I left Finland already two weeks ago, but I have just been busy (read: slack)... But here it is, a post about visiting Finland and first impression on Limerick, Ireland.
Visiting Finland was definitely a weird feeling. At the same time everything was very familiar, and very new. I can’t describe it any better. It was nice to see family and friends, I actually got to meet more people than I thought. My brother was also in Finland at the same time, I also met my dad, and some relatives from Australia were also visiting, and it was so nice to meet them too. I met my nephews and nieces, except one nephew, met one cousin too and one friend, played with the dog, also got to go to a summer cottage by the lake, with real wooden sauna. One of the best feelings in the world is to have a real wooden sauna, then go swimming to the lake, and have new potatoes and smoked fish for dinner <3. Absolutely gorgeous. The weather was also amazing, about 30 degrees the whole time, it was raining only one evening for a little while. Of course exactly at that time I was at a terrace having a drink with a friend :D. I stayed the whole time at my sister’s place, because otherwise I would’ve been just going around from place to place and I just wanted to relax.
Here’s some pictures of Finland
The dog of course first, isn’t she cute?
Then after 10 days it was time to leave again… next destination Limerick! I flew to Dublin, with Norwegian, direct flight is about 3 hours. The flight was about one hour late because of a thunderstorm, there was also a lot of lightning, so the ground staff was not allowed to work outside, and no flights were able to take off for a while. Luckily I had 2 hours at the airport, so the delay was ok for me. I took the bus to Limerick, it took 3,5 hours so it was a VERY long day. I stayed first at bed & breakfast, and the owner picked me up from the bus stop. She also drove me to work on my first day, gave me a box of cookies to my room to have with tea, drove me to my new place when I moved, served breakfast the time I wanted and what I wanted. She even poured the orange juice for me! The loveliest person on this planet.
On my first weekend I explored the city, just walked around the city centre, and here are some pics from Limerick.
This cemetery was amazing! Almost every grave had more text on the stone than just a name and the dates.
Thumbs up for this one!
This is the bed and breakfast where I stayed for 10 days getting spoiled :). And the second pic is the view from my window.
My work has started well, still naturally I have a lot to learn but I will get there… I found a nice room to rent on a weekly rent, about 30 mins walk to work, and this is available until mid December. By then I have to look for a more permanent place. Or as permanent as something can be for me 😂. The paperwork has taken some more effort than planned, due to some regulatory changes. To get PPSN (Personal Public Service Number, mandatory to get), all you needed before was a letter from employer stating your address. But starting from Tuesday last week (I was there of course on Wednesday), you also need a proof of address, such as utility bill. How can anyone who has just moved to a country, have already a utility bill? What if you stay in a hotel? Who even has paper bills anymore? Many online bills don’t even have an address. I got the b&b’s internet bill, and wrote there by hand confirmation that I am residing in this address, and that was enough proof of my address. Don't ask me how does that prove anything when the utility bill doesn’t have to be on the applicant’s name… But I got my PPSN and Public Service Card!
Opening a bank account then… sheesh! The company recommended Bank of Ireland, so that’s where I went. And they need a proof of address, but the same proof was not good enough for them, they need something on your name. That’s what they told me in their branch in the city centre. Then I went to another branch (same bank), and they said a letter from employer is ok. So I got that letter and went to that branch again, and they accepted it. Now I am waiting for my IBAN so I could get paid. It would be nice to get paid for working you know. Bureaucracy is always a pain in the ass, but this is what I have chosen so these things just need to get done!
I have so many places here in Ireland I want to visit, it is great that I have all weekends off so I can start planning on my weekend trips! Already booked a day trip for tomorrow, to Cliffs of Moher. Hope the weather is ok to take great pics! My next post will be about that, and we’ll see if I do another day trip on Sunday as well. I will, again, try to publish that post a bit sooner. No promises though ☺.
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