A QUARTER OF THE WAY

Six Months. It has been six whole months since Chris and I landed in Dublin, Ireland to start our new lives as husband and wife in our new country. There is no doubt we are still getting acclimated, but I think it's safe to say we have a better grip on things than say three months ago. Chris and I are big on mindfulness and reflection, so I wanted to make sure I memorialized how we're doing, what we still haven't figured out, what we like, what we still miss, etc. at the six month mark of our journey here in Dublin. Bonus: at the end of my post will be a ton of pictures from my parents' and aunt's recent trip to Ireland to visit us!

Part I. Does Ireland Feel Like Home?

When Chris and I sat down to reflect on our time so far in Dublin, the first thing he brought up was how everyone asks him, "Does Ireland feel like home yet?" And for him, that moment happened in the last couple weeks when my parents and Aunt Diane came to visit and we hosted them for 11 days. He said taking them to our favorite restaurants, showing them around town, and having to teach the quirks of walking around Dublin [walk fast and jay-walk, always jay-walk], made Dublin really feel like home. The familiarity of life here hit him for the first time.

For me, I'm not fully there yet. Yes, I've made our home cozy and hyggeligt; I can get around Dublin in my sleep; we're nearly experts at the public transportation; my gait is much quicker; and I've learned to swear like a local [i.e. feckin' muppetheads], but there is still the feeling of being a foreigner and a lack of confidence that is the last piece of the wall that I need to break down before Dublin will fully feel like home. I miss my job and I miss being closer to friends and family. I don't think I realized how much it made me happy to have so many human connections in a day. It made me feel good to get up, put myself together, work towards something, and have fun with friends and coworkers along the way. I have taken a few steps towards having more of a routine and meeting new people.

I joined a gym down the street from me [shoutout to FlyeFit CHQ] and I go to classes 4-6x/week not only for the health benefit, but to be around people and have human interaction. It has been SO good for me. I absolutely love it.

We have also made friends with a few of the other Frenchie owners in town and get together with them, which is great for Hugo and for us. It's always a ton of fun to let the Frenchies be Frenchies and make connections with new people.

Dublin will become home. I am a little worried that once I have become completely settled in and really feel like this is home, our time here will be up, and we'll be moving back to the States. But, I am dedicated to continually making an effort and enjoying this city for everything it has to offer. I am super excited for summertime -- late sunsets, festivals, picnics, and all the visitors we have planned!

Part II. Likes / Dislikes, Miss / Don't Miss

After six months, certain things have gotten easier. For example, grocery shopping. If you don't recall how stressed I was over it, you can read about how we were getting on in the first couple weeks here. Now, I have 90% of our groceries delivered and get the other 10% from the little grocery across the street. It's grand! On the other hand, new stressors have evolved, like receiving packages. There is a two-step process for this: 1) make sure you're home for a package when the Post comes, which can vary in time based on the day of the week, so basically don't leave the house on the day you think it's coming; and b) the Post[wo]man actually calls you to let you know he/she is there with your package. If either of these steps fails, you get a slip from the Post that says you have to go get the package yourself, which means an hour-long trip to a sketchy back alleyway to our Post office. [insert thumbs up emoji here]

There is always going to be good and bad no matter where you live, and that's life. So below, Chris and I have teamed up to compile a few lists of our observations based on our first six months here. I don't know if I need to do a disclaimer or not, but I want to note that these are based on our experiences alone and are subject to change.

Likes:

Proximity to the Ocean -- living on a relatively small island gives us the advantage of never being more than a couple hours' drive from the ocean. In Dublin, we are in fact on the Dublin Bay and a quick train ride up or down the coast to the beaches. Being from Minnesota, which has a lake culture, we are used to being near water, but the ocean has its own dynamic that I personally think is unbeatable. Chris is neutral on the lake vs. ocean debate and just prefers being near water. Fun fact: we've seen puffins and dolphins!

Travel -- this should come as no surprise, but we obviously love the ability to travel to so many different countries because of how close we are to the rest of Europe. We've already been to six different countries and have toured around Ireland and have lots more planned!
Ease of Getting Around -- Dublin is super walkable and I love that. We can walk to anywhere in 20 minutes. If it happens to be raining, we have the lightrail called the LUAS, right outside our door that we can hop on. And for those trips when we want to escape city life and go out to the towns along the coast, we have the train called the DART. And on those days when we feel like testing our marriage, we have the Dublin Bus to take us all the way out of town to IKEA! The greatest part is that the Dublin version of a metro card, called the LEAP card, gives you access to all the modes of transportation. But, I still prefer to walk when I can!

Economic Growth -- there are cranes everywhere down by us and it's exciting to be in a city that is growing and doing well.
Learning New Sports -- Chris and I have really enjoyed watching rugby matches. We are still learning the game, but it is WAY better than American football. These guys don't wear pads, go just as hard, if not harder at each other, and there's NO STOPPAGE. I repeat, there is no stoppage. That means if someone gets tackled, they keep playing. It's.the.best. The game keeps moving and is very fast paced. We've also learned a little about Ireland's Gaelic sports of Hurling and Gaelic Football. These guys are also tough as nails. We have been to one hurling match and one gaelic football match and hope we make it to more. It's been really fun learning new sports and cheering on the hometown teams.

Rugby

Gaelic Football

Hurling

Pace of Life -- the pace of life in Ireland is slower than in the States. It's hard for me to articulate, but it seems like they have an appreciation for slowing down, enjoying a pint, and investing time in friends and family. I don't get the sense that "Keeping up the Joneses" is as important here. It doesn't appear that families are overbooked and enrolling their kids in a million different activities and spewing out the classic line of "We've just been soooo busy" like broken records. Ugh, it was exhausting even writing that last sentence. It's nice to slow down and enjoy the little things.
The Irish -- if you don't know, the Irish are some of the nicest people on this planet. They are brilliant at holding conversation, excellent hosts, and will do you a favor in a heartbeat. They are seriously the best.
Energy Conservation -- In general, Europeans are better about conserving energy. Each outlet has an individual switch to turn it on or off. The Irish also don't keep their hot water running all day. Every household has what's called a "hot water press" that generates the hot water. So we turn it on before we shower and turn it off afterwards.

Irish Outlet

Hot Water Press

Fanta -- the Fanta in Europe is dynamite. It isn't artificially dyed and doesn't taste like chemicals. It's refreshing and delicious.
Men's Hair -- the men over here, for the most part, have great hair styles. They love a fade, use product, and care about styling their hair.

Dislikes:

No outlets in the bathrooms -- it's not something I knew I was taking for granted in the States. There are no outlets in any bathroom in Ireland. I recently found it is because it's illegal to have them since it can be dangerous. So instead of risking people injuring themselves, they just take away that risk, which is fine. It has just taken getting used to blow drying and straightening my hair in my bedroom versus in the bathroom.
No one-stop-shop -- I MISS TARGET. I MISS IT SO MUCH. If you need toiletries, you shop at your grocer or pharmacy [called a chemist]. But nail polish can be found at a store called Debenhams, which is kind of like a department store? There is a department store called Arnotts, which we love. It's like a Macy's or Nordstrom and is the closest thing to a one-stop-shop that we have, but it is not Target.
Stores Close Early -- I mentioned this in my earlier post. I'm not even asking for 10:00 p.m., just 9:00 p.m. Some stores stay open that late, but not many.
Litter -- Prior to living in Dublin, we lived in downtown Minneapolis, which is pristine. There are City Ambassadors working around the clock cleaning the sidewalks and streets. I don't know why, but there is litter all over the place in Dublin. I have seen countless people throw trash on the ground here. I don't understand it. I've seen sidewalk sweepers, but doesn't that just push the litter to the sides? Either way, I wish the city would invest more in keeping the sidewalks and streets cleaner.
Post -- I already lamented above about getting packages, so I won't go on about it here.
No Sidewalk Etiquette -- there is no rhyme or reason or order to how people walk down the sidewalks here. We drive on the left side of the road here, so we all walk down the left side of the sidewalk, right? Nope. People walk on the left, the right, and down the middle. Walking in a straight line and in an orderly fashion is non-existent. It's maddening. Moms with strollers also walk side-by-side and don't budge. I can't. I'm getting stressed out writing about it.
Spray Tans -- the ladies here LOVE a spray tan, and I get it, Ireland isn't exactly known for it's sunshine, so there is a lot of paleness going on. You can imagine then how much a spray tan stands out. If you are unsure if someone has a spray tan, all you have to do is look at their ankles because they will be a blotchy orange mess. It took me awhile to figure out what made their makeup look so different and I realized it's the orangeness in their faces that makes it look so different. Don't @ me for this. At least they're not fake baking, right? **Also, this isn't every female here. There are plenty that embrace their paler skin with me.
Smoking -- still don't get it, never will get it. QUIT SMOKING.

What We Miss:

Chris misses Minnesota's four seasons. I don't. The leaves didn't fall off the trees here until the beginning of December and it was fantastic. Winter consisted of cloudy, rainy days, with the exception of the Beast from the East. Grass is green year round. Spring starts in March with daffodils blooming everywhere. We won't get nearly as hot as Minnesota in the summer. Air conditioning in houses isn't a thing here. Chris and his coworkers were talking about how much they loved Ireland, but if the weather could be a consistent 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer at any given point throughout the year, it would be the best. If, in winter, it could be 50, instead of 40, and in the summer, 80 on a hot day, instead of 70. I totally agree with this sentiment. But let's be clear, I prefer Irish weather as is over Minnesota's.
Chipotle -- omg do we miss Chipotle. There are knock offs here that don't come anywhere close to how good Chipotle is. It will always be our first meal when we go home.
In the same vane, Cheetos. Cheetos don't exist here and you don't realize how much you miss them until you can't buy them.
Ortega taco sauce -- we brought two bottles home with us after Christmas and just had my parents bring us two more. If you're visiting us from the States and want to give us a hosting gift, Ortega taco sauce in mild will do.
Cost of Alcohol -- alcohol is taxed heavily here, which makes buying it very expensive. A litre of Jameson runs us €42. €38 if Tesco is having a sale.
TARGET. No explanation needed here. I suppose it's good on the wallet.
Natassja -- hey girl! yes, we miss you! For obvious reasons that we're bffs, but also because she has been my hair stylist for years and also cut Chris' hair. It's scary trying to find a new stylist, especially when you're doling out a lot of money to have it colored. You take the gamble that they are going to do well, but I am 0/1 here in Dublin. On the same note, not having our regular doctors, dentists, and vet. Anyone who has moved somewhere can probably relate to having to find all new people for self care.
Chris misses playing hockey and his hockey buddies. His hockey team just facetimed him after winning a tournament and it made his day. He also misses ESPN.
I miss my TED job and everyone at Thomson Reuters -- hey guys!
Friends and family. This one is obvious.

What We Don't Miss:

Having a Car -- Chris and I don't have a car here in Dublin and won't be getting one. We have talked about it a number of times -- we really don't miss having a car at all. We don't miss the payments, the insurance, commuting, the maintenance, etc. I mentioned before how much I love being able to walk nearly anywhere I want to go. I really love that. Chris has a 5 minute walk to work, no more hour long commute. We can get anywhere we need to be by foot or public transit. There are GoCars here in Dublin where you can pay by the hour for a car and we did that on our day in Glendalough, which was super slick. It's also easy enough to rent one if we wanted to explore the country. I cringe at the thought of needing one again.
Snow -- don't miss it at all. I don't like it one bit, not even on Christmas. If I want to see snow, I can fly to the Swiss Alps and then come back to the Emerald Isle.
Commercials / Ads EVERYWHERE -- One thing I noticed right away is there is less advertising in Ireland. It's the best. There are less commercials. There is less BUY THIS NOW in your face. It's so nice. We recently streamed some of the March Madness basketball games and it was obnoxious to watch. Everything has to have a corporate sponsor attached to its name and the commercials are endless. It's so over the top and consumer driven. When we were living in the States, I always wanted the latest iPhone, the newest clothing lines, and don't even get me started on the millions of Amazon purchases. Here, I just don't care and I think it's in large part due to the fact that it's not constantly getting thrown in my face.
Politics -- for obvious reasons, I don't miss the dumpster fire that is American politics right now.

Part III. Fun Language Differences

Yes, they speak English in Ireland. Does that mean we understand each other always? No. The Irish can talk about a million words per minute and have a lilt that the world has grown to know and love. Here are a few of the differences in pronunciation and words used that we have noticed. I absolutely love it. *This list is not exhaustive.

The letter "h" when pronounced is "haytch", not "aytch".
The "th" in a word is sometimes not pronounced, with exception for words like "the".
- 33 = turty-tree
- Orchard Thieves = Orchard Teeves [this is the brand of my favorite cider beer]
- Through = true
- Thanks = tanks
"Craic" pronounced "crack" = fun. i.e. "What's the crack?" means "What's happening?"
Telling time is a bit different. "Half six" means 6:30. If you were to say that in German, it would be 5:30. If we could all just say "half past six" it would make so much more sense.
"Grand" = fine or great. Everything is grand in Ireland.
"Courgette" = zucchini
"Aubergine" = cucumber
"Dog Minding" = dog sitting

Chris' coworker Deb put together a fun example of Irish English vs. American English. Read below and have a good chuckle. :)

Irish English:

"In Ireland today, when I woke up at half six and got ready for the day, I put on my jumper. As I left the house, I followed the footpath to the dart. When I got to work, I took the lift. As I greeted a coworker in the hallway, he asked how I was keeping and he told me he was going on holidays today week.

When I went to the kitchen at 1320 for my cupa, I was asked “Are you well and what’s the craic”. We talked about plans for the weekend, and John said he would send me a fixture list and I could see who was going to be on the pitch for hurling. I said, “Grand” and I hoped there wouldn’t be any hurlers on the ditch when I was there.

And at the end of the day, I told everyone to have a buzzin’ weekend."

American English:

"In Ireland today, when I woke up at 6:30 am up and got ready for the day, I put on my sweater. As I left the house, I followed the walkway to the train. When I got to work, I took the elevator. As I greeted a coworker in the hallway, he asked me how I was doing and he told me he was going on vacation a week from today.

When I went to the breakroom at 1:20 pm for my cup of coffee/tea, I was asked “what’s up” and “what’s going on with you”. We talked about plans for the weekend, and John said he would send me a schedule for sports and I could see who was going to be on the field for the hurling match (similar to lacrosse and hockey). I said “ok” and I hoped there wouldn’t be any loudmouths or armchair quarterbacks when I was there.

And at the end of the day, I told everyone to have a fantastic weekend."

There you have it! Our six month review of living in Dublin, Ireland so far. We don't regret this decision for one second and can't wait for what's to come.

BONUS! My parents and Aunt Diane were just here with us for 11 days. We explored Dublin, then hopped in a car and drove south to Wexford, Waterford, and Cork. We then made our way west to Killarney and Doolin, spent an afternoon in Galway, and headed back east to Dublin. Here is a slideshow of some of the fantastic things we saw. Ireland is BEAUTIFUL!