to go to was right behind me. He then asked where I was from and why I was here and he was so happy to hear my story. He said one year ago he was in Canada and loved it because the people are much like the Irish. He hugged me goodbye and wished me all the best. :)
I met with the owner of Dail Pub (missing the accent on the 'a'), and we chatted a bit about my serving experience and my marketing experience. He was impressed with my resume and skills and told me I would fit in well at his place. He owned two pubs in the district and said he needed a server right away as one of the girls was moving to Australia on Sunday. He said every Canadian he has ever hired has been great and wanted me to start right away. :) So, I have to go back to the pub around dinnertime tonight and meet with the supervisor but the owner said that he'd pretty much just tell him to hire me. I'm trying not to put my eggs all in one basket but just hoping for the best. A few of the pubs were hiring in the area so we will see if I get any callbacks today.
I also just spoke with the owner of the hostel I'm staying at and they are looking for people at reception. He also said he may need some help with some marketing/promotions but it would be more project based and not full time until the busy season. All I can do is be proactive and hit the pavement everyday looking for work. Some haven't found any work because they wait for people to call them or just search for jobs online but if I've learned anything from the cut-throat world of marketing and living in a small town, you have to get out there and market yourself.
Other than that, I'm just walking around the city a lot, picked up a laptop charger (forgot it in Dublin...oops) and trying to meet as many people as possible. I spoke to a fellow Canadian who works at the front desk yesterday of the hostel who is also doing the same visa program as I am. He's leaving for Scotland next month as he's been here for 8 months already. He said it's actually harder for guys to find jobs than women before I started handing out CV's and when I told him about my interview after I got back he just laughed and shook his head because he tried for a month to find a bartender's position in Galway when he first moved here.
I'm really hoping something works out this week in terms of employment because I just want to get settled into a city soon and I'm praying that city is Galway because I already love it. It just feels like a bit of home to me but we will see what happens.
Tonight I might meet up with a flatmate of mine, Yuki (Japanese if you can't tell). We both had to move out of the room today as there are two large groups here this weekend (I could definitely hear them last night) and so I'm here for another, staying in a different hostel tomorrow night, and then back at this hostel for 7 more nights...like Yuki. I helped her out with her CV today as she's not completely fluent in English and has been here for 2 weeks looking for work but I don't think she's been very proactive. With my picky English writing skills I think we fixed up her CV pretty well.
Well I guess that's it for now. I might venture out soon and take some pictures and drop off a few more CV's. I think I might open a Flickr account to upload all my photos as I'm sure some back home would like to see the beautiful landscape of Ireland. I will have to go back to Dublin eventually to get my luggage that USIT is storing for me and get a residency card. Luckily, I can pop on the bus and do that all in one day likely. I guess I should have gotten a residency card when I was there but I didn't really know what my plans were going to be moving forward.
Until then...thanks for following along and hope everyone is doing well back home. xoxo

Getting Organized...

Like most typical Irish people, Sundays are "recovery" days or good for relaxing and since the jetlag, time difference and my stubborn cold caught up with me, I decided to have a lazy day. The night before, my Irish friend, Gerald took me from pub to pub to experience the true Irish pubs and so we had a pint of Guiness at each place. We started out at Trinity College where they have a campus bar and you can get 4 tall cans of beer for 8 euro...not too bad. We went to about four pubs, including Mulligan's which is a very old pub and supposed to be the best place in Dublin to get a good pint of Guiness as their taps are super clean. They had 8 taps of Guiness alone and the pub has been featured in a lot of movies. We also went to a pub where it used to be a bank and it had super tall ceilings with beautiful wood work and design.

Today, I just slept in a bit as I had a bit of a restless sleep. I managed to get my iPhone unlocked to get a number and a pay-as-you-go card so employers can call me regarding jobs and such. I also booked a bus ticket and hostel for Thursday as I'm going to travel to Galway and attempt to find a couple jobs. The people at USIT said that I should be able to find some work as they are hiring for the upcoming Christmas season. So I'm hoping I can find a couple jobs in a pub or hostel or something. She said there are a couple Canadians working at the hostel I'm staying at so maybe I can chat up them about work and apartments. They also said I could store my heavy suitcase for free at their offices while I'm away so that's reassuring as I did NOT want to lug that thing around! So, I'll just put a week's worth of clothes and such in my backpack and away I go.

When speaking with another lone-traveler, I've noticed it's somewhat hard to form any stable friendships here as many people are coming and going (like myself) so I'm just chatting up with as many people as possible. I was invited to go to the USIT social on Wednesday night so maybe I'll meet some new travelers there. I think once I establish myself in a city with a job or two it will be easier to meet people and be more social.

So for the next couple of days I think I may do some free walking tours (free is the key word), go to the Guiness factory and just get things ready for my trip to Galway. Feeling unsettled is not a great feeling cuz I'm a planner and enjoy stability but I'm just taking it all in and working towards getting set-up somewhere very soon.

The weather is amazing here - clear, sunny and warm everyday and the forecast said it will be like this for a while so that's promising for sure. I've been told it's rare to have such nice weather so I'm trying to be outside as much as possible. I'll have another update soon!

Wishing all my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving. xo

Tip #5 - Embrace Change

My first day in Dublin was not exactly how I thought it would be, even though I had no idea what to expect. What I mean is that a whirlwind of change hit me straight in the face when I landed and it hit me hard. It didn't help that I was overtired, worn out from the craziness of flying and Heathrow airport, here on my own and in a country I knew almost nothing about. I knew doing the one thing I was most scared about doing this trip was not being familiar with where I was going, who I was meeting, etc. I was so used to my comfy life back home that when I got here - I didn't know what to do with myself, what to think, where to go, how to meet people. I knew that being tired didn't help so I just looked forward to the next day with orientation and getting out and seeing the city.

Orientation was good - information overload but I needed to hear it. The girl who presented was actually a fellow Torontonian and she had lots of her own stories to share. It made me think that maybe I don't need to put so much pressure on myself to find a place and settle down (although lugging my heavy suitcase and pack around is not appealing) so I'm just going to take it day by day and embrace the change. :)
After orientation I went and had my first Irish meal and pub experience. People start drinking a lot earlier in this town vs Ontario (for the most part) and everyone is super friendly. From there I went back to the hostel and then did some walking around as I was told to take advantage of the sunny and mild weather as it's very rare...so I did. I stumbled upon Dublin Oktoberfest and it was pretty packed in the early afternoon. I stopped at a familiar place, Starbucks, and spent some time using their free Wi-Fi and then wandered back to the hostel.
My flatmates - Doris, Sabina and Anya, invited me out for their last night in Dublin and I was ready to get my first taste of the nightlife. Temple Bar is the popular bar district. Yes, that's the name of the area and, naturally, there is an actually bar in the village called Temple Bar. We went to a basement club as we got sucked into a free drink promo but any bar named Madonna is never a good idea as it was pretty stingy and well - 80's.

After one drink we headed over to another pub which I forget the name and it was fun. Very crowded like many pubs but we stayed for a pint and then went to Temple Bar (the bar). We made some friends and I went and witnessed the live band in the front row. Everyone is always happy, no negativity, no fights (don't miss that in Stratford), and everyone just wants to have fun and make new friends. The nightlife has a very late curfew so it was a late night. Like we do in Ontario, always ending the night with a snack is a good deal. Luckily there is a walk up pizza stand right beside the entrance to my hostel.

My friend - Gerald (Gearóid Ó Duigneáin) is giving me a pub tour tonight and taking to me to a poetry reading. Since my flatmates went back to Germany today, I thought I would accept the invitation to meet more new people and get a tour from a real Irishman. He's not from Dublin originally rather a small town on the west coast. Thanks to my fellow German friends for a good time and we will see who my new roommates are soon.


Everyone I met last night was shocked that I was doing this trip on my own and kept cheers-ing my pint of Kilkenny because apparently these days - most travel in groups in Ireland. So - my tip today is to embrace change because it may be scary at first but it can only go uphill from here (or let's hope). I have to decide if I want to stay longer in Dublin or venture off to Cork or Galway. I have a feeling I may stay a few more days but we will see.


To my family and friends back home - I miss you lots and don't worry, I am being very safe and cautious. xo

Arrived Alive in wee Irishland

Well I got to Dublin safely. Naturally - cuz it's my life - the flights weren't entirely easy breezy. The flight was pretty good - minus saying goodbye to my loved ones at the airport. I sat beside an older couple who didn't say too much so I didn't have to worry about someone talking my ear off for 7 hours. I purposely picked an aisle seat so I didn't have to bother others about getting up and down with my small bladder.

The lady infront of me switched seats from up front to sit with her friends and she didn't sit still a lot. I think she was a tour operator as she kept pestering the flight attendants about certain things - headsets, blankets, etc. When dinner came around and I got the last chicken meal, she was not happy and I tried not to laugh when the male flight attendant said in his snooty British accent - "well, if you didn't switch seats like you weren't supposed to then you would've had a chicken meal." Gotta love the Brits crass attitude sometimes.

The other male flight attendant made a comment as I took a pic of my plane dinner as I told him it was for documentation purposes. He said "It's not that good to take a picture of it". It was pretty good considering plane food. Menu - balsamic chicken breast, risotto, green beans, multigrain bun/butter, garden salad, caramel cheesecake, and a small piece of Lindt chocolate served with tea and a mini DC - I'm sure Rimi would have kept the can for a momento. :)

One thing I've noticed about Europeans - specifically Brits is that they do enjoy their alcoholic beverages and the airlines know that. Alcohol was complimentary during the entire flight and when you asked for wine with your dinner (I believe I heard 99% of everyone around me ask) they gave you TWO bottles, not just one. I guess us North Americans are stingy. All in all, the flight was pretty good minus the turbulence - it was a pretty bumpy ride and my ears plugged severely on descending...they still don't feel entirely unplugged.

My adventure began when we landed as we were stuck on the tarmat for 30 min, then a bus came and picked us up (eventually) from the plane directly and took us to the Terminal. Then I had to connect to another Terminal so I had to take another bus that took another 10 min ride or so. Then I had to walk all over and get into a large line and fill out some paperwork about UK Borders, get my picture taken and then keep running. Then I had to go through security again and empty my liquids even though I was connecting to another flight this whole time and didn't leave the airport or security. After I had to literally run to my gate which was a 10 min RUN and the airport is so confusing. They were literally closing the gate while I ran up...talk about a close call.

So I arrived in Dublin, took a breather to find a Wi-Fi area so I could let people know I arrived ok and then made my way to the bus to get a ride downtown to my hostel. The bus was nice (Coach), the weather was clear and sunny and pretty warm. It was also neat to see what Dublin looks like on the way. It's much like Toronto with lots of green near the highways and such. The downtown area of Dublin from what I've seen thus far is a mix between Stratford and Toronto. Big city but older buildings, rivers and bridges. Unfortunately my hostel was a good jaunt from the bus stop and with my heavy luggage, it was quite a trek. The streets are not really labeled so I had to ask for a few directions here and there but I found it. Everyone is pretty nice so that helps for sure.

The biggest battle today was carrying my heavy suitcase and backpack up 3 flights of stairs. Lucky me...but the stairs will keep me in shape along with all the walking. I had it pretty good back home with my car (miss you Trix), homecooking and being familiar with everything. The next year or so will be quite different that's for sure. I was so frustrated with my rolley suitcase that I considered sending it home but I have to deal with it now and hope that the next time I move it, it will be onto a train and then into a new apartment. NOTE to visitors - bring a backpack if you plan on doing trips cuz rolley devices are not travel friendly.

All in all it was an ok venture over here. It didn't really hit me, as usual, that this was all real till I got to my hostel and I didn't know anyone and had all this luggage and didn't know what to do next. I have my orientation tomorrow morning so I'm hoping that I can find a city, apartment and job to settle in quickly with so I can meet new people and keep myself busy. I've heard Galway is a great place so maybe I'll take a stab at that place first. I'll likely do some tours and museum visits tomorrow afternoon and then go from there. I'm sharing a flat with 3 other German girls but I just introduced myself while passing them in the hallway. I think they are here with another large group of students as there are many of them and there are some chaperones too.

I guess that's it for now. I should get some sleep. I had a 4-hr nap this afternoon as I was about to pass out on my laptop but hopefully I can fall back asleep now as it's 1am.

Will try to take some pictures tomorrow and post them soon. Feel free to email me or fbook me anytime. I will try to pick up an International SIM card tomorrow to do some calls back home.

Miss you all...xo

Goodbye Canada...

Just a quick last post in my home country before I depart. I should be really sleeping as I'm trying to fight a bad cold and I want to get up early tomorrow to finish off any last minute packing and running around but oh well, I'll make this quick. Today I said goodbye to my first car - Trix - and it was rough. I didn't think I was that attached to my car till I was on the highway driving to the dealership and then all the memories I've had in the car came rushing into my head...crazy and cheesy but whatever. It was emotional and I'm not really an emotional person. I told the sales manager once I signed all the papers that if I could have driven my car to Ireland I totally would have rather did that than give my car back...but thus is life.
Typical me, I did all my packing this afternoon and I think I did a pretty good job...as I pretty much have everything checked off my to-pack list. I had to pack, then re-pack, then re-pack again because I didn't want to bring a ton of stuff but I think I got it down to the bare minimum...I even cut my shoe selection down to two pairs of boots and flats...maybe I'll just have to see what type of shoe selection they have over there. :)
Lastly, tonight I had a great few family visits and went for a good Canadian (beef, obvs) dinner in town with my parents, sister and bro-in-law. My sis scored me some great Canadian apparel (THANKS JOC!) and other little special items. Thank you to all my friends and family that gave me gifts as it was completely unnecessary but I appreciate everything from the bottom of my heart. I will put all of it to good use, I'm sure. Last stop in town was to say goodbye to my crew (minus Coop, but you were there in spirit) and even though our time was short tonight I was glad I could give you all one last hug goodbye...until I see you soon!
Tomorrow is going to be a whirlwind of emotions and such with getting last-minute things done, visiting Grandma L and the long-awaited goodbye scene at the airport. Not looking forward to it as I know it's going to be really tough. This will be my last blog post till I land in Dublin likely but I promise to update you all as soon as I can find a wi-fi area!

Until then....farewell O Canada and thank you for all the well wishes from all my friends and family. I am truly, truly blessed to have you all in my life. xo

Update

Hi all,
So...just an update that I just received word this morning that my passport is safe and sound and I can pick it up on Monday from my travel agent. phhhhhewwww! So - no need to move my flight and I'll be departing my lovely country on Wednesday of next week just after 6pm. It's been a rollercoaster for sure throughout this entire process but I knew I would get to the end of it eventually. I just have to pack, get all my documents and book a hostel in Dublin for my arrival. I also have to drop off my beloved Trix (my awesome white VW Rabbit) and say my goodbyes to her. It's been a great ride (3+ years) with her - literally and she will always hold a special place in my heart and life as she was my official first car. So many memories with her - laughs, tears, breakups, roadtrips, etc. I think of her as a friend and yes, Rim - I now understand how your car can feel like your own child but I still won't caress and talk to my car like you do. :)
What else? Ah yes...my crew from Stratty (circa 2010) blindfolded me and took me out for a fun-filled girls' night in London the other night. Britt and JBurns took me to London to see little Coopaloop and we got all gussied up - Irish style - and hit the University town. The night ended with a potential for Coop, 4 medium pizzas and sleeping toe-to-toe with JBurns in the room of couches and the musical styling of Jess' grinding teeth (cringe).

My emotions have been all over the place lately - anxiety, excitement, stress, worried, nervous, more excitement, sadness, and most recent - super freaked out. Now that I KNOW I will be leaving on Wednesday, the feeling of being freaked out has settled in. Moving to a foreign place where I know no one, don't understand the geography of how to get around, no job, no place to live is a tad scary. I was the same way when I moved from Ottawa to Toronto and I figured it out...and I know I will figure out what is to come in my life in the upcoming 2 years....but it's a tad scary.

So - I am just going to keep myself busy with packing and visiting and getting stuff done and deal with my freakout when I land in Dublin. Just gotta take it one moment or day at a time and calm the nerves with a nice tall mug of Irish beer. :)

Until then my friends - keep fit and have fun. xo

Tip #4 - Keep in Touch

This past weekend my beautiful and loving best friend threw me a wonderful going away party - Toronto style. Throughout my 7 years living in Toronto I have accumulated many awesome friends and it was great to say goodbye to them last Saturday. (pics below) For those who could not make it, I apologize but try to stay in touch!!

I've learned in life that keeping in touch with the friends that count is important. Many people come in and out of your life and not to say I haven't had great times with those who I'm not close with anymore but I've always been the type of person to maintain relationships with those who understand that no matter the distance and the length of time between visits and emails we will always pick up where we last left off. I've never been the type of have one solid group of friends because I've never really stayed long enough in one place to have that. Instead, I have a collection of many different types of friends and I would never change that. I may not have a huge group of friends like others but I like it that way. Instead, I have friends through sports association, friends through work, friends from my childhood/school and friends through random moments in life...and it's amazing.
I'm looking forward to increasing my list of friends in my upcoming travels and I'm sure I have many great memories ahead of me but I know that the one thing I promise myself is to keep in touch with my friends back home while I'm abroad. This blog is one channel but I - Shannon Landreth vow to stay in touch as much as possible with all you - my friends and family - so that when we meet again, it's like I just saw you yesterday...but maybe I'll have an Irish or British accent instead. (yes, that would be amazing) It's so easy these days to keep in touch with the ones you love because technology allows us to. I embrace it everyday whether it be through text, email, fbook, phone, etc. So - Tip #4 - KEEP IN TOUCH because going through life with no friends, family and a lifetime of good memories can be depressing!! And always remember - any type of relationship (family, friendship, romantic) is a TWO-WAY street. SO - yes - my friends and family - I expect to hear from you too!!

On a side note - I just got word that my passport is now at the Irish Embassy getting stamped. My departure date is 7 days away - fingers crossed I won't have to move it but at least I'm steps away from having my documents back in MY hands!

Until then - Family thanksgiving/going away party this wknd (including special guest - my bff and new Baby Pearl), my Stratford going away party (can't wait) and PACKING. :)

xo

Tip #3 - Faith can be underrated

These last couple months have been trying that's for sure. My usual Irish Landreth luck is at full force or so it seems these days with the passport issues that resulted in canceling my best friend wknd in NYC (sorry Rim), the Jonny+me Boston trip (sorry Jonnyboy) and now the possibility of me delaying my departure flight by who knows how long. It seems like I'm never going to get to this goal I have been dreaming about for the last 5+ years but I know I will get there eventually. Maybe my flight will have to be delayed (fingers and toes crossed that it won't) but I KNOW I will get there even if I have to walk or swim! Listening to all the advice all my friends and family have been giving me throughout this whole ordeal has been keeping me somewhat sane but the one thing that keeps me going is FAITH. I know everything happens for a reason, I know that you just gotta roll with the punches but as I deal with this constant string of bad luck in my life (which seems to follow me around quite a bit I think), I know having faith in people, and myself and what is to happen in the future is what I have to lean on to keep me going.
Currently, my passport is sitting with the British High Commission and then is to be traveling to the Irish Embassy to also be stamped. They say after the Irish Embassy receives my passport it could take up to three weeks (yikes) till I get it back from them...did I mention my flight is less than 3 weeks away? So - I just have to sit and wait and pray and hope and just have faith that EVENTUALLY everything will work out...eventually....sigh...it seems like that word pops up a lot in my vocabulary these days.

Till then...I would greatly appreciate you sending positive thoughts and keeping your fingers/toes crossed for me. I hope to have a positive update soon. :)

Tip #2 - Life CAN be inevitable

If there is anything I learned from this past weekend (other than that I love my bff), I learned that no matter how much you prepare for things, some thing in life can be inevitable. For example - I booked a bff weekend for myself and my best friend (shout out to Rimi) to New York city and the day before we were to leave I had my VAC appointment (Visa Application Centre) to get my biometrics taken (fingerprints/facial recognition) in order to finalize the process for my UK visa application. Well - knowing my luck (I don't have a ton it seems), they had to keep my passport for 10 business days while it gets stamped by the British High Consulate in Ottawa for my visa. That being said - we had to cancel our trip and opt for a road trip to Montreal instead as I couldn't leave the country obviously without my passport.
So - how did I feel? Hm....well, pretty much like someone hit me with the bad luck stick, a bad best friend because NYC is awesome and very angry because I read all of my visa application documents from front to back (twice) to ensure I didn't miss any information about this so-called hijacking of my passport for 2 weeks. Yes - I was relieved that it wasn't lost (as I thought so at first) but then disappointment, anger and sadness set it in right away. The weekend still ended up being great because Rimi and I know that wherever we go, it's always a fun time...and it was. I've enclosed a few pics from the trip. :)
But now - panic is starting to set in because I have another trip booked to Boston with Jonny Boy next Thursday that potentially will also have to be canceled which is also very devestating. It's all hanging on the good luck fairies - IF they really do exist as it doesn't seem that I have one. Just makes me a tad nervous with this bad luck gene when I'll be traveling the world and living in some foreign place for the next two years...sigh.

So - the lesson learned? Not sure if it's a lesson or not because all I really learned was that, unfortunately, no matter how well prepared you are for life, sometimes you get thrown curveballs at you unexpectantly and you just have to opt for plan B and make the most of it.

Here's hoping I don't have to opt for plan B for the Boston trip....fingers, toes and everything else crossed. :s

Rimi waiting in the lobby for her condo offer!      Tribute to my team - vive le Canadiens!

                                           our hotel lobby - chi chi fou fou :)

  this is how the quebecers roll - keg in tow.

great way to end the wknd - takeout in bed :)

driving past my homeland. trix got some km's this wknd. :)

Tip #1 - Share

So...I have never done a blog before in my life and today is the first day. My first tip to 'loving life' is sharing your life experiences (good or bad) with friends, family, people you rarely talk to on Facebook (let's be honest - it's like more than less) and even people you don't even know. We can all learn something from someone and if any of blog entries about my upcoming traveling adventures benefit anyone who follows along my blog...then that's just a bonus. As I once learned on an episode of Care Bears....Sharing IS Caring. :)

Stay tuned...5 weeks till it all begins. :)