A Linorish Post

Dear Everyone,

Hello! It's so great to finally sit down and write to you, and to ourselves, and to the internets out there. I often wish that I recorded my thoughts on a regular basis, so hopefully this blog will be a sort of semi-regular updater. As far as what to write in this first entry... Where to begin?? So much has happened since I left Canada!

As Jon mentioned, he flew to Cork (our new home) while I flew to Dublin because my SWAP program (known here as USIT) has their offices in Dublin. My plan was to stay in a hostel near the USIT office for 2 nights while gathering as much useful information as possible about getting a job, getting an apartment, opening a bank account, PPS numbers (the equivalent of a Canadian SIN #), mobile phones, and other newcomer info. On my first day they actually took me through an orientation session with 2 other girls, who were both Australians. We exchanged emails, which was great - I felt like I already had some friends in my new country.

After the orientation and an afternoon using their free internet access, I went back to the hostel, looked around at the my bare, somewhat dismal surroundings, realized that the USIT people had probably offered me all they could, and threw all my stuff back in my suitcases. I grabbed a taxi to the train station and got on the next train to Cork. Once in Cork, it took a bit of sleuthing to find the Bed & Breakfast where Jon had been staying, but it was a fantastic surprise when I arrived!



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So... here I am in Cork. It impressed me right away with its grand river and many bridges. I also love the characteristic colourful houses and the friendly, lively, genuine feeling I've felt when I've interacted with people. Another really great thing is that it's a walking city. We live on "Lavitts Quay", which is on the River Lee. The main downtown core - an area of cobblestone streets full of shops, restaurants, bars, etc - is 2 minutes from our house by foot. Tyndall, where Jon works, is a 5 minute walk. The only place we've needed to go with a vehicle is Blarney Castle, since it's a 20 minute ride out of town. We just caught the bus from downtown and paid 6 Euros round-trip.

As far as practical matters, things are not too challenging here. Sometimes I have trouble understanding what people are saying, but that hasn't been a big deal (yet!). We got our apartment very quickly and easily by happening upon a fantastic rental agency. We've been there for 2 nights now and it seems to be just what we need. We also got cell phones (known here as mobiles) easily. Now we are waiting for our oh-so-important PPS numbers. I can't open a bank account until I get mine. We also need to register ourselves with the police (the Garda). So... moving along nicely with the technicalities.

As for my feelings, I have been so happy since arrived in Ireland that I've surprised even myself. I had much more mixed feeling before we left... More worry, anxiety, nervousness, etc, along with the joy and excitement. Now I feel very happy and content. For one thing, I'm enjoying setting up the apartment. Today I bought a tree to put in the bathroom - Or maybe the living room? The entire experience was great. Leaving the new apartment, locking the door with the new key, going out into the damp day (weather is not delightful here) in my new crisp white coat, talking the the extremely friendly older man at the outdoor plant stand, picking my quirky tree, and carrying it home while people laughed at the sight of me. Every day brings many little events like this, and each one keeps me enjoying Ireland.

OK, hurray to those of you who have read my entire essay!
I wish I could bring you all here to show you my tree and the River Lee out of my window.

Cheers,
Linor