LIFE IN IRELAND – SIX MONTH UPDATE

Although three of my six months here I have been drinking quarantini’s in quarantine, I still wanted to share an update on my life abroad! I can’t believe I’ve already been living in Ireland for six months.

In this post I’m sharing some things I’ve learned from living abroad, things I love, things I’m not into, and trips we have been on so far.

A lot of little things are different but not in a bad, culture shock type of way. Since I have been here a few times over the past 6 years, I already got semi-used to little things like having to turn on the outlet and four potato options at dinner, but now I’m learning things like how they recycle and petrol vs diesel (fun fact- the diesel handle is black and petrol is green over here. Don’t want to make that mistake when you visit haha). I’m also obviously learning about geography, the government, sports, and of course – where to shop.

Food, as expected, is different. When trying to find some of my favorites sauces and spices, I learned that they have different names. For example, instead of cilantro, it’s called coriander. Instead of arugula, it’s called rocket. It’s been fun to come across little differences like that! Now I can go back to making my coriander lime rice 😉

On the topic of food, prices are different.  I’ve mentioned this before, but you can make an amazing charcuterie board for such a good price. The prices for healthier foods are a bit lower here. Also, alcohol is a bit more expensive, but the up side of that is you can travel to France to stock up when needed. Once we get a house, we are TOTALLY stocking up via France!  

I obviously love the scenery. I mean, it’s gorgeous over here. It’s such a big change from the big city views, but I love it! So many wide open spaces, castles, and picturesque spots.

Cheap travel! I got two trips in before everything got crazy. I’m sure you have heard, but it’s much cheaper to travel around in Europe. Flights from Dublin to London are sometimes as low as $50 for a return!

The Town. The town we live in and others I’ve been to so far are so cute and quaint! I have always loved the atmosphere of small european towns and still can’t believe I actually live in one.

The people. Obviously! Everyone is so friendly and willing to help over here. It was one of the first things I remember thinking after my first visit here. You’ll definitely see it when you come to Ireland!

Driving 🙂 It’s an adventure, y’all. I have shared my anxiety on this and thanks to the fact that we haven’t been able to drive around the past three months means I haven’t gotten much more practice in. I’d rather drive in NYC than on these tiny and windy roads haha. It’s literally like you’re playing Mario Kart. It’s gorgeous, but terrifying. The other problem is I get car sick since the roads are so windy, so I’d rather drive haha. I thank the Lord above for my automatic ride EVERY DAY haha.

It’s kind of hard to get certain foods! There isn’t a sushi place or Mexican in our town. Luckily, Mexican food is my go to when I cook at home and they have all the goods for that, but I’m going to need a sushi kit ASAP to make up for that. I can get both in other towns nearby thankfully!

Y’all know from my blog – Spain and London! Both of these trips were absolutely amazing. I’m hoping the rest of this year we will get to travel around Ireland. Next year hopefully we can make it to a few more countries!

It’s been a great six months under the circumstances and I’m super thankful for my support systems and Irish beau.

Stay tuned next Sunday for a VERY exciting announcement. 🙂