Yippee! I got the job!! Now, for the terrifying part - actually making the move to Ireland.
Now that I've submitted my acceptance to my new job and started telling friends and family that I'm definitely making the move (most say they admire my adventurousness, but I know a couple just think I'm crazy), my stomach has begun tying itself into major, horsepill sized knots! So many decisions to make: do I rent or sell my wonderful little townhouse? What do I do about my car lease? Am I going to run out of money before I get there? Will I be able to find a good, nondenominational church to join? But, those are the big (i.e., "grownup") questions. Maybe just as important - how do I keep up with my favorite TV shows (Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Battlestar Galactica) without paying an arm and a leg for iTunes downloads, and are there any hairdressers in Ireland who actually know how to do black hair?!
So far I haven't found any answers for the latter questions, but I have found a great website with answers about a lot of the nitty gritty, practical questions I wouldn't have a clue about. You have to pay a fee ($40) to join the full version site, but I think it was worth it - check it out here
A running account of a Jamaican-American's move to Cork, Ireland in a desperate bid to inject some fun and adventure into her life. Bring on the craic!
Who Am I
- Sirmelja
- Cork, Ireland
- I'm a voiceover artist and psychologist on a voyage of self-discovery. Needing a shot of something new in my life, off I went to Ireland! This blog is my way of keeping friends and family up to date, and giving myself a place to talk out loud. If anybody else wants to read it, they're welcome to as well. I can't guarantee it's (always) going to be fascinating, erudite, consistently updated, or even vaguely intellectual. Enjoy!
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Favorite Things
- A hot cup of herbal tea
- Lying in bed late on a Saturday morning, reading a book, with my cat warming my legs
- TV shows: Battlestar Galactica (the modern version), The Amazing Race, Grey's Anatomy, Lost
- U2
- Lying in my hammock on my back deck staring up at the trees
- Kisses from my niece and nephew
- Sweet ripe plantains
Funny, interesting, thought provoking blogs
- 40 Shades of Life
- It Could Happen To Anyone
- She's Not From Yorkshire
- Irish Wanderings
- Fat Juicy Oyster
- I Married An Irish Farmer
- Spot The Yank
- Vivian Maier - Her Undiscovered Work
- American Black Chick in Europe
- Kiratiana Travels
- Facts Are Simply Optional
- Black Girl in Prague
- Not From Around Here
- Surviving Ireland
- Beaut.ie
- Things Jamaicans Love
- Dixie Peach
- Catchy Colors Photoblog
- Gingerpixel Photoblog
- Charcoal Ink
- A Cleverclog's Blog
- Another American Expat
- Lyndar The Merciless
- The Periodic Englishman
- The Big Finn
- Petite Anglaise
- Scholars explore and debate religion in the news
- The Well Thought Out Life
- Raising Yousef
- Shoe Addict
- Liz in Dublin
- Shiny Shiny
- Tales from the "Liberry"
- The Librarian Princess
- Bookfoolery and Babble
- Caramore
- Flirty Something
- Post Secret
- Overheard in New York
- The Fact Box
Expat and immigrating to Ireland-related sites
- Dochara - Tips and Advice for Visitors to Ireland
- Expat Arrivals
- Expat-Blog
- Delightful Blogs
- Expat Women
- Expat Finder
- Irishjobs.ie
- MovetoIreland.com
- FBI Police Clearance
- Guide to Ireland's Green Card Permit system
- Irish Dept of Agriculture - bringing pets into Ireland
- Jobfinder.ie
- NewToTown.ie
- Good Migrations - Reviews of International Moving Companies
Blogger Resources
Who's Online
2008 Visitors
- Ruth, Laurie, Susan (Friday Night Girls): 3/12/08 - 3/19/08
- Stephanie (Muy Thai buddy): 4/23/08 - 4/28/08
- Lita, Chris, and Anabeth (friend, fellow psycho...logist and family): 5/2/08 - 5/9/08
- Gail, Scott, and kids: 6/16/08 - 7/1/08
- Michele (Vassar best friend and fellow U2 fanatic): 8/21/08 - 9/8/08
A Jamaican-American Expat in Cork, Ireland by www.jamaicanincork.blogspot.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
6 comments:
Congratulations! Sorry I can't be there to hold your hands. but then, you're a big girl now. That's what independence and grown-up life is all about. It's good that you were willing to take the plunge and to get out of your comfort zone. However it workd out you will grow by it. Don't be afraid to step out into the unknown. The Lord has promised to NEVER leave you nor forsake you. (See Joshua 1:1-9) All that you fear will be found to have been only fog and shadows: the Lord will clear them all away as you go forward in faith with your hands in His
Love,
Daddy
Ps. God is previous to every need.
Arlene,
I am cracking up. That is a good question - the hair is very important! What will you do?
BTW - I too am a Battlestar fan! I knew there was something I liked about you :) !
This blog is a great idea, thanks for sharing.
Theresa
Battlestar is my new must watch show. So well done! But, the season is already over. I wasn't ready! How am I supposed to wait till 2008??
I'm not sure yet how I'm going to handle the hair issue. I'm guessing there must be somebody in Dublin who does this. They do have immigrants from Africa in Ireland. Maybe an every 6-week trip to Dublin? I wonder how expensive it is to make the hop over to London?
Or, maybe an afro?
Hey! Just found your blog and love it. And don't worry, moving to Ireland is relatively painless. There's a Unitarian fellowship in Cork that is increasing every month so that might be an option for you, and there are lots of hairdressers who can do black hair (at least in Dublin, but I know Cork must be the same). Now the TV stuff is a little bit harder, but we do get all of the shows you named, just a little later... ;)
Oh, and check out the American Women's Club Dublin - they publish some sort of moving to Ireland booklet but I was already here by the time I found that out. It's supposed to have all the practical stuff down pat.
An actual reader who's not friends or family, and so not obligated to be nice to me? Woo hoo! Thanks Beth for the feedback. Very reassuring. And actually, as evidence of just what an anal geek I am, I already have the book from the American Women's Club of Dublin. It was helpful, but actually the website I listed is even better and not much more expensive.
Hope you keep on reading, even though I don't get to the actual living in Ireland part for another couple of months. Here's hoping you keep on enjoying it too!
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