Back in Dublin

Some people may be wondering what happened after my WHV expired in February. I decided to go back to Ireland for an unknown period of time. So far, my decision was to get a permanent job and slowly work towards permanent residency in Australia though skilled visa. I have a number of steps to complete, however, it is not impossible, therefore definitely worth trying.. Might as well try. Sydney is the most beautiful city I have ever lived in, so why not return?Meanwhile in Dublin haha.. I have noticed a less things have changed in the two years when I was away and a whole lot has not changed. It creates a sort of happiness of being back in a place I know so well.I noticed instead of having one Starbucks coffee shop on Dame Street, they are now literally everywhere. I think I have spotted at least ten different in Dublin city at this stage. The funny side to it is that I have become a real coffee snob! I cannot believe myself that I would reject Nescafe and rather drink tea. Note - I tend to only drink tea when I'm sick or really cold. Every single coffee I have tried in Dublin has been let's say revolting. They have started making flat whites but it's not the same as in Australia. I am so spoilt! I could go back to oz just for the coffee! Another difference I spotted between now and then is my own attitude towards other people and life in general. I am much happier, smile more and more polite and kind to everyone around me.I still cannot get used to the cold around here. I am constantly freezing – from morning till late at night. To make things worse, it’s been three weeks at this stage and I am still homeless. Well, I am staying with friends but it’s not the same, I still live in a suitcase. Plus commute to work takes almost two hours, so that makes nearly four hours a day. Home searching did not go so well for me for a while. There's a serious shortage of housing in Dublin and owners can charge as much rent as they please which has driven the prices ridiculously high in comparison to the quality of the housing on offer. Instead of 500 euro a month, they are now asking between 600 and 800 per month for a double room. Salaries haven’t gone up much, so I do not see a correlation between the two. I finally managed to find a room in an apartment in South Dublin – pretty far out from the city but close to work and I am in love with the flat. It is so comfy and has a real nice homey feeling to it. I immediately felt like I wanted to live there. The bonus itself is that it’s a 3-bed apartment with only two occupants – that includes me. It’s just the owner and me, an Irish girl/woman of my age or few years older. I will be paying 600 per month plus bills. The upside of it all is that the girl is moving to UK for a while and will only be back home for about a week per month which leaves me basically alone. So I get an apartment for the price of a room. Sweet! I am thrilled to be moving in shortly. My room has a glass wall on one side, so beautiful views to enjoy in the morning J I understand it can be a bit cooler having a glass wall but spring is almost at the doorstep, so I can enjoy the summer soon enough (if I can call Irish summer an actual summer) – I think it’s more of a Sydney winter plus the rain.
Once I get the ball rolling with my aussie visa, I will try to update the blog again.P.S. – I am extremely pleased to be back playing volleyball. Really missed my girls!!

30 days left in this beautiful country

As of today I have exactly 30 days left until I depart for Dublin. The thought brings mixed feelings to me. In a way I am happy to be commencing another journey in my life, on the other hand it makes me incredibly sad to be leaving a life I love so much. I've gotten used to living in Sydney and fallen in love with this city.Writing these lines brings tears to my eyes. I have been feeling a bit low for the past few weeks. I guess reality is starting to sink in.. I am not going to stop at this topic for longer, otherwise I will cry on my keyboard :). So to make the most of what I have left I am planning a two-week holiday with my mum up and down East coast of Australia for the last two weeks before heading back to cold Europe.
The plan is to fly down to Melbourne - visit Great Ocean Road and then head up to Cairns for five days to once again enjoy Great Barrier Reef, Daintree rainforest and Cape Tribulation. Before this trip however, my mum will spend a week in Sydney while I finish up at work at the end of January.
On another note, I have managed to get a phone interview with a company in Dublin next Thursday. Fingers crossed something good comes out of it and if yes I hope I won't have to start working immediately (although I have no money haha) as I would like to spend some time at home in Estonia. I am dreading the idea of having four weeks of holidays per year only though. I got used to the great life of taking months off here in Straya! It will be difficult to cope I bet. I will definitely miss it. I am not sure what happens next. I could still pursue an Australian skilled migrant visa but that requires some effort and a bit of savings, so perhaps in a year's time it could be achievable. I will have to think  hard about it once I get back to Dublin - in terms of whether I want to settle in Ireland or attempt to move back here? I will leave this question unanswered.