Sunday 31 March 2013

Happy Easter

Honestly, I am so glad for good people.

I'm a big believer in self-sufficiency and doing things yourself, but there are just times when you need help.  Luckily for me, I was able to meet a fellow that was able to help me out of bind.

Let me back up.  Now that I have housing secured, I'm faced with the next big mountain:  furnishings.

That actually wouldn't be much of a problem; in fact, it could be fun to go buy stuff for a new home, BUT 1) I don't have any van/car to haul it around and 2) I'm a guy with no good taste for style in home furnishing.

The 2nd problem Liz will have to deal with once she gets here, but there MUST be something at least in place otherwise she may just head back to the airport and fly back to South Carolina.

Enter my friend and lifesaver, Tom.  I met Tom last week in church where he offered to help me out if I needed it, since he often has mornings available and his own van/truck.  I took him up on his offer.

So Saturday morning he came to my hotel (March 30th, 2013) and collected me and we drove to Dunnes first.  Not a lot in the way of selection, so we headed to Ikea.  That was the next big lifesaver.

Really, I've never been a fan of Ikea.  It seemed like such a fad, and no one shopped there other than to say "oh yeah, I bought this at Ikea" as if bragging about cheap Swedish furniture was all the rage.  My outlook changed when I saw what you could buy and at what prices.  So what if it falls apart in 2 years?  I'm going to be GONE in 2 years anyway!  It doesn't have to last forever!!

The first run was all about getting the necessities down, so kitchen items, bath items, and my bedroom.  Ah snap!  I forgot my bed's size, but that's OK I can at least get the blankets and pillows.

Right, now time to check out. Waiting for the balance . . . Only 280 euro!  50 of it was the VAT, bah! Still, not too bad, I am pleased and a huge step in getting the place furnished.

Now what am I going to do with it all??  Again, Tom the lifesaver steps in.  He'll keep at all at his house and then deliver it to my new house on Tuesday evening when I arrive.  What would I do without Tom?

On top of all the running me around and otherwise bailing me out, he invited me to his house for dinner that night.  I got to meet his family, and had a wonderful evening with yummy food and great conversation.

Again, I am so grateful for good people willing to help out.

Today, Sunday, I had a very quiet day.  I went to church, and then called home and talked to Liz and the kids.  I also called and had a good chat with my mom.  I also discovered Google phone, and found I could dial home for 1 cent per minute!!! Amazing!

Tomorrow, it's the beginning of the end, that is, the end of the hotel phase.  I have to start arranging my stuff and try to figure how to cart it to work and then to my new home.

It's a little scary to think that work starts Tuesday, the whole reason I'm out here.  Always a little anxious; never know just what to expect.

This is the first Easter since my mission where I didn't have family near me.  I honestly never want to do this again, that is, be apart from my family for such a long time.  I miss my kids a lot.  It's very hard for me knowing the kids' difficulty and discomfort associated with being uprooted and stowed away.  I am very grateful for Jenni putting them up, as at least they have family to stay with while I'm here and Liz works on the house.  Good people helping us out, or I would never have been able to make this happen.

Last but not least, happy Easter to everyone.

Friday 29 March 2013

Viking Raid!

It's Good Friday, bank holiday, and I'm taking the day off too.

Spent the morning sort of lounging around and re-packing everything that I had rustled through during my stay here in the hotel.

Then around noon, it was time to board the longboat for an old-fashioned Viking raid!
I went berserk for this place!

OK, so maybe not that crazy, but it was fun and worth the cost of admission.  The exhibits were informative and creative, although I wasn't a fan of how crowded and cramped it felt, especially on the first floor.

You learn so much for these little day trips:

One big takeaway for me was how much Dublin was influenced by the English.  A second: I'm glad I did not live in the middle ages; I like running water and being lice-free too much.

Of course the exhibit ends in the gift shop.  I managed to evade the overpriced nick-knacks and post cards.  I took the stair exit and I am every so glad I did.  The museum had a stairway up into a St. Michael's Cathedral tower.
So, pop up the stairs and get a great view of Dublin!

 Roughly south.  St. Patrick's Cathedral center.

 Roughly east.  Christ Church on the left.

Roughly north.

Anyway, a nice way to end the tour.

Outside I wandered over and took these of Christ Church, which is famous for being the place where Handel's Messiah premiered.

Now I'm back in my room, and my thoughts turn to tomorrow.  Big shopping day.  I am going to try to get all the basic household stuff I can while I have use of a van, provided generously by Tom Corcoran.

Thursday 28 March 2013

Sunny Day

As opposed to yesterday's blizzard, today it was actually quite sunny, and when the sun is shining it's actually not that cold out!  It makes motivating this usual homebody a lot easier to get out and get stuff done.

Today's to-do were mostly administrative:  fill out paperwork for the office, fill in forms for the home rental in  Fort Mill, read through legal mumbo-jumbo of the new lease agreement.  After that, get suited up and head to the post office to mail it all off!

At this point since I know I'm going to be living in Raheny, I went ahead and purchased a Dart pass; this will make getting through the turnstiles a lot easier, and you can 'top-off' pretty easily at any station when needed.  All in all, it's probably going to cost me about 100 euro per month for the train, but that's far cheaper than the train in NYC, about $300USD back in the day, it's probably more now.

I also asked the leasing agent if I could take one more look at it before we sign the lease on Tuesday.  It really is a nice place, I'm just used to more . . . space.  Space in everything, as in bigger rooms, ovens, washing machines, and water heaters.  Here, less is the norm, so we're going to have to get used to it.

After talking to the letting agent a real problem presented itself.  There's no way I can get all the stuff I'm going to need inside the house on the first day of rent, April 2.  That's my first day of work, and I'm going to be working all day and have no car.  How am I going to get all my luggage to work, then up the dart to the house that day, not including all the household items like towels, sheets, pillows, blankets, plates, cups, silverware, and so on?

I suggested that I could bring some stuff incrementally over the weekend, but the agent wouldn't go for it.  Part of was Dublin basically shuts down for the next four days over the Easter weekend.  Banks have both Friday and Monday off.  I'm not going to have a lot of options.

Then I remember a brother from Church had offered to help me out if I needed it and gave me his number last Sunday.  I thought I'd call him and see if he were still up for that.  To my relief and my most sincere gratitude, he was willing to take me shopping on Saturday to buy all the household items I'm going to need, and keep them at his place until Tuesday, then drive them all up to Raheny at the end of the day.  Massive problem solved.  Again, amazingly thankful, this is a huge break; I honestly don't know what I'd do if Tom hadn't offered to do all this for me.

The day as starting to drag on, but I wanted to get something touristy in before I called it a day . . .
The Natural History Museum of Ireland! Hooray!

Actually, very cool.  They stuffed so many animals in there (pun definitely intended) it was hard to see them all. Since it's free admission, I might actually go back to get a closer look.

I didn't take a lot of pics, but here's a couple interesting ones.
Liz's favorite primate, the Tamarin. However, this little guy doesn't look too pleased.

And the most interesting animal of the day?
The Sunfish!  Seriously, the pic doesn't capture the scale of this thing, it's like a giant maritime Picasso.  According to the Internets, it's the largest bone fish on the planet, sometimes reaching weights up to 1,000 KG.

And that's about it.  Did a little shopping to tide me over the next few days, ordered a pizza to tide me over the next few hours, then the highlight of my day:  an hour-long phone chat with Liz.

Kilkenny & Glendalough

Today I took and all-day bus tour to Kilkenny & Glendalough.

First thing:  true confession. I have a really bad problem with getting lost.  If it weren't for my phone's active map and location finder, I'd still be stuck at the airport.  In  Charlotte.

I knew I had to be at the Burlington Hotel at 9:15 this morning to catch the bus, about .75 miles on foot, so I left at 8:30 so that I could walk and not be rushed.  I stepped outside and it was blizzard conditions, traffic was horrendous.  No worries, I know exactly where I'm going and am in no big hurry.  Plenty of time.  Walking, walking, walking; stop to check my phone's map . . . I'VE WALKED THE WRONG WAY FOR 20 MINUTES!  Now I'm still about .5 mile away.  20 minutes left, so I start walking fast.  Snow is falling hard, covering the sidewalks, slippery.  Crossing the street is a dangerous affair.  Crosswalks take forever, but crossing without a green could be deadly.  Stop and check maps again: walking the wrong way again!  Turn around and get back on the right road.  Check maps: yes, this time I'm right, but I'm running out of time, so I start running.  Making great time considering, but I'm layered up like an Eskimo, so I get hot and start sweating.  Snow is melting all over my head and face.  I get to the hotel, 9:09.  No tour bus. Did I miss it?  I hope not or that's 30 Euro down the drain.  Wait. Wait.  Still nothing.  Search for a contact number in the confirmation email:  there's actually one there!  Call it.  The bus driver is on his way!  I didn't miss it!  Whoo hoo!!!  I'm so happy even though I'm soaked, sweaty and an otherwise total mess. I wonder why no one sat next to me on the bus???

Because of the foul weather, the tour bus took an alternate route that normal, first to Kilkenny then to Glendalough .

I'm going to turn on the slide show now, and maybe insert a snarky comment or two . . .
Tried to take a picture of the Irish countryside and got this.  Stopped trying.  Really, it was amazing  and the sheep with the little baby lambs = utterly adorable!

Arrived at Kilkenny.  Actually a lot of history here, dating back to the original English conquest of Ireland


 Castle Kilkenny. . .
 The beautiful grounds of Castle Kilkenny. ..
More castle

Castle on the other side,lovely grounds and fountain

 The famous gate entrance

This door is actually under the main wall, embedded in some pretty thick supporting rock.  No idea what it's for or where it goes, but it looked cool so I snapped a pic.

Hey, this place has a US flag!  Awesome!  Except it's being displayed wrong.  I'll just run in and tell them.  They don't care.

Lunch in a Kilkenny pub, shepherd's pie!  Pretty good, actually.

I am still trying to get used to how long many of the forks are here.  Seriously, I've speared my uvula with these things.
 Next stop: Glendalough.  Beautiful glacial lakes.

 More of the lower lake.

 Glendalough monastery ruins and cemetery
 
 St. Kevin's Church

 The Round Tower as seen from the lower part of the cemetery.

 The cemetery with ruins in the background.

 Some very old headstones.  The engravings are long gone.

 The main cathedral.

 Inside the cathedral.

The round tower.

And that's pretty much it.  When we finally arrived back in Dublin the weather had improved quite a bit.  Later that night Colm from work for dinner at some Indian cuisine.  Then back here for some sleep.  I don't know why but when it hits 10PM, I get absolutely loopy with sleep.

All-in-all, very good 'touristy' day. Tomorrow, back to business.  Have a lot to take care of before the long Easter weekend.  I guess Dublin sort of shuts down . . . 


Tuesday 26 March 2013

A Home To Call My Own

Last night I spent a long time chatting with Liz over the next course of action.  The home search was continuing to drag on.  While I had more appointments for viewings, nothing of what I was going to see really fit my search requirements.  I have to be out of this hotel room next week and start work.  Where was I going to go and how was I going to look at houses while at the office?

The morning came and I sat down looking at listings again making calls on homes I previously skipped because, for one reason or another, they didn't fit our needs. To call it frustrating would be an understatement.  I was at the bottom of the barrel.

Then there was Raheny house.  It was small, but almost brand new, furnished, under our price max, close to a huge park, shopping, gym, the beach, and the Dart line.  The only problem really was that it's in the north-eastern quarter, while I've been focusing my search in the south-east.

Nothing that I was going to see had all these things in place as the Raheny house does, and if I didn't take it now there was a good chance it would be gone within a day or two.  A quick talk with Liz and I felt that the time had come to act. I called on the house, it was still available, so I took it.  We now have a home.

This search has been very difficult for me.  It was difficult for me to make on my own without the guidance and input of My Better Half.  I really am not sure it was a good idea for me to be the one to have to decide where the family should live in Dublin.  I have never before gone by myself to a large city in a foreign country to find housing for a family of seven in less that 10 days.

I feel I have made the right decision.  I am also most sincerely grateful that the search is now over and we can move onto the remaining to-dos.  It really is a huge blessing.

With the housing situation resolved, I decided to give myself the rest of the day (and tomorrow) off from official settling-in duties.  I walked down to the Ireland Museum and took a long tour of the fine art section.  For a free art museum, it was pretty good.

There was also a very lovely park along the way, the Merrion Square where I snapped this:


and what Irish park would be complete without a statue of Oscar Wilde?

I didn't take any pictures inside the museum because I think photography was prohibited, but I did see a lot of really great paintings.  Very well time spent.

On the way home I noticed crowds decending upon the Aviva stadium for what I learned was the Ireland soccer match against Austria.  I got back to my room, threw on my Ireland t-shirt, and headed down to the hotel's lounge to eat some fish n' chips (pretty darn good, I might add) and root for the home team.

Albeit, I have to admit, I have a pretty strong feeling about soccer which I think this sums up pretty well . . .

Monday 25 March 2013

Pressing on

I am so tired tonight, for some reason, I don't know why.  I think I got plenty of good sleep last night but I can barely keep my eyes open.  I don't even want to go out to get something to eat.  Now you know I am really tired.  Given my present condition I'll try to be Joe Friday and get the facts, but spare you the ever-so-interesting details.

The search continues for the Irish Casa De Vance (or tĂ©ach Vance, in Irish).

There seems to be some momentum picking up in the quality and quality of the housing I'm seeing, but I am still not convinced I have found "the one" just yet.  There have been several properties I get a little excited about only to find they're already taken.

The first place was very accessible to work and was overall suitable, but frankly was in no condition to be shown to potential tenants.  It still had old food in the cupboards and was all-around very dirty.  Again, the rooms were so small we'd have to put the kids on the floor even if we got bunk beds.  I am still a little hesitant to even ask if we can pull out the landlord's existing furniture to put in our own.

In between my first and second appointment today I was able to walk along the beach (yes, they call it the beach, not the shore).  The wind was blowing very hard but my jacket is actually an excellent windbreaker, so it was still pretty enjoyable.


The pathway eventually winds its way up to a park and nature preserve, the Irishtown Park:

Second viewing.  Nicer place, but no master bathroom?  I can't imagine what Sunday mornings would be like.  It was also the first time I looked inside a clothes washer.  I think you could fit a dishtowel inside it, maybe two if they're small.  Also unfurnished and above my price limit.  Out.

Back to the command center for lunch and more searching and phone calls.  Get one setup for a place in the northern quarter of town.  This is going to be good because I get to ride the Dart and see how long it takes.  If it's under 45 minutes it's tractable, given the time necessarily spent walking to and from the train would still give you a commute of an hour door-to-door.  In this case it was about 35 minutes, so we're in the green there.

The place itself was a typical 3 bedroom townhouse, overall pretty small but at least the master bedroom had  its own bathroom.  It's compelling because it's very close to the Dart, the ocean (Bull Island), and a gym with very reasonable rates (yes, I checked).  Also, across the street is St. Anne's park, a pretty impressive collection of walking paths and sport fields.  


Even more impressive were the kids out for soccer practice is temperatures barely above freezing.  

I'm trying to coordinate with Liz on whether we should throw the dice on this place or hold onto the chance of something better coming along.  

I don't have any viewings set up for tomorrow, but I do have two setup for Wednesday.  

After the viewing I headed back here, where I now try to type out the day's events without dozing off.  I'll skip dinner tonight and make up for it by eating extra tomorrow for breakfast.  Included with my stay is the hotel's "Full Irish Breakfast".  Admittedly it's really good, and there's plenty of ordinary stuff there if one is too shy to try blood pudding (yum, just don't think about how it's made).

With a completely empty calendar for tomorrow, I'm wondering what to do.  Should I continue to pound the streets looking for homes?  In all honesty what's out there is pretty disheartening; it's all small, run down, and way, WAY overpriced.  But this is one of those cases where you can't quit.  Family on the way, we've sold nearly every single thing we owned to make this transition happen.  The Rubicon has been crossed, the ships of Cortes have been burned, and the Vances are coming to Ireland.


Sunday 24 March 2013

The Gathering of Israel

Today, being Sunday, I went to church.

One never knows exactly what to expect when going to a new ward, how one will be received, what the building will look like, etc.  What I envisioned in my mind was a small collection of Irish saints and perhaps a few ex-pats, like me, together for worship on the Sabbath.

I certainly got the collection of faithful saints, but the Irish part was surprisingly small.

To get me to church today, Bro Fuji, a native of Japan, picked me up.  He already had another fellow with him, an investigator by the name of Anderson, a native of Brazil. Already my multi-cultural experience had started.

When we arrived at church, we were a few minutes late and had to dash into some empty seats toward the front.  My first glance of about 75 to 100 people quickly smashed my preconceived notion of an all-Irish ward.  I saw individuals and families from every conceivable walk of life and nationality.

As church progressed, hearing the speakers and instructors talk reminded me that the Gospel is true no matter where you live; no matter where you're from. I could feel the Spirit and the sincerity of the members.  It was an amazing and literal fulfillment of the gathering of saints of all nations.

Luckily for me the ward was holding a social immediately following the normal block.  Besides enjoying copious amounts of Irish and other international foods, I got to meet many of the ward members.  Again, everyone was very nice to me, and were all very helpful and encouraging me to join their ward.

Of course, I didn't get a complete list of names or where everyone was from, but from what I remember there were individuals and families from Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Poland, Latvia, Philippines, Japan, China, and ONE from the US, Knoxville, TN.  I have had no greater witness of the global reach of the Church before today.  Truly the great gathering is well underway.
And after the house of Israel should be scattered they should be gathered together again; or, in fine, after the Gentiles had received the fulness of the Gospel, the natural branches of the olive tree, or the remnants of the house of Israel, should be grafted in, or come to the knowledge of the true Messiah, their Lord and their Redeemer. 1 Nephi 10:14


The second part of day was also very good, but more in a touristy way.

My friend and soon-to-be-boss, Colm, volunteered to motor me around the northeastern quarter of Dublin.  The Clontarf and Howth neighborhoods, primarily.  It's a section of town where he actually lives so he's well acquainted with their features.

The primary difference of the northern part of town is it's a little more working class.  There are certainly nice places, especially along the coast, but rents are more reasonable than compared to those in the elite embassy rows of Ballsbridge.

The trip took us up a hill on the peninsula of Dublin Bay, near the suburb of Howth. It was very cold, and the wind was blasting, but I managed to snap a few pics of the amazing view.



Though faint, in the distance is central Dublin and DĂșn Laoghaire.  I hope to get back up here on a clear day, and perhaps a bit warmer than near freezing.  There are tons of walking paths around the area, and you're pretty much free to wander wherever you want.  As Colm explained, there's really no such thing as trespassing in Ireland.  Go figure.

We circled back around Howth and through Clontarf again, taking a look at Malahide Castle, with its helipad, only used once by Margaret Thatcher in order to avoid taking excessive personal risks during the Troubles.

On they way back Colm pointed out a section of housing that had been rebuilt by Germany as part of its WW2 war reparations.  Dublin was first bombed August 20th, 1940, preceding a string of bombings despite its declared neutrality in the war.  It sort of dawned on me that I had never before been in a city that was actually bombed by the Nazis.  It also set up an interesting conversation; could a nation actually be neutral when next door and in between warring nations?  I mentioned neutrality didn't work out so well for Poland, Sweden, and Denmark, for example.  Colm pointed out that neutrality actually was good for Ireland because the IRA would have likely sided with the Germans (the enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing).  In the end, Ireland was implicitly aiding the Allied forces.

Another interesting insight:  The armed conflicts of the European past also make the soccer and rugby rivalries between these nations so much more intense--In many respects they're settling old grudges on the pitch.

However, our final conclusion, and a dubious and frightening fact was this:  History repeats itself.

Tomorrow, the search for permanent residence resumes.


Saturday 23 March 2013

The Search Continues

Today I again spent as much time as possible looking at potential properties and calling for viewings.  I did this in a sincere effort to make up for yesterday, what I felt was an unproductive day.  The good news is that I was able to make a lot of calls and emails, but I only actually saw one property.

The reason for only seeing one has become clear to me and is something of a mathematical progression.  Take all the properties in livable neighborhoods within commuting distance x .5 x apply the fact that it must be under a certain price range and have at least 3 bedrooms x .5 x preferably furnished x .9 x and that the letting agent actually takes my call and sets up an appointment for me to see the place x .01 x within a distance I can walk, bus, or take a train to x .02 = about 1 per day.  Please note the scaling factors are approximate, but you get the picture.

Today's viewing was in Blackrock, a neighborhood recommended to us and one I was particularly interested in.  I took the Dart from Sandymount to Blackrock and snapped this beauty:
My camera isn't the greatest, and really doesn't do the scene justice.  I really love the ocean, even if it's nearly black and 31 degrees.  You still get to enjoy the sea breeze, salty air, the call of seagulls; it was actually quite therapeutic and encouraging.

After a brief hike toward the house I was supposed to see, I realized I was never going to make it on time.  Luckily, the owner of the property came over and picked me up, for which I was very grateful.

The property itself was suitable, it had 4 bedrooms and was overall pretty small.  It did have a lot of built-in storage and shelves which would really come in handy.

One issue for a family with 2 girls and 3 boys, a 4 bedroom house actually complicates things.  The reason is because when there's only 3 bedrooms, there's no argument over sharing:  Boys get one, the girls get the other.  But just add one more bedroom and unleash contention.  It's because Cookie will likely want her own room--fair enough, she's the oldest, but that leaves Sariah with her own room, too. That means 3 boys are still stuck sharing a room together regardless of the extra room.  I can already see the riots and demonstrations.  Five bedrooms may alleviate this problem a little, but now were talking a virtual impossibility to find or afford in the Dublin area.  Maybe just a large 3-bedroom is the way to go.

With the viewing over, I headed back to hotel.  Spent another few hours scouring listings and making calls, emails. At about 4PM I realized I wasn't going to get any viewings this day, so I wrapped it up and hit the streets.

The weather today was much more agreeable than it was yesterday.  It wasn't raining and storming, and while cold it was quite acceptable with my now 3 layers warm fuzziness I wear.  My objective was to find some sort of grocery store and pick up some food/snacks to last me the weekend so I could avoid having to buy anything on Sunday.  I picked a Tesco pretty far away in a part of town I've never been to.  The route took me along the Grand Canal.  The GC is actually not that big, but it's interesting because it has a series of locks and was used for a long time as a shipping and transportation channel.  Today touristy dinner ships are all that navigate it. It's also quite lovely:

  I managed to pick up some "dinner" and headed back here to the hotel room.



Hey, I'm a man with no female guidance that would usually dictate normal eating.  Hopefully we can get the family out here before my heart clogs.

Still a little deflated about not making more progress finding a new home, but I am feeling better.  Liz offered a lot of encouragement on the phone.  Tomorrow being Sunday I am taking it "off" and going to visit what is likely to be my new ward.  After that, Colm from work is going to drive me around and reconnoiter the Clontarf neighborhood, hopefully find some potential houses there.

Then Monday, the game continues  . . .




Friday 22 March 2013

Lets Do This

With all my communication, immigration, and taxation issues behind me (until next year, at least), it's time to work on the next big to-do:  housing.  Those prior issues were really dealt with relatively easy, only taking about a day each, but finding a place to live is going to be different I can see.

Like most big cities, Dublin is expensive.  Everything costs more:  Food, clothing, gasoline, and housing.  This is especially true to me because the Euro is stronger than the dollar right now.  So my delicious Thai red curry dinner tonight was only 14 Euro, but after 3 Euro tip, converting it puts it over $23 US dollars; way more than I would ever normally pay.  Once I'm earning Euros maybe this won't be so bad, but right now I feel like I am absolutely busting our bank account.

In nothing has the high cost of living in Dublin shown more prominently than in its rents.  And keep in mind that Dublin is still reeling from the housing crisis.  These are distressed prices.

Liz and I have decided on an absolute amount we're willing to pay, but of course, we need at least 3 bedrooms in a nice neighborhood that's close to work and grocery shopping and . . . you get the idea.  The remaining dependent variable in this equation is, of course, price.

Part of it is principle, but most of it is strictly financial; we simply can't afford more than our max amount. 

So, fettered by the fact I don't have a car or know the transit  system very well, I'm focusing my initial search here in the Ballsbridge area, all accessible by foot.

I spent a few hours this morning making calls and managed to set up an appointment at 1PM.  The agent also agreed to show me around to a couple other properties, so I didn't bother setting anything else up after.  When I stepped outside it was cold and rainy, totally typical, but now it was also very windy.  My 10 minutes walk to the showing had me absolutely soaked and pretty darn cold.  

Once I got to the property, the agent was very nice and let me take a good long look at all the rooms.  This place was barely within our price range, but I liked it because it looked pretty good and is an easy walk to the office.  The only problem is that it's very small. One room was almost completely filled with a double bed, and had only a small closet.  The boy's room, I thought?  How am I going to fit 3 growing boys in this room?

The agent was very friendly but once I told her my family's size and max rent amount, she pretty much sighed and said there wasn't much left for her to show me.  She gave me a list of properties and numbers to call and then we said goodbye.

I stopped by a local deli and grabbed a bite to eat, then tried to think on what I needed to do next.  At that moment I was so cold that I either needed to go back to my hotel room to warm up or get another layer under my rain coat.  I figured if I stayed out I could at least have the option of looking for other places along the way.

So, back out I went, this time making my way toward St. Stephen's Green mall to buy something warm to wear under my coat.  Unfortunately, the mall was about 1.5 miles away, and walking through Dublin streets with all the traffic and intersections, it takes a good 20 to 30 minutes per mile on foot.  I tried to make the most of the time by making phone calls but it was so windy it was hard to communicate.  One guy hung up on me twice--maybe he thought I was a prank caller.

Once I did get there, I was focused on getting another layer for my coat, but it was difficult to find something thick enough for under 30 Euros.  I admit I am not the most efficient of shoppers, and time was burning as I scoured the local "TK Maxx" (yes, same store, just changed one letter!) for something adequate and in my price range.  I finally gave up and bought a nice hooded sweatshirt from Dunnes.  I may have wasted 2 hours of the afternoon, but at least I was warm.  I also picked up a mouse for this laptop so I don't have to use the horrid touch-pad any more!

Now after all this, I started back, and took a stroll through the very beautiful St. Stephen's Green park.  

Also made some more phone calls and got a viewing setup for Monday morning, yes!  Now back at the hotel, I sit down and to my dismay it's 6PM.  Very unlikely to get any showings at this time of the day on a Friday.

So, here I am, trying to regroup.  I am a little bit deflated today, my first day here where I felt like I didn't get much done.  I was hoping to take tomorrow off and take a day trip bus tour, but that's going to have to wait.  I am really feeling the clock ticking down to Monday April 2 and I have to have something tangible setup by then.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Shin Splints & Airlines

March 21, 2013, about 7:17 pm local time;  Bewleys Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin Ireland.

I keep intending to write up and keep things updated on the blog but it's been more dreaming than work.  Well, the amount of walking I've done lately has surpassed my normal limits by about a factor of 20, and my work shoes were never meant to pound the rough cobblestone of Dublin the way they have.  Result?  Sore shins, ankles, and feet.  I am forcing myself to come in early tonight to give my legs and feet a break.  I can finally get caught up on what's happened the first few days here.

Let's start on Monday, March 18.

I am still in Fort Mill working on last minute packing details.  One completely massive distraction was a voucher for $350 at the BMW dealer's performance shop in Charlotte.  One last opportunity to drive my car, one last chance to see Charlotte, so I went for it. In the end I got a leather wallet and a wristwatch, all very nice, and 'free' if you don't count the 7 years of accumulated points I had on the BMW credit card.

Now it's time to head to the airport, and Liz and little Aaron in the back take me to CLT.  Teary goodbyes, and I am off.  Always hard to part with loved ones, I don't even like to write about it!

The first leg of my journey takes me to Chicago.  Isn't that the wrong way, you ask?  Why, yes it is!  You probably know that you can save some money when buying plane tickets if you're willing to take more than one stop and fly different carriers.  I usually end up falling for the low ticket price trap despite the hassles presented by changing planes, switching terminals, long layovers, and in this case, going through immigration and security again in London.  Normally fine when I only have one small carry-on, but I had two, and both were pretty heavy.  The heavier one didn't have a shoulder strap, either.  One could launch into implicit versus explicit cost/benefits here, but I won't. I still haven't decided if it was worth it or not.

Chicago; boarded the giant B-777 and it was completely full.  It's a big plane, and it fits a LOT of people.  As is usual, all the first class passengers were boarded and seated first.  Then the cattle get to board.  We slowly shuffle through first class, gazing longingly at the passengers' smiling faces as they sip on cold drinks and slowly recline virtually horizontally in their wide, padded leather seats.  I seem to hear a voice:  You see these people? They're flying first class.  See how happy they are?  They're treated so special. They even get their own lavatory that you can't use.  Maybe next time you should pay the extra $5,000 and fly first class, eh?

That's about the time we enter the main cabin.  It has three columns of seats, 2, 5, and 2-wide, respectively.

The word sardines comes to mind.   Cattle.  Deck of cards.  The old college stunt of seeing how many kids you can pack into a VW Bug.  Everything else on the plane is 'coach', which even that is broken into zones.  I am in the last zone, which really is 'last class'.  This means that my carry-on will really have to struggle to find a home, and everyone who is seated before me will have to get up so I can get in to my spot.  Everyone behind me must wait until these steps are complete.  The voices again echo in our minds:  First class!  Why didn't you fly first class???

Now seated and airborne, the fun begins.  Seated to my right is a fellow who seems to have previously flown first class but has since been relegated to last class with me.  He seems to have a high sense of entitlement.  He continues his loud conversation on his cell phone well after the cabin doors are closed and the plane is in motion.  That's too bad for him because he has to learn the hard way that you don't get the freebies and white glove treatment here in last class.  On the left, running up and down the narrow pathway is American Airlines flight attendant, Mr. Ihateyou.  He despises things like customer service, passengers, himself, airplanes, and flying.

Mr. Relegated and Mr.Ihateyou's worlds are going to collide very soon, and I am in the middle.

I have already set my watch to Dublin time and it's way past my bedtime.  We all know the quality sleep one can get on an airplane, but I have to try.  The last time I flew to Dublin I stayed up all night watching movies, which was a huge mistake (More on that later).

I'm not going to get much sleep before we have the first exchange between Mr. Ihateyou and Mr. Relegated:
Mr. R: ''Excuse me, my food, it's very bland, I want something else''
Mr. I: "I'm sorry, that's what you ordered.  We only have enough meals on-board for each customer to have one"
(me in my mind:  Seriously, dude?  Your food is bland?  Have you never flown in last class before???)
Mr.R "Yes, but you see, my food, it's very bland, I want something else.  The pasta, I would like the pasta"
Mr. I "You will have to wait until all the other passengers are served; if we have any left over I will bring you one"  Storms off down the aisle.

About a half hour later, Mr. I returns with a small microwaved paper dish of pasta, very much like a TV dinner, and slides it onto Mr. R's tray.
Mr. I "Next time sir, we won't be able to do this for you.  You ordered the special vegetarian dish and that's all you can have.  Each passenger can only receive one meal per flight."
Mr. R "Yes, but is this pasta vegetarian?"
Mr. I "Yes"
Mr. R "No meat?"
Mr. I "NO!  No meat!"  Storms off again.
I get the keen impression that whether the pasta had meat or not wouldn't have changed Mr. I's answer.

About 3 hours later.
Mr. R "Excuse me, I am very cold, I would like another blanket"
Mr I, obviously completely fed up, "no, sorry, we don't have any more; one per customer".  Doesn't wait for a reply, keeps walking down the aisle.

My earplugs are firmly in place at this point, and sleep finally wins.  We finally land at London Heathrow.  My biggest achievements were not head-butting Mr. R and not having to get up to use the lavatory on a 7 hour flight!  Boo-ya!

Now I was warned previously not to fly through Heathrow if at all possible.  Again, the allure of low ticket prices and the irrational satisfaction of saying I had set foot in London proved too great a temptation.  It really wasn't that bad, per se, but the airport is HUGE and moving from one terminal to another means going through security and immigration again.  Ouch.


So, lessons learned:  Avoid the 3+ stop routes to your final destination, don't transfer planes in London, and don't wear worn out dress shoes when tramping around Dublin.


One last jump and I'm in Dublin.  Irish immigration was surprisingly easy, only took a few minutes.  They didn't even bother looking at all the extra documentation I brought with me.  No, seriously, look at my high school diploma, I brought this special for you to help prove who I am.  Hair samples, DNA, it's all here.

Down to the main floor, and my friend Colm is waiting for me.  What a relief that I won't have to figure out a way to get to my hotel on my own with three heavy bags.  We load up the car and I nearly get in on the right-hand side.  Ooops, sorry, forgot about that one, I'm on the other side now.

But now I'm here!  Ireland! Say that again?  Ireland? I shake my head in disbelief.  As I write this my eyes tear up and my heart swells at how grateful I am to be here.  I never, ever in a million years thought I would be working and living in a foreign country.  I feel a profound sense of gratitude that I and my family get to experience this.  I make no pretense that it's going to be all wine and roses, er, rather, Guinness and shamrocks, but I do feel it's going to be worth it.

And it's only my first day, and this day is only half done.  More on that tomorrow.

And tomorrow: different shoes.


Day 1

Actually, it's day 3.  That's how long I've been in Dublin as a permanent resident.

It's a bit overwhelming, really.  Where do I even start?

The first question could be "how did I get here?"  but a better question would be "what am I going to accomplish now that I'm here?"

Well, then, the objective of this blog really is to be a journal, a chronicle of the events up to now and from now on.

Time is proving to be something of a scarce resource here, so I may not be able to write every day, but my goal is to write at least once a week.  You could say my 20-mile minimum.

So, it may take me a while to get used to this Irish keyboard, but I hope to keep things updated as faithfully as possible.