Starting a new year off...

When thinking of what to put as the title of this entry, I realized that it's a rare thing to say in my life that I've ever started a new year off in a foreign country. I guess I should be proud of myself and I am in my own way but if any of you know me well, I don't usually give myself credit for anything big or small...I guess that's the humbleness that my family has instilled in me which I am very gracious for.
I, once again, apologize for the delay in an update. It was a very hectic past month with working many hours at the restaurant, preparing for a Canadian Christmas at our flat and then spending as much time as possible with Rimi (best friend extraordinaire) while she visited for a week. From my previous entry, you can check out the pictures I took while on a tour with Rimi and then a quick little trip to Dublin the day before she flew back to Canada :(. We went on the Cliffs of Moher tour which was fascinating, no matter the winds and cold temperatures. The sites were breathtaking and I finally felt like a tourist again and can now say that I've seen more than just Galway, bits of Dublin and the Dublin airport.
I also experienced my first real dose of homesickness, which has not been most enjoyable but I knew it was going to happen sooner than later. It didn't really hit me till I got on the bus back to Galway after saying my goodbyes to Rimi but it definitely hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a very rough day with the lack of sleep, combined with feeling of sadness that my 'bff holiday' flew by in seconds (or so how it felt) and going back to my life in Galway where things are still unfamiliar and I'm still getting used to everything. I had to work that day so luckily I was the 'runner' (aka. the person that just delivers all the food orders to customers and doesn't wait on tables) so I didn't have to force a smile or pleasant conversation with customers because if there's one thing I don't like being, it's fake. So, I just kept to myself and did the work and prayed for the day to go by quickly so I could go home. My coworkers could tell, even the cooks in the kitchen, that I wasn't in the best of moods that day so they did their best to cheer me up and I even got a few hugs along the way when I told them I was just dealing with being homesick. I guess I've just been so busy with setting up my life here and working that I didn't have the time to feel sad or think about all the people I miss back home. I guess it's hard to explain unless you're in the situation yourself but each day gets a bit better and it helps me learn more about myself because everyday is a new experience, especially when living away from home. I have a great support system here with my Canadian girls and Jonny and also back home with Rimi, my family and friends. All I can do is keep pushing forward and focus on being happy and live life to the fullest. Luckily, that's the main attitude people in Ireland have - young and old - they always just want to love life and live life.
Other than that, not much is new. It's very slow around town now after the holidays, much like Canada usually is, because people are recovering financially and/or physically from the holidays. Therefore, all the businesses are not doing so well and the restaurants have been very quiet. A few restaurants and bars have had to close in the last week due to lack of revenue or debt unfortunately, so many are out of jobs but those who are doing well are looking for more staff which is a good sign too. Our restaurant did really well over the holidays but like I said, it's been very quiet now after the New Year but it's expected to pick up after January or so. I'm going take advantage of this quiet time and cut back in hours and since I have my first full weekend off since I started at the pub, I and am planning on doing a weekend trip to Connemara. No details yet but if I go I'll try to post pics as soon as I have time after the weekend.

That's it for now I believe. I've been working for 7 days straight now (open to close -11am-10p) so I must head to bed. I have a later start tomorrow and Friday which is nice but like most Landreths, we love our sleep. :)

Until then, I miss you all and think of you very often. xoxo

Shimmy'n in Ireland

Here is the link to the latest photo album that includes photos from Rimi's visit in Ireland over the Christmas holidays. We went on a tour to the Cliffs of Moher and also went to Dublin the day before she departed and went to the National Leprechaun Museum (yes, it does exist). Enjoy!