My Dublin

I've been living here, in Dublin for almost six months. My life changed dramaticaly but I have no regrets. My husband and me are starting to have the lifestyle that we wanted to have, step by step.

I don't love Dublin but I like Dublin, especially the city centre. If it is about love, I love Barcelona. :)

I think that everybody agrees the fact that weather is very important for our lives. So, WEATHER is what I dislike the most here, in Dublin. I have to carry wityh me the umbrella all the time. I have a small, black umbrella that fits well in my bag but it is no good for the strong windy days. 80% of the time, the sky is grey and it rains, and probably that's way the city seems so different when it's sunny. I almost feel that it's a completely different city! And even people seem to have different faces and smiles. Don't get me wrong, Irish people hate the weather in here, too. It happened to me to walk on the street and people I didn't know to say to me suddenly on the street, just like that "It's a lovely weather today, isn't it?" and with a big smile on their faces.

I also like that Dublin is full of foreign people, it is a very cosmopolitan city. You can hear Spanish, Italian, French, Polish, Russian, Chinesse, Portuguese and Romanian, of course, every day. I can't tell you what's the worst accent I've ever heard but for sure, each one of us, foreign people in Dublin, have a distinctive one.

I like the diversity I find in here. Food stores, ethnic restaurants, a lot of shopping centers.

I like to watch TV because some of my favourites tv programmes and movies that I used to watch in my country are in here, too, Grey's Anatomy or Prison Break. And even more. I like the fact there is no violence at the news, at all. Nothing shocks me, it is just information.

I like the city centre in the morning. Everybody rushes to work, it is crowded, everything it is on the move, people, cars, buses...I like that.

I like the city coast with all that little sea places, Howth, Malahide, Bray, Sandycove, Dun Laoghaire...I like the smell, it smells like sea..

I like Irish people...everybody is polite and relaxed. Noone is stressed. If you see someone that is stressed because of work or money, definitely that person is not Irish. :)

Actually there is no my Dublin. And my heart does not beat in here. My heart only beats when I am rushing to go home from work, wherever my home is.

In the mood for reading

Spending so much time in the bus, around three hours per day, I decided to make the most of my time. So, I started to look for the books and novels that we have here. Before moving to Ireland, we had sent a large bag full of books and I felt confident that I have a lot of books to read. But I had an unpleasant surprise, I only found four readable books, the rest of them were English grammar books, dictionaries and business books (?!). What was I thinking when I packed the bag??

So, in the last few weeks I had some pleasant journyes, before arriving to work and after finishing my shift. I read ''Lulu's ages'' by Almudena Grandes, finished to read ''About seduction'' by Gabriel Liiceanu, read again ''The master and Margret'' by Mihail Bulgacov and ''Eva Luna'' by Isabel Allende.

What now? O looked again and when I was about to start reading ''Funky business'' (although I was not in the mood for a business book), my husband remembered that we have another one...about sports and football!! Incredible but true, I am currently reading ''Fault! The secret world of FIFA: bribes, vote rigging and ticket scandals''. ::)
Too bad that I can't see anything on TV about Euro 2008 football championship anymore, maybe I would have been more in the mood for it. :))

Ok, ok, I know that all my readings are mixed but what can I do if only these I found?

I need more time here, to get used to the language, in order to decide to buy books in English..I love Reads, Eason and Hughes&Hughes bookstores, it is very tempting to buy but when I am really in the mood for reading, I need to read in my language. At least, in this period of my life.

But I still have a chance. My good friends from Romania come to Ireland on Sunday and hopefully, I will get some novels in Romanian. :)

It is just a job

How do I feel doing something totally different in a new country and with a new language? I feel ok. Maybe a little more stressed than my Irish colleagues because sometimes is difficult to me to understand all the words. I learn new things everyday and the feedback I have till now is that I was a good choice for the team. I am not entirely happy because it is not my dream job but it is a job. Like everyone, I have to work and I try to take the good part of it.

How is to sell extremely expensive clothes? At first, I felt a little bit intimidated. And, with time I realized that it is a business like any other and the only thing you have to do is to try to sell as much as you can and to act as professionally as you feel. And I am ok with that. :)

When I first saw the huge stockroom where all the clothes and lingerie are kept, I felt lost. Every brand has its place and the way they are arranged is logical, by items, by sizes, by colors. Every time you go in there, you have to know exactly where to look for and to move as fast as you can. And high heels shoes are not an option for this job. More than that, it is kind of interesting to see what happens with the clothes before they arrive in the customer's bag and how many people are involved in all this hard work. And I still don't know a lot of things, from marketing, designing, choosing fabrics to store merchandising or selling techniques..

My colleagues are nice people, women not as passionate about fashion as I thought first (it is just a job!) but all of them are young and pretty much good looking. And it is a must to refresh your make up during work. :)

One thing I noticed here and it shocked me. No one is available to work overtime without being paid. And when your shift ended, you simply go home. Not at 5.10, not at 5.15 but at 5.00 sharp, you just clock out and you run the catch your bus. And it is not where I work, but every where. And location is very important. If you leave a job because it is too far from home, no one blames you. More than that, recruiters ask you what is your favorite location for work. And I start to feel that as a normal thing because I have to leave home one hour and half earlier just to be sure that I arrive on time.

Lunch time is respected all the time. That hour is not paid (I never thought of that) so that is why is so important to take it instead of working it. You simply go to the park, enjoy your sandwich and relax. And after one hour you go back to work.

What about pressure and stress? It is pressure but not the one I was used to. It is different. People here are more...relaxed. A job is just a job, nothing more, nothing less. For every employer is important that the employees to respect the work-life balance. Everyone works, don't get me wrong, but Saturday night out is as important to elders and married people as it is to younger or single people. If you stay at work longer than you are supposed to, the HR people call you for a meeting and ask you why can't you cope with your regular schedule.

And I am not allowed to use my mobile phone during work. That was extremely tough for me! :)) And this rule is available for every office person I met, too. Ha!! Every one has a voice mail message and the mobile phone is something very personal. People don't put their mobile phone number in their email signature, never! If you need to call someone, you call the land line phone number and if he/she doesn't answer, you simply leave a message. And you will be definitely contacted.

I can't wait for my first paycheck. Being for the first time employed in Ireland, I need to pay an emergency tax, some money that I will receive back from the tax people, as I heard.
This is very new to me.

Anyway, it is too early to say what I like and what I dislike here, in Ireland, in terms of work.
For the moment, it is just a job.

An early morning in the City Centre

I was supposed to start work at 9 am. I left early from home, took the bus and after one hour I was in the City Centre. It was early and I still got plenty of time.
Grafton street, in the morning...people with coffees in their hands, rushing to work, some employees cleaning the famous shops windows, news agents spreading the free newspapers, Herald AM and Metro, an usual morning in Dublin.
With my coffee with me and the newspapers, I crossed the Grafton street and entered the Stephen's Green Park, one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. It has a cold green beauty, it is shadowy but though with a lot of flowers and it always looks like a picture.

It was a cloudy morning, a little bit cold but I had the umbrella with me, just in case. People passing by and a guy on a bench, a few meters away, reading newspapers. I lighted my cigarette and started to read, too. It was quiet but I could feel the energy of the city. And I felt good. I spent 20 minutes, just relaxing and reading about Bono's last activities in Japan and the new events at Debenhams related to the Sex and the City hysteria. And then I left to work.

It was my second day at this new job. I didn't now what to expect because it was a completely new sector for me - fashion and totally new position - sales! What do I have in common with sales? Not much but to put the customer first was one of my first business lessons I have ever learned.
So, it is not hard and I have finally started my Irish working experience, that all the recruitment agencies told me that I didn't have.

So, what's in like in fashion world? Let me find out and I'll tell you.
To be continued.

To be or not to be online

Ok, I am definitely bored. I am here, in such a green and beautiful country and I feel like my life is passing by. I stay online almost 8 hours per day and I think I had enough. Nothing interests me in the online world anymore. This job hunting exhausted me. :)) And I feel like dancing and socializing, like shopping and laughing and not to think about spending money.

I am not a computer geek, I am just a simple email and YM user, I read just a few blogs, search Google for everything I need and when I really am in a good mood, I might subscribe to RSS feeds and eventually read them. And when I feel kind of creative, I might put on the YM radios, with '70 rock music.

The only thing I am dependent on is email. Good news, bad news, anyone interested in my fabulous working experience, any news from friends? Usual stuff.

I used to be more than that. Working in a busy PR environment, I was used to read a lot of blogs and news websites and I always felt that the world is moving too fast for me. So much information! And always is someone interested in reading and socializing.

I remember when I first heard about Second Life. What a hell is that, people? I know what it is now but I was profoundly amazed at that time of what people can think of and spend time with.

And new media phenomenon..so many procedures, so much theory..

I am often tempted to to say, and being shallow (of course!), that people who spend too much time online don't know how to appreciate their own life. I am in this situation now. Logging on my laptop every morning, with my black coffee with me, hunting jobs, sending applications, reading online newspapers, blogs, about English grammar and wondering everyday when I'll be able to plan for a real vacation. And always expecting and looking for something.

I am not in heaven and I am not in hell. I am online.

Easter

It's Easter time for Romanians. Although I never cooked special Easter meals, I did it this year. My mother and my mother-in-law used to do all the work in the last years so I had to do it by myself this year. So, I boiled and colored eggs, I baked three ''cozonaci'' (that special sweet bread with cocoa, nuts and Turkish delight) and a ''pasca'' (it looks like a pie, with cheese, eggs, milk and raisins) but it was a total disaster, unfortunately. I can count it as an honorable attempt, I guess. :) I'll do better next time, hopefully!

We had guests yesterday and we spent a nice day together. Grilled lamb, pork and chicken, salads, wine, a nice chocolate cake (it was my husband's birthday a day before) and fruits.
Romanians spent a lot of time eating and talking at this special occasions, but although we used to laugh about this habit, we really enjoyed doing that. I guess that we kind of feel differently now.
Back to the roots, at least on Easter.

We couldn't find THE Romanian church. We knew about one on Leeson street, in Stephen's Green area but we learned that the church with Romanian orthodox service is actually located near Heuston station. We missed the Easter service but we know where it is now!
It would have been better to go to the church in the night before Easter, as all Romanians do, but we don't have a car yet so we skipped it.

The funny thing about Easter this year is that I was a little confused about the fact that I couldn't feel the shopping fever as it usually is in Romania on this time. :) People buying a lot of food, presents and chocolate bunnies. So, more money for us then! :))

Happy Easter or as we say in Romanian ''Hristos a inviat!''

What's Lisbon Treaty anyway?

During my walks in Dublin, I've noticed a lot of posters about Lisbon Treaty. People of Ireland are urged by politicians to vote YES at the referendum in June.
Ireland is the only country which will have a referendum on this matter!
Except for the fact that our only right in Ireland is just to live here freely and that's all, I am curios about all this public debate on the Lisbon Treaty.

So, what is this about?
Lisbon Treaty, so called EU Reform Treaty, was signed on December 13, 2007, in order to reform the institutions of the European Union. The Union faces new global challenges, such as climatic changes, security, energy, world economy and the intention is to adapt all the European institutions to this news modern challenges. Among others, one of the new things would be a President of the European Council.

It has to be ratified in all 27 member countries before it can come into force, on January 1, 2009. And the ratification depends on each constitutional system. For instance, Romania approved the Treaty by parliamentary vote on February, 4.

The thing that I like most (learned of recently) is that each time the Irish Government wishes to change or amend the Constitution, it must do it by holding a referendum. Very democratic!

Debates
To randomly name only two parties, the Socialists Workers say NO, the Labor Party says YES; Libertas, the anti-Lisbon campaign group, says evidently NO.

However, as I noticed, many people here feel that the Treaty is undemocratic and goes to a centralized Europe.

The debates on TV and other media are civilized, not as I know :(.
I was used to terrible political masquerades on TV and this reality seems abnormal.

Here is the website which was set up to inform people on the treaty and here is something to read, on yes or no arguments.

On blogs, Skin Flicks with an interesting opinion.