Apr
8
When will this weather get better?
Filed Under Daily
This is depressing, it rains almost every single day here in Ireland. The temperature has dropped also and we had some hail the last two days! I discovered that the address in my lease contract isn’t complete, I needed to add the street. That means I will have some delays for my PPS number since I will have to call them next week and get the address corrected. Same thing for ma paperwork from France…annoying! What is more annoying is that I have to be cautious with my cash since I cannot transfer money yet. I could always use my ANZ visa/debit card but then it will cost in fees. I still have 700 Euros left so it should be fine until the end of the months. The fact that I cannot buy new clothes is sad though! I do not have many left. Lucky me! I only kept the warm clothes :/
I sent my first job applications today. It is always the hardest thing to do: GETTING STARTED! Soon it will just be a routine. I am very happy I bought a mobile.
Apr
7
Extremely good show! I am watching ep3 as I am writing this post. I knew I recognised the main character, Dexter, but I had to read on IMDB that he was in “Six Feet Under”. I met more people at the pool. The world is small at the pool but here in this HUGE high class pool, the world is even smaller. I am working on my CV right now and I will post it on Monster. I also spotted few sites for an actuary position. I do not think it will be easy to find a job quickly because I am picky this time. I do not want any type of job. I will need a car as soon as I get a job. It would make life more comfortable.
Internet here is really fast! I had speeds between 500 and 600 kbs/sec. Very impressive indeed! And it came with the cable TV. I am loving both. I talked to Coura the other day and she said her contract in Chicago will end in August. I think she worries a bit since she will have to return to Senegal. I thought she had the french citizenship, in fact, she doesn’t. One reason why I left Australia and came to Ireland is the visa… same problem for every foreigner working abroad.
Apr
6
My New Apartment!
Filed Under Daily
Apr
4
After one week in Ireland, I am pretty much settled. I have a nice apartment I share with two other professionals. I got back to my swimming routine, and, I also applied for a PPS number. Everything should be smooth from now on. I bought some food and other things for the bathroom. As soon as I have an bank account, which will happen sometimes next week. I will transfer my money from my French bank. I will leave my Australian dollars where they are. I do not need them for now and I will wait for the best time to convert them into Euros. In two months and half, I will be able to withdraw my superannuation funds if I want to since my contract in Australia will end as well as my visa. In fact, I will probably leave my “super” funds where they are. According to my plan, If I get a job within 6 months or a year, I really do not need them. As soon as all my banks are connected together, I will buy some new clothes since I threw away 90% of the ones I had in Australia.
It is very nice to join a fully furnished apartment like this one, Claire and Ralez, have pretty much everything I need. It is just little things that are not very costly but that would take me weeks to buy and bring home. Even if the shopping center is only 15 min away, carrying heavy stuffs home in an empty place would be painful. My room has everything and the bed is awesome! We also have fast internet and cable TV. I am the only one in the house watching TV. Claire prefers to watch TV shows on her laptop. Ralez has his own “special card” to watch special channels. In fact, we are equipped with the latest fancy technology and no one seems really interested in using them. I guess that is one nice side of professionals with money, they have everything but do not really use them. This place has 4 TVs and only 2 are being used! The cupboards in the kitchen are full and we have so many utensils. There is a nice washing machine and a dish washer with many programming options. There are tons of herbs and curry pastes to do some fancy cooking!
Apr
3
…stands for Personal Public Service Number. It is a number everyone needs to work in Ireland. As an EU citizen member, I needed to provide my French passport and my rental agreement. I will get it next week or so. Then I can apply for a bank account. In order to open a bank account I would need either a PPS number or a phone/electricity bill. Strangely the rental contract isn’t accepted as a proof of address. I think the woman working at the bank did not know what she is talking about. Anyway, I will need this PPS number in order to work here. That is I think how everything official will start.
I had to change my swimming style since I do not have the nice pull-buoy I had in Australia anymore. My shoulders hurt as hell after these 6 kms. I am sure I will be much faster than I was in Australia now. I spent a lot of time looking for a swim cap. I had 6 in Australia, but I forgot to bring one with me. A 6 months membership to the pool only costs me 195 Euros. Which is the same thing in Brisbane, but there, I have to share my lane with at least 2 other people.
Apr
2
First time!
Filed Under Daily
Today I swam for the very first time in the national Olympic swimming pool in Dublin. THAT WAS GREAT! One hour and half of pure pleasure ALONE in my own lane. The pool is FANTASTIC! Brand new, perfectly clean and beautiful. It is indoor and it is heated. I can swim all year long! I have been immediately spotted by a master swim member, Dan. He gave me all the info about the master team. I doubt I will join them because their time does not fit mine and they only have two sessions. I am sure more of them will talk to me soon and we might have our own training session in the morning. Hehe! I am smiling because I did not know it was that nice until I made the move and came here. So far my first move was very rewarding. I tried and got lucky! Now I enjoy.
So today I will go to the bank and open my Irish bank account with my rental contract. My apartment is a 3 bedroom, fully furnished apartment. Luxury style! I am sharing it with Ralez and Claire, two professionals in their 30’s like me. QUIET AND CLEAN! It costs me only 500 euros per month + bills. It is currently cheaper than my place in Australia. It is only 10 min away from the pool and 15 min away from a brand new shopping center with cinemas…Did I mention my room is enormous with a king size bed! :).
Life looks very promising from now on :). I will keep smiling until I get a decent well paid job.
Apr
1
TO-DO List
Filed Under Daily
A place to stay: done
A bank
A job
🙂
Mar
31
The breakthrough!
Filed Under Daily
The past few months were very special to me. Indeed I learned a lot about myself through two very unexpected events. There was the dangerous climb on the top of this mountain and the jump from a 14 meter-high tree. From the first event, I learned something rather funny, people who were with me, could not climb all the way to the top because they didn’t see what was beyond the sharp edge. They did not know that it was extremely easy once you reach a grip that was like few centimeters away. I did it and I realized how easy it was. I told them but they did not trust me. The jump was something only few people would do, everything was visible and it was dangerous. From these two events, I know that in order to succeed, you need to take certain risk. Calculated risks, not blind ones!
So I am doing all this to see what is beyond. I want to try something new and see how the world is.
Mar
30
Finally a room!
Filed Under Daily
YEaaaaaaaaaa!
It took me 3 days and tons of emails to get one. Best of all! It is near the national olympic swimming pool! The very first stone was laid down on my new foundation. I would like to move in today or at worse tomorrow morning. I will relax today and enjoy the city as a real tourist. The weather is still bad so I am not sure I will take the nikon200 out to shoot some photos.
Mar
29
House hunting
Filed Under Daily
I spent about 150 euros in taxi in order to check different places. So far it is a waste of my money. I bought a mobile and I like my new toy. A nice Nokia that has everything. It makes things easier of course. I am feeling so lost and so tired. What is good about all this adventure is that I have no time crying on myself or feeling nostalgic about what I left behind in Australia. The survival instinct kicked in and I am extremely alert and very busy. I do not think anyone really understands me and I surely do not want to explain all this until I see the end of the tunnel. Finally I am doing something for myself. Something worth it! I have not felt this for a long time.
It is like being alive again.
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