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.

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.

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!''

Just Landed

So here i am in blogs stuff. My husband already has three blogs so, i suppose, i would have eventually ended up with a blog, too. :)

More than that, we have started a new life here, in Dublin. We just landed. We left our native country, Romania and our respectable life there and we are in seek for another life.
I think that this is pretty much the truth - another life.

Being job seekers at the moment, we also have a lot of spare time. My husband works online every day but me, except browsing the internet for hours and cooking from time to time, I don't do much of my time.

I just hope not to get addicted. :)