Hello from Ireland! It sounds so cheesy but I kind of had to say it. I’m writing to you from the kitchen of my family home in Meath and it’s kind of weird to be looking out at grey skies while I’m writing instead of sunshine.
I’ve been home about 10 days now, hence the kind of radio silence on the blog. It’s incredibly strange being home, and I’m still getting used to it. It’s a weird kind of strange though. It feels completely natural to be here – it felt like I’d never been away from the moment I was collected in the airport. To be honest, it sometimes feels like Spain never happened.
But then, on the other hand, the transition has been strange. Our family home is a farm in the countryside, and though I have my car now (who I dearly missed), we are still quite remote. So as I’ve made the decision not to go job hunting right now, I’m pretty isolated, while at the same time sharing my space with four other people. It can be a bit claustrophobic after being so independent the past 10 months. It’s wonderful being home with my family, but having people constantly around is something I’m still adjusting to.
Having “nothing” to do is also weird. This is completely by my own choosing, but not working is kind of boring. I wanted to use this time to get my life together and relax before dedicating the next two years of my life to my next university degree, but it means I’ve spent much of the past week or so watching a lot of Wimbledon on TV. Now that’s not to say I don’t have things to do – I should be getting my mess of a room sorted, I should be writing more and even preparing a bit for work next year. Yet most of my time at home has been spent chilling in front of the couch (which after a year without a sitting room is SUCH a luxury) or cooking for my family, which I love. I’m hoping today will be more productive, but I might save some productivity for tomorrow.
That being said, I’ve really enjoyed being home too. I’ve gotten to see my friends and nearly even won a pub quiz. We got to celebrate my grandfather’s 90th birthday on two special days, which was a great excuse to catch up with my extended family. I’ve even done some (accidental) tourism, heading to Dun Laoghaire for ice-cream and Powerscourt Gardens for a coffee – travel should always be food driven!
So life has been pretty good. I’m still adjusting, but that’s ok too. And before the summer is out, I have a lot more to do. With trips to Edinburgh, Belfast and Italy planned, I’ll be busy travelling, and I’ve lots of little nights and trips with my friends too coming up. There is so much to look forward to.
As for this blog, as you can see, I’m still writing. This decision came after the realization of how much I’ve truly enjoyed writing this past year. The original plan was to stop after Spain, but with trips and new adventures down the path, I see no reason to stop. I properly won’t be posting as often, but I’m going to try and get in the rhythm again.
The content might be a little different as well. This year I’ve mostly focused on travelling and my life in Madrid, and now I’m moving back to Dublin, the blog will follow that journey. I’ll still be documenting my travels and my time in the city, but instead of talking about my job, I’ll be telling you about my exciting (yet terrifying) path to becoming a secondary school teacher. In late August I’ll be starting a Professional Masters of Education at Dublin City University to be able to teach History and Spanish. Though I’ll be a little more limited in what I can discuss in terms of my placement, I hope to update you on what being a student in Dublin is like these days.
As always, I’ll be very grateful to those of you who continue with me. This blog started as a personal project and a way to keep writing, and I’m constantly amazed that people actually read it. I hope my tales of dirty old Dublin will be as interesting as sunny Spain, but sure, we’ll just have to wait and see.
From Meath to Madrid 