Once again I open this blog to
share, summarize and reflect back on another of my chapters in this big
adventure we call life.
On May 14, 2014, I embarked on a journey from my
hometown, yet again. This trip, however, had a slightly different intention.
Alongside my partner, Dan, we would call this new place "home" for at
least the next year. This would be the longest I've stayed in any one place for
the past 5 years. At the time, this felt to be more of a stable move than my
previous experiences which had entailed the contents of my life to be shoved into
a backpack and staying that way for months on end. No, this time would be
different. We would have a house we called home, jobs, and friends/family could
visit us instead of the other way around. We would be like fully functioning
adults! Just in a different country. Little did I know, though, this next year
would have just as much to learn from as when I was travelling foreign lands on
my own.
Our new home was formed in Galway, a lively city nestled on the West
coast of Ireland. We moved into a cozy three bedroom townhouse just a short
walk from where all the action happens. This house would be shared with Dan's
work colleague/friend/fellow kiwi/bbq king, Delwyn, his lovely Irish girlfriend/my
pug loving companion, Claire, as well as treat lover, but slightly maniacal,
ham extraordinaire, Colm.
Over the next year Dan was kept very busy with his
job with NZ company, Asset Forestry, implementing a new paperless system and
working with the forest owners/truck drivers to get them on board and train
them. I, on the other hand, dabbled into a few things during our time here. I worked
a few temp jobs but, after what felt like endless interviews, the pressure
started to take its toll. With no established scuba industry in Galway, all the
hospitality jobs I was suited for would entail solely evening and weekend
shifts. This would mean I would see very little of Dan and would have a significantly
smaller opportunity to travel the country we had dedicated the year to see.
With the support of family and friends I made the decision to take this as an
opportunity to pursue a passion of mine. That passion is art. Drawing,
painting, sculpting, I love it all! Just being in an art store inspires me. I
signed up to a few evening college classes and got painting. I was accepted to
be in some Christmas markets where I sold my creations and was able to take a
lot away from the whole experience. I plan to pursue art further with a
university course in Vancouver, B.C. this coming year.
Christmas came and went
and I shifted my focus to another passion of mine. My whole life I had felt
more at ease in nature and find myself under an instinctive desire to be
somehow connected with the land I live upon. For the next few months I followed
my little hippie heart and spent some time volunteering on a couple farms
nearby. I was lucky enough to meet some amazing people over this time and got a
deeper insight to the true Irish ways, all while learning more skills which I
hope to put to use on our own little homestead one day.
All the while, Dan and
I tried to put our weekends together to
good use. Not long after we settled into Galway we welcomed the "Red
Rocket" into our lives, our burgundy '04 Ford Mondeo. She would soon take
us on many great adventures around Ireland, attending various festivals and
visiting numerous villages, towns and cities. The traditional music, fields
among fields of wooly sheep, and stunning landscapes were only a few of the
highlights this lovely country treated us with.
Now it's time, though, to pack
our bags once again and say 'goodbye' to the many amazing people we've met
during our time here. The next two months we will be spent on the road, seeing a bit more of Europe before we head back to Canada for the next foreseeable future.
Slainte!
