I've been thinking about visiting Ireland for a couple of years now, but not until long ago the flight ticket was a bit too expensive for my pocket. So, when the company I work for offered this opportunity, I took it without a second thought. I had this fairy tale image of a green land made by fairies and leprechauns...full of gingers drinking ale while singing loudly in their rustic pubs. And guess what....this is exactly Ireland.
I never though of living here though, but now that I decided to take up the challenge...I'm wondering why...why Dublin? The North definitely seams to be calling me.
There are two major misconceptions people have about the North...especially Southern people - the weather and daylight.
After living in Denmark, I already know that the North is not necessarily cold, it just lacks extreme weather. The highlight here is definitely the rain, but as a pluivophile I don't really mind it, that's actually my favorite weather in Bucharest as well. What I mind is the inability to plan trips because of the rain...but maybe this is something I'll get used with in time. So moving to Dublin means good-bye 40 °C summers and -15 °C winters....hello 5 to 20 °C all year round....
While the weather is not extreme in the North...daylight is. I remember the dawnish nights I experienced in Denmark in July and August, and obviously found here as well. Summer nights never get pitch dark, as it actually starts getting darker only around 11 PM. We were eating out two days ago and it was 9.30 PM...we looked outside and it seamed as it was 3 PM. But well, the tables will turn in a couple of months and the dawnish days will be here. This means darkness all around...and 3 PM will look like 9.30 PM :)
Guess what was my biggest surprise here though?! The language...Gaelic is like nothing I ever heard before. Since their independence it became the country's official language and mandatory in school. Though not very spoken in Dublin, you do hear it in other parts of Ireland....I'm thinking about giving it a try...Language is actually another popular misconception...Irish English is English with a funny accent :)) but it's not that difficult to understand at all.
My YESes and NOs or things I had higher expectations from are:
YESes:
- no unnecessary stress - people are so much calmer and have happier faces, no honking, no nervous people on the bus...;
- milk and berries - bestest food related stuff ever eaten;
- clean air - the weather, but also the low density make the air super clean;
- walking distance to anything - the benefit of living in a small city - walk, walk, walk;
- great infrastructure - it's so easy to visit this country...unbelievable;
- all life is equal - no animal cruelty around the corner/ even the cows and sheep look happy and free;
- traveling - cheap and easy to fly anywhere...especially to Iceland, my next year's resolution trip;
- recycling - my biggest nemesis...but here, not only do they recycle, but they also have special bins for compost...how great is that!
- lots of American and European immigrants - French, Spanish and Italian are spoken more than English :)
NOs
- not so safe - I'm not sure if it was exaggerated paranoia coming from the stories I heard, but I don't feel that safe in the city...nothing happened to me for real....but it's just a feeling;
- lots of homeless people - hand in hand with the safety, but they are clean and well fed and they are not begging aggressively;
- maybe the weather - maybe when I'll have more money I'll have happy Caribbean summer holidays :P;
- not cycling as much - people are definitely into sports here as there a lots of joggers everywhere, but I was expecting them to be more eco-friendly and bike a lot more....would have loved to have a bike...still more biking than in Bucharest for sure;
- overcrowding - maybe I got here at the wrong time, but the city is getting overcrowded and for that reason rents are hugenormeous...a quarter of my salary will go on rent...rent for a room and a shared kitchen, shared living space and a shared bathroom...
- clubbing and going out - pubs are popular...and nice, but there's no real clubbing...at least not the king of going out fun I would like. I haven't experienced it a lot, but what I have wasn't great...need to experience this more;
- food - the Irish kitchen, like most Nordic kitchens is horrible...I don't eat beef and lamb, so I am missing a big part of it, but even so...they eat everything deep fried and greasy...I don't get it...I just don't!