Greetings from the Emerald Isle!
It has been a busy day of adjustments and settling in.
Last night, in Boston, we sat on the runway for 2 hours
because the airport was back logged due to the snow being more of an even than
anticipated. It was snowing pretty heavily. Flight was
pleasant. Nice leisurely dinner. Everyone slept….not long enough….maybe
3 hours, but I, for one, had deeper, better sleep than I have ever had on an
overseas flight, so it was restorative.
Our 2 carry on bags ended up being checked in all the way to
Dublin, so when we got to the baggage claim at 7:45 am (2 hrs later than
originally planned) we had FOURTEEN bags to grab! Took 3 of us pushing
carts, plus Lucy dragging bags.
We were greeted at the airport with a huge shamrock and a
tunnel of balloon arches and more shamrocks, so it was festive! I think
they did it just for us! How nice of them to welcome us. You know
that Irish hospitality! Got the car rented, and then Thomas and Lucy went
to get the car while Sam and I waited in line for a taxi because there were too
many bags for our van. It was cold and we waited a while, and the bags
just fit in the taxi van. Sam and I arrived first (Thomas and Lucy ended
up getting lost). Getting into our apartment was like being a
detective. I had a letter with a code on it to get in a door, and then
another code to get into a safe for our key and apt info. Then another
code that didn’t seem to work because the instructions weren’t clear.
Then finally into the building. Then cab driver helped us unload 4 bins
and 4 suitcases one by one into the building and through 2 doors to the
lift. Whew! Sam and I made three trips up the lift…pushing or
pulling bins and bags onto the lift, going up, unloading, back down, etc.
Wow!
This area of town is sort of hard to describe. It is a
business district….Microsoft nearby. Medium height ultra-modern
office buildings and apartment complexes. Shopping centers
nearby…including a 5-10 min drive to Dun Drum, the largest shopping center in
Europe.
Our apartment building is on top of a cool little
bakery/coffee shop/café and a Chinese restaurant and dry cleaner. After
some time, Thomas and Lucy arrived and we all took showers and finally settled
in for a well -deserved 1 ½ hr nap. Very difficult to get up, but we
managed, and we headed down to the coffee shop café for “breakfast” and our
first cup of caffeine for the day at 1:30 pm. Very pleasant.
Thomas realized he is pretty sure he left his credit card in
the Chicago airport, so we headed back to the apartment and searched and
eventually called to cancel the card and have a new one sent. L This is a bit of a pain for two
reasons….1. I just spent the last 6 months gradually informing different
business, etc about our new card bc our old one was cancelled by the back due
to possible breach. I finally finished up the last correspondence the day
before we flew out. Now we will need to go through all that again….and
this time with mail being forwarded from overseas, etc. 2. Not all
places here will take debit cards. I left my other credit card
behind. Thomas ended up having to use his business card at the grocery
store.
I expected there would be bumps and things that didn’t go as
planned. All part of the adventure, so we are rolling with it.
We then walked downt he street to check out a shopping
center and ultimately ended up in Dunnes. IT’s weird…it is like a dept
store on the top floor and a grocery store on the bottom. No one uses
carts, but gathers in small baskets and arms to take back to their small
fridges for a few days’ worth of meals. All the “portion sizes” are small
(i.e. non huge packs of paper towels, and the rolls and short and
squatty) WE had a lot of fun in that store taking in all that was
familiar, and more so, all that was different. Walked home with 4 bags to
get us started at our temporary home.
After unloading and a bit of rest we drove over to Dun Drum
to get some workout equipment. (kids will be skyping with trainer for a
while) The place is massive and like an American mall….except for a few
strange differences…TK Maxx (instead of TJ Maxx); next to a dept store, a
regular sized grocery store (so you see people pushing carts full of food
through the mall); just down from Abercrombie and Fitch is a real live butcher;
instead of escalators, moving slanted ramps….
Driving and parking was an adventure, of course. This
was especially true when we came back. We have a 7 seater van, and our
assigned parking space is between another car and a giant concrete
pillar. I had to get out and direct Thomas and it took several
tries. I don’t know how I will do this when he is at work!!
Our apartment is super contemporary. Typical
European. 3 bdrms 2 bath. Clean. Nice, but doesn’t feel like
a home yet. However, after a “dinner” of sandwiches and cereal, I managed
to find the green felt that I threw in at the last minute, and our dining room
table was transformed into a card table, and that green felt gave me a sense of
home and groundedness. I was thankful for that, as I was beginning to
feel weepy and homesick. As I unlocked some of the bins holding our
things, I was brought closer to a place of comfort in my heart. Funny how
familiar items can connect us and can stir feelings in us.
We are tired, but I can tell my body isn’t quite sure what
time it is. Kids are asleep. I am hoping for restful sleep this
time around, and then we are meeting friends at 11 am downtown for St. Patricks
Day festivities! (We need to work in Mass as it is a Holy Day here!)
Kendra recommended a start a blog so you can go in and view
pictures and see updates. I hope to do that soon.
It is expensive for me to talk on my phone. Thomas’s
phone is best, as long as it is not from 3 am-noon your time. We do have
a landline here, but I don’t know how expensive it will be for you to call
us. I’ll send that number. There is always Skype. Or text or
call me that you want to talk and I will figure out a way.
Love you all so much and miss you terribly.
XOXO.
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