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