Job, home, and travel news

The past couple of weeks have been pretty up and down for me, which is why I've not been communicating much, but now things feel settled and I feel ready to talk about it! No, it's not really that dramatic, but its just been the most turbulent part of my time here, which is not bad considering the scope of the change in my life.

Anywyay, I was offered a position with a company called Europlex, and I accepted it. This is not the job in the city centre -- I didn't end up having the second interview for that position because the person I needed to have it with was out of town for so long I didn't feel I could defer the offer from the other job for much longer without jeopardizing it. So, rather than risk having no job, I accepted the Europlex offer.

This means I had to move and I was lucky enough to find a place immediately, and it's great. It's a 20 minute walk to work, 5 minutes from a mall that has two supermarkets and everything else you could need, and 10 minutes from a cinema complex. There's also a bus stop practically in front of the house to get to the city centre, and several large parks nearby. I went for a long walk this afternoon to explore them all. Now I just need to find a soccer team to join:)

I live with two others: Sean, who owns the house, and Jenny, who's a renter like me. They're both lovely people, and we get along really well, in that communal living kind of way. I would like to get a bike so I can more easily explore the neighborhoods around me, and just to give myself mobility outside the buses.

So my new address is:
22 Glin Road
Coolock, Dublin 17
Ireland

The job is pretty good so far. Europlex designs complex alarm systems, and since I have no electronics knowledge, it's a pretty steep learning curve, which is fine... My boss is based in the UK, and the first week was hard because I felt pretty alone, but I had a long talk with another guy in the office, who's also sort of my boss, and he said he would step in and give me some direct support, because I really need it at this point in the job. Everyone is very friendly there...there aren't very many women there, but they all get together and have lunch together everyday, so I get some female company then! I'm the only female in the R&D department, but the guys I work with are great -- helpful, friendly, kind. It's a real treat.

Anyway, those are the high-level things. I can't believe what a difference having my job and accommodation settled have made to my state of mind. I feel really happy for the first time since I arrived here. Not that I was unhappy per se, but it's quite stressful to have things up in the air for as long as they've been for me.

My other big news is that I've booked my Christmas holidays!! Europlex has four days of forced holidays over Christmas, which means we have 10 days of holiday time, so, I'm going to visit my cousin Erik, who's my only family this side of the Atlantic, in Israel!!! I'm SO EXCITED. I can't believe I get to go to Israel. Such a fascinating country in so many ways -- historically, geographically, religiously. It will be great to be there with Erik, who's so knowledgeable, and who's fluent in Hebrew.

Anyway, I'll be in touch a little more now that the big things in my life are taken care of. I'm going to London this coming weekend to collect the remainder of my luggage -- and my fiddle! Have to start looking for an instructor:)

Ciao for now, my lovely friends and family.

PS I went to Kilkenny a couple weeks ago and put a few pics up on my Flickr site.