Regaining my "mojo"

No, not that kind of mojo. Let's get that out of the way straight out.

I've always enjoyed writing. I've often been told I'm good at it. One time I was even told that even when I write a post with swear words (I do have a bit of a potty mouth, even when typing) that I "have perfect syntax when swearing." I take it as a compliment. Not the swearing bit, the comments on my ability to write. As a non-native English speaker, I pride myself on the level of English expression I have cultivated, admittedly unwittingly, over the past 3+ decades of my existence.

So when I stopped publishing posts on this blog more than two years ago, as the months turned into years I really felt like I lost my writing mojo, and felt I might never get it back. By the time it's taken me to feel driven enough to write this post however, gaining my "mojo" back has come to mean so much more. This post is personal, let's be clear about that. I don't know why I'm writing this or who might read it when it's done, but I guess part of it has to do with quitting facebook some months back, which I used as a means of self expression for a good many years, so I hope some friends will read this, and even if strangers do, maybe it'll mean something to someone.

So I stopped publishing because I didn't feel inspired enough about anything to write about it. This is more a reflective post than anything insightful or inspirational, that's for sure.

So, here I am. Why I am here? To sum up an era, perhaps. To focus on the glass full, maybe. To put down in words a swarm of thoughts that have circled in my head for a long time now. OK then, let me take a step back. What am I reflecting back on? Life, very broadly. More specifically, the last 3.5 years of it. Since the time I moved to Ireland.

Not many people know this, but when I accepted a job offer in Ireland, apart from the amazing career opportunity which was offered to me (spoiler alert: it remains one of the best moves I ever made in my life, taking that job offer), but there were many other things that came into play. The professional aspect was definitely part of it. I now work for one of the most desirable companies in the world, and feel humbled and blessed that luck (yes, intellect and skill too, but many people have those and don't have the luck that brought me to be where I am, so yes, luck) has smiled upon me in terms of my career path over the past few years. That wasn't all though. A broken heart and a knife in the back (unrelated incidents, I might add) also played their part. I needed a fresh scene and a fresh start, and I needed it badly.

See, here's the thing. In the last few years as my professional success has grown I've discovered that I'm in very much an enviable position right now. Many people would kill to have my job. Many people have asked for my help to get their foot in the door. I've helped some, less so others, but truth be told none of those who I've helped, or not, have been hired, which once again brings me back to my luck. So again, I say luck because it didn't start off that way. I graduated university in 2010. I was so hopelessly utterly lost at the time. I had zero clue what I was going to do with my life. I remember vividly shaking the Vice Chancellor's hand as I accepted my fancy degree from a fancy school and being asked by the Vice Chancellor, "So have you found a job yet?", to which I replied "No, not yet."A half hour later I hear the VC give his speech, in which he remarked how many graduands had mentioned that day that they'd already secured employment. I was already acutely aware that while I slaved away doing full time student hours while juggling a full time call centre job many of my more privileged peers were busy doing unpaid summer internships with immense career opportunities ahead of them  now their CVs had been adequately stacked with impressive multinational names they could boast of. I had none of that. I felt like crap. But only for an hour, then I ran off from campus leaving my family (who'd come all the way from Israel & Europe to see me graduate) and friends behind while I was off to yet another interview which ultimately had led nowhere.

To be clear, this was 2010, economic insecurity was at a long time high, job uncertainty high too. My economics lecturer in 2009 had assertively told us all: "don't enter the job market now. Do a master's if you can." I'd ignored that advice thinking "it can't be that bad." Well, it was for a while. A good while. There was the interview with the prominent multinational firm which struck me off at one stage of the interview process as I'd not yet officially graduated, despite offering to present my transcript demonstrating I'd met all requirements and was eligible for graduation. There was the company that had assured me if I'd passed the group interviews I'd be guaranteed a job, but upon learning I was asking to leave that interview promptly at 5pm for religious reasons summoned me to another 'interview' where I was asked "how many days off a year I'd need for Jewish holidays" (blatant discrimination, if only I'd had the guts and energy to fight; I didn't), then didn't offer me a job. There was the public sector graduate programme role I really, really, wanted where I made it through to the final 15 for 10 advertised positions, then didn't get an offer. The public sector is mandated to provide feedback to those who seek it, and I sought. It was to take between 6-8 weeks, I was going to India for a month a week later, I asked for feedback anyway, even by email. I got a phone call back two days later saying "they were so impressed with my application they thought it only fair to get back to me straight away". They said everything about my application was great, from the written application, through the individual tasks at interview stage, the group interaction, individual interview and second interview round. I kept waiting for the "but..."It never quite came. I was told I did superbly on all the interviews and a decision needed to be made and they just chose someone else for that department. "On any other day we could have had a much more positive conversation, unfortunately." There was not a single actionable feedback they offered me and still no job offer on the table.

The first job I took after graduation was a sales consultant in a travel agency. I was by far the smartest person in the branch, and way overqualified. I was also churning through my hard earned savings fast and desperate for an income. I quit after 6 weeks, miserable. It took 6 weeks only for my boss and her boss to ask me to reconsider as they were impressed how fast I'd learned. That job was not for me. In the two years post graduation, I went through 4 jobs, not including temp jobs, and wound up freelancing as a consultant on social media marketing, which I'd learnt on the job at one of the roles I'd taken post graduation. The role was new business sales, quite obviously not for me, but I learned a lot and found my passion for digital - the first step in my career, at last. Through those two years I lost confidence fast. Years of climbing the ladder and being recognised for my work and abilities pre-and during my university days and I was starting to think maybe I wasn't as capable as I'd thought.

Then, came the email from the recruiter which changed my life. I couldn't believe even the reachout was real at first, let alone dreamed I'd ever land that job. Eight interviews later, I got the offer, along with the ask to move to Ireland. The disbelief quickly stepped aside amidst the ambition, mixed with heartbreak and another unfortunate incident which made my mind scream out "you need to get away, you need to do this." So I did.

In doing so, I discovered I have the most unreal group of friends and have  so much love directed at me in life that I am the luckiest woman alive, or so I felt anyway.

Fast forward 3.5 years and all of that is just as important today as it was back then. 2015 was not an easy year for me. My first year and a half at the "dream job" I'd landed were no short of hell. 2015 was the year that was all changing. I'd changed roles a year prior, I was much more fulfilled. I was also overworked, exhausted and stressed beyond words. I'd reached new professional heights and was finally gaining the recognition and reward for my hard work which I'd longed for for so long. It started as a good year. I was tired and stressed, yes, but also being recognised. I'd put my love life virtually on hold for 2 years to advance my career. That was my resolve moving to Ireland. Two years has passed, my career was on the up and up, things were good. Sure enough, I met someone. I fell hard, and I fell fast. As the year progressed work became more and more stressful. I was drained. I endured an unexpected and painful heartbreak. A few potentially serious health scares followed in succession. I didn't know who I was anymore, except I knew that I had to get my mojo back. Till that point, I'd always been a happy person, always positive, no matter what. It was hard to do that.

I've had to wake up for months and months counting my blessings daily. Work is going so well. If ever I needed a reminder, my family and friends provided it tenfold what I could have ever imagined, of just how bloody loved I am. So freaking much I must have done something right in life to earn that. My health is manageable and I remain optimistic about that. I'm going to be a first time Auntie in July.

It's taken time, and effort and a near obsessive mantra like repetition, counting my blessings, reminding myself I am loved, looking after myself, but once again I am smiling, and doing what I've always done: maintaining a buzzing social life, organising for others, giving 150% of myself to my work, being the best friend I could possibly be to my friends no matter how close we are, being present for others and not just focusing on myself (I needed that for a while). I feel like there's still a ways to go and I'm on a journey now, but I finally feel like me again.

And I just wrote a bloody long blog post which no one may ever read. I'm getting my mojo back.

A long overdue update

Wow, so it's been nearly 6 months since my last post. Consistency is failing me. Lately, I have felt like I have somewhat lost my passion for writing, but right now I am sitting in a hotel in Basel, Switzerland, it's Christmas day, I'm feeling relaxed and inspired so I'm going to give this another crack. And for once, this won't just be a travel update!

In the previous two years, I made a point of writing a summary update on Rosh Hashana, Jewish New Year, to reflect on the previous year, a way to share with others, but also to put things into perspective for myself I suppose. This year, I didn't do that. As I said, in a way I've been feeling like I've lost my passion for writing. It's made me feel a bit sad and guilty. I think at the moment, I don't feel like that anymore.

It has been almost a year and a half now since I moved to Dublin. Though some will (rightfully, I guess) joke that I spend almost as much time outside of the country as I do in it. I just consider it good fortune that I have been able to do that, and not a reflection of what I think of my current home in Dublin, which I've grown to like quite a bit, actually. Sure, there are always things I will miss elsewhere: good coffee, summer weather, big cities, decent Asian food (Pan fried prawn dumplings, OMG how much I miss those…..), certain people (many and perhaps MOSTLY people, I suppose) etc.  Saying that, the more things change, the more they seem to have stayed the same for me (that's a good thing) and I think that's pretty freakin' cool. What I mean by that is that consciously, by choice, I have changed a lot of things in my life since moving to Dublin. I wrote previously about moving as an opportunity to do that, and I'm happy that I've actually gone to the effort to actually do that….However, despite all the change, the constants, the things that ground me, have stayed the same. Things like the love of my family and friends, for which I am truly blessed, have seemingly not changed. In my wildest of dreams I would never have imagined how many familiar faces from far away places I would get to see once I moved away this time around. It has really hit home how small the world we live in has become, and it's been phenomenal and energising. My ability to step outside of my comfort zone and appreciate what I find along the way is both a force for change and a constant and a source of happiness all the same.

What's also been cool through it all is that some of the seemingly trivial, silly things that I like I have not had to compromise on. Like insisting on having a Halloween party because by now "it's tradition", and on that, just dress up parties in general -  I do believe I have retained my title as dress ups queen, which is like, totes mature and grown up and shizz and whatever bitches it's fun and I love it :-) Also, things like random nights out without knowing who you'll meet and what will happen and being exhilarated, rather than petrified by the thought. And getting excited beyond reason by things like delicious ice cream flavours, places that make chai lattes just the way I like them and buying quirky clothes and accessories that hardly anyone bar me approves of and still having people around tell me that "they're very 'me'", in a non-judgmental manner. And being gifted quirky jewellery by friends. That continues to surprise and delight me at the same time. Materialistic? Sure, but whatevs, I try and be equally considerate and generous to my friends, so why not? It makes me happy and I like that my friends recognise that and manage to nail my taste every time.

What's changed is how I spend my time, and I am all the more happier for it. I have toned down my fire for always been the first person to jump into a cause. I am no longer the first person to jump onto the activism bandwagon, even when there is something I am truly passionate about. I am coming to terms with the realisation that I can't do everything all the time and that all the passion in the world doesn't mean that it's a good idea for me to spend my time doing certain things. I'd be lying if I said I don't miss, to an extent, dipping my toes in the politics pool - I will always have strong opinions, I don't think I'll ever get that 'out of my system', and I imagine sometimes I'll continue to act on my urge to be an activist, it's in my blood. I think that has been the biggest change, in that it has freed up a lot more of my time to do things for me, which I haven't always been the best at.

I've taken on new activities this year, and put on hold others. I tried, not very successfully, to continue studying Arabic this year. I put it on hold after a while, but I think next year I'd like to try again. I can read and write (if not understand a thing) in Arabic now, so hey, I think that's pretty sweet. Being in Switzerland for a week with two friends who don't speak French has really stretched the limits of my high school French speaking abilities, and reignited my spark to take that up again, too. I also took up comedy improv this year. It's probably the most random thing I never thought I'd ever do, and I enjoy it way more than I thought I would, so there you go. Also, manicures and massages. I get them semi-regularly. Life's simple pleasures!

So for anyone that's been wondering what's been happening in my world, that's the gist of it. In the spirit of upcoming new year's resolutions I guess I'll finish with what's next? More travel, but of course - it had to be mentioned eventually. Next up is China, one week from today in fact. I'll also be fulfilling a long time dream and visiting South America at long last next year. Brazil is booked for 8 days in April, so exciting!! That aside, I hope for more professional fulfilment and success in the new year and the strengthening of existing bonds, but also hopefully building new ones. Ten months ago I wrote a blog in which I reported I am happy. Not to say that everything has been smooth and peachy since then, but I am feeling more settled and comfortable in my environment and in the relationships I have formed since writing that post, thus even happier than when I wrote those words.

To anyone reading this, I wish you a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it, and a happy new year. May your new year bring exactly what you wish it to, and if you're reading this then you must play some part in my life, so here's hoping that continues throughout 2014, in the nicest possible way :-) 

Life updates.....part one

OK, I last blogged about 5 months ago. I resolved then, as usual, to do so more regularly. I failed, as usual.

Anyway, better late than never right, so just read my goddamn update! Or not, whatever :)

So last time I wrote, I had just come back from a visit back in Oz. My mind literally cannot fathom the fact that this was 5 months ago, or that in 3 weeks I will have lived in Ireland for 11 months, meaning that my 1 year mark is quickly approaching. As is my 30th birthday....fuuuuuu......

So now I have 5 months of my life to summarise. There is a lot so this will be the first, theme based, installment. I'll start with my favourite: travel. Since I got back from Oz, I have visited: Barcelona, Israel (twice!), San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Las Vegas, Washington DC, Cork, The Isle of Man & Berlin. Many fun times were had. I won't get into many details of each visit because that will take forever, so I'll just do highlights.

Barcelona - NOT the weather! Went there in late February and coming from 5 degree Dublin was looking forward to a moderate mid-teen climate....not so. Barcelona was experiencing a cold snap equal in its bitter coldness to Dublin. It was not fabulous. Nevertheless, Barcelona itself is fabulous. As it was my second visit there, I hardly did touristy stuff, aside from visiting a few of the Gaudi buildings, because the man is a once in a generation genius and if you don't know who he is, Google that shit because the man is brilliant. I was in Barca to visit a friend who'd been living there for a few months. This involved a decadent weekend of tapas, white wine sangria (to the bartender in the Spanish bar in Sydney who told me no such thing existed: suckerrrr, I was right!), delicious cider poured in a very unique manner, churros, very thick chocolate, and repeat all mentioned over 2 days and various mealtimes :) Then there was the company! I have concluded of late that meeting (as opposed to deliberately traveling with) old friends in new places is one of my favourite things to do of all things I like doing. 

Israel - what more can I say except family, friends, warm weather and Israeli food. Bliss. 'Nuff said!

San Fran - To everyone who has told me it's like Sydney, but in America: you were right. Apart from the bit about how San Fran hills trump Sydney hills. Sydney has hills, but San Fran has HILLS. And a smell of weed wherever you go. And a lot more homeless and/or mentally ill people, but I'm told that's because the government takes better care of them there so people who need help float towards there, so that's a good thing I suppose. Anyway, the familiarity of a bay-based city with vast and pretty shorelines, nice weather and the cultural similarity definitely had a Sydney-esque vibe. In true me fashion though, I was there during Pesach (Passover) and therefore lived on just about only salad for a week, till the point of near collapse, but we'll forget about that cos it's over...thank God. San Fran was fun just to hang out and soak it all up. I did have a few random nights and met some cool people, as well as catching up with a good friend who's moved over from Sydney. I'd say it's definitely my favourite US city I've visited thus far. Tacked on to San Fran was a day trip to Yosemite National Park. It is stunningly beautiful and I had a really awesome driver guide, to the point where we both basically knew each other's life stories through the trip back to the city. Random, but kinda cool.

Vegas - Hmmmm. The glitz was not as exciting on my second visit here, but overall it was still very fun. Got sent here for a conference from work, so really can't complain! Favourite achievement of the trip: Two trips to Vegas down and still have not gambled a single cent in sin city, now that's an achievement! Other than that there were pool parties, a hen's night, riding around in a stretch limo, and the glorious Nevada sun. Oh, and work, I mentioned work, right?

DC - this was only an 8 hour stopover unfortunately. However, I set my eyes on the White House and, got to see the cherry blossom festival and catch up with a DC dwelling friend, so time well spent!

Cork - Crazed, barely 24 hour venture down South. A dear friend from Australia was visiting, so we dashed down for the day, kissed the Blarney stone, and not much else really! For those not in the know, the Blarney stone is a famous site in Blarney Castle just outside of Cork, which tourists kiss during the day, and locals urinate on at night.....so yeahhh, we kissed that. Legend is that kissing the stone gives you the gift of the gab. Now I know what you're thinking: we can't get this girl to shut up as it is. Yes, there's that, but it is my second time kissing the blarney stone so at this point let's just put it down to "dumb tourist syndrome."

Isle of Man - Typical reaction: What's there? Where is that? Why did you go there? The answer: because we could. It's a 20 minute flight from Dublin. That is, it's a 20 minute flight to/from Dublin when the airline doesn't cancel the flight for "adverse" weather conditions, when the weather is fine, all other flights are running, and you end up flying to Manchester, on to Belfast and catching the bus down to Dublin (total journey time: 6.5 hours), at your own expense. No really, Aer Lingus, thanks for that. The Island itself is very pretty. It has a cool mix of medieval history, green rolling hills and pretty shorelines. We also caught a rickety wooden tram up to the top of the highest mountain on the Isle,  Snaefell Mountain. Legend has it that on a clear day you can see the 7 kingdoms from the 2000 odd feet peak of the mountain: those of the Isle of Man, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Heaven and the Sea. Let's just say that on the day of our visit, it was NOT a clear day. I could not see the palm of my hand from a half metre in front of me, let along any kingdoms of any variety. It was so windy up there I actually thought if I opened an umbrella I could fly all the way down the mountain, Mary Poppins style. We ascended up a path, bordered by a fence to what we presumed was the mountain peak (given we could not see a damned thing, all we had was 'female intuition', if you please). The wind was so strong it actually flipped me sideways slamming into the fence a couple of times. I was out there for 10 minutes max and that's as close as I have ever gotten to experiencing hypothermia and let's hope we keep it that way. The fog was so thick that while it wasn't raining, we were literally walking through it and ended up with drenched hair as a result. It was nuts. Also on the Island the legend says there are fairies who preside there. When you pass over the fairy bridge you have to say hello to the fairies to avoid pissing them off and having bad luck. We said hello. Didn't stop us from nearly being stranded on the island. Not cool, Tinkerbell, not cool.

Berlin - Finally, I got to see what all the fuss was about. Definitely the coolest city I have ever visited. Coming from Dublin, which in my opinion has nothing by way of subcultures, Berlin is full of unique, funky and interesting subcultures. We mainly were exposed to three of these: The food and coffee (such a treat), the graffiti scene - we did a 3 hour tour of different graffiti sites around the city which was very cool, and then did a workshop on graffiti stenciling, which was a fun and relaxing 'crafternoon', and the club scene which is insane. We visited a club which was like a playground for adults, with many different rooms of varying music types, mad decor and it's open non stop (and people stay there) all weekend. As we left, at around 3am, there was a line of hundreds of people all the way down a dirt path and onto the street waiting to get in. Almost made us not want to leave so as not to miss out! We also visited a mad jazzy jam session in an out of the way pub in a deserted warehousy looking type place that you have to know about, cos y'know, we are so cool like that. The best thing about Berlin though was hanging out with friends, both local and from other countries, we came together, had a laugh and a super fun and chilled time. Also, you can drink beer wherever you like, any time of day and that's totally cool, people don't abuse it and the public order remains. Also, people bring their dogs on the metro. A lot. And all the dogs are so cute and cuddly you just want to cuddle them all, while drinking your beer, and ideally while wearing some crazy patterned leggings you just bought, cos it's Berlin yo. So yeah, Berlin, don't forget me because I will be back.

So that was the travel summary of the last 5 months. Don't get jealous though cos there are more updates which are slightly less exciting coming up.

I am happy.

You may not have questioned that, or wondered, but it is a question that has come up a lot lately, mostly by myself in my internal dialogue with myself, but also I have been asked by others. I have thought about it and that's my answer. I am happy. I am happy.

So as not to make this the shortest blog post ever (short posts aren't exactly my style), let me explain.

It has been a while since I've blogged, despite vowing to do so more regularly. In the time since my last post a lot, and very little has happened. I've travelled (standard), worked hard (standard) and yet in the triviality of it all a lot has happened over the last few months.

Last week I returned from 2.5 weeks back in Australia, visiting. It had only been 5 months since I left when I arrived, not that long really. But it was always going to be a strange visit, the first time being back after leaving indefinitely. Still, 5 months is not long and returning was bound to bring with it a lot of comfort and familiarity, which it did. So amid that familiarity, I was asked, more than once, "How is Ireland?", and "Are you happy?"

My response was usually something along the lines of an elongated, semi-hesitant, semi-questioning "yeaaaaahhhhh?", followed by the required justification for a less than convincing answer.

So here's the deal. I've been back in Dublin a week now. I've thought about it, processed and now I'm saying decisively: I am happy.

Yes, I know I left AUSTRALIA for IRELAND. If you are reading this and thinking of pointing out that generally the Irish are flocking to Australia, not the other way around: yes, thank you, I noticed. Had I not noticed it would be hard not to know given every new friend, chance encounter and Dublin taxi driver has pointed out this fact to me. Still, in case I had not realised this when I left Australia for Ireland first time around, when I left second time around, last week, the border security official at Sydney's Kingsford Smith Airport made sure to point it out again (perhaps he thought I'd change my mind?) So yes, thank you, I realise. The weather is 'slightly' cooler here, the economy a tad less prosperous, the country a little bit smaller.....you get the drift.

Sometimes, you never know how you truly feel about a decision you've made until after the fact. I generally don't believe in regret, feel no shame in changing my mind when it's warranted and always take the 'glass is half full' approach to find the positive spin in the circumstances I find myself in. So yes, Dublin is not Sydney, and it's not Tel Aviv either. It's unfamiliar, it's cold and occasionally lonely. However, going back to Sydney briefly has helped me put things into perspective.

So here I am saying it again: I am happy. You are probably at a stage where if anyone is actually reading this you don't believe me because I've said it so many times now. So here's my perspective.

I moved to Dublin for a career opportunity. I work for one of the best companies in the world, one of the most desired to work for companies in the world. When I graduated University two and a half years ago, I had a solid degree (Commerce) from a fairly prestigious university (Sydney University) and no idea what I was going to do. It has been an interesting journey from that day to the present, and never would I have guessed I would land a job two years down the line that I currently hold today. When I graduated, many of my peers seemed to have some sort of a plan. The really organised ones had done several summer internships, volunteered in the right places and had the right things on their CV by the time graduation came around. I worked full time while juggling full time study, in a job which I did not see myself carrying into the future or contributing to my future career, whatever that was going to be.  It took me a year after graduation to get a clue about what I actually wanted to do professionally, and still then no plan how to get there. Today, I am further along that career path than I ever even conceived was possible a year and a half down the line from when I started to "get a clue". So, to pursue my professional aspirations, I had to move to Dublin as fate would have it, so I moved to Dublin.

Five years ago, I always said I would move to London one day, for a year or two, for the adventure. Somewhere along the track, I gave up on that dream. Not because it was impossible, it was always possible, technically still is, but somewhere along the way, I didn't want it anymore. I liked my life in Sydney. Actually, I loved it. The area I lived in, the people in my life, the lifestyle, the culture, I loved it. I had no immediate plan to leave. To the uninitiated, my eventual move to Dublin could seem like a compromise on an old dream - not quite London, but, close enough.

That wasn't it at all though. As I said, I had no plan to move. Life surprises you that way. So, I moved, but I kind of felt like I was dragging my feet a little. Going through the motions but not with excitement, more with sadness and trepidation, into an unknown, unfamiliar environment, and a cold one, God dammit, I hate the cold! So being back in Sydney, after not such a long absence, back in familiar comforts, the thought of my life which was not there but somewhere else, still unfamiliar and still with the cold (sigh), the question "are you happy" was a tough one to answer.

But now I'm back in Dublin. Back at work and working hard as always. Sleeping with 3 blankets at night and forgetting what my toes look like, again, because I'd be mad not to always have socks on.

So sure, often I may not sound overly enthusiastic right now, but here's the deal. Pre-planned or not, I live in Europe. I never thought I could say that. But I love that. I live in Europe. When I feel like a sea change on the weekend I can hop over to Barcelona, London or Paris and come back at the end of the weekend. In Israel, it was always Eilat, or the Galilee. In Australia, it was a weekend in Melbourne. I love Eilat, I love Melbourne, and I especially love the Galilee, but really, it's like breaking your routine in a routine way. But now, I live in Europe!

I do things that challenge me professionally. That may not last forever, but right now it's true. I still whinge and complain from time to time and by God I reserve the right to do so. At the end of the day though, I enjoy what I do, the industry I work in and the company I am employed by.

Moving away is a chance for new beginnings. I learnt a lot in the 6 years I lived in Australia. I may or may not move back there one day. I learnt about the world and I learnt about myself, as wanky as that may sound. Self discovery means trying out a lot of different things and seeing what fits. I did that. I dipped my toes in a lot of pools and started swimming in a lot of different directions. Bad metaphors aside, I enjoyed what I was doing - organisations, movements and causes I got involved in along the way, but there is such a thing as overdoing it, a saturation point. That was probably one of the last lessons I learned about my life in Australia. Simplifying a complex existence which you no longer wish to maintain so complicated while staying put is doable. But simplifying by starting over elsewhere and re-prioritising, with all its other challenges is in some ways easier. Especially if you're me and constantly trying (and occasionally succeeding) to please others while staying true to yourself.

So Dublin is a change of pace, but it's a change I'm happy with at the moment. I am not yet at a point where things are comfortable here. I haven't quite "found my place" yet. Nevertheless, I love it. When I landed back here after being back in my former home and I didn't feel dread, I realised that. I missed the silliness and stupid jokes we get up to in the office. The rituals I have set up for myself, like eating exactly the same thing, 5 days a week, for breakfast in order to start the day right (baked beans, scrambled eggs when they are offered, a slice of bread with butter and Old English Cheese, cucumber, pineapple slices a glass of water and a glass of pineapple juice, if you were wondering. Mornings without pineapple juice, particularly, are days which just do not start right). I missed the house I live in here, where every day I think all over again, "wow, how cool and cosy is my house!" It really was a lucky find.

I walked through the streets and thought to myself "wow....I live here." 3.5 years ago as a tourist here I thought, "wow, this place is cool." The streets are so quaint and unique. They are not classically beautiful like many other cities I have visited in Europe. The houses here are just special....special in a charmingly Irish way. When I moved here, I didn't think that. It's nice to be reminded of my first thoughts.

Walking down Grafton street, in the centre of town (Dublin is a town , let's face it), always brings a smile to my face. Day or night, it is always filled with some of the best street buskers you will ever hear, anywhere. They so perfectly represent the cheer and the musicality this city has to offer.

Dublin is the UNESCO city of literature. It was home to some of the greats. I never fully appreciated that until I moved here. I'd never read anything by Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Bernard Shaw or James Joyce.  Truthfully, that is still the case presently. But I have seen their plays on stage, quite frequently actually. At the risk of sounding like a wanker, again, I've always enjoyed the theatre, and there is a lot of it to enjoy here. The best thing is that it's frequent, accessible and affordable. It's fantastic.

The live music, as I mentioned, is also fantastic. Whether local or international there is so much to choose from; we are spoilt here for choices, and again, the prices are unbelievable. Since I've been here I've seen some of the best contemporary artists on stage for 40€ a pop, un-freaking-believable: Scissor Sisters, Rufus Wainwright, Florence and The Machine, top level performers. Local Imelda May, which set me back a mere 20€ for a new years eve concert was fantastic. Blondie, who I will see live in June is said to be quite the show, at only 50€ a ticket. Ask any Israeli or Australian resident about concert ticket prices and they will tell you what a steal it is here.

The drinking culture here kinda scares me. I can't keep up with it and I don't know what to expect. Truthfully, I find it a bit off-putting  But one thing I can say is it is true what "they" say about the Irish. They really are among the friendliest in the world. That includes the random drunks and the beggars who unfortunately are living on the streets, there is just something about the Irish.

The cold....even the cold you can get used to. Layer up and indoors you can still wear your summer dresses and singlet tops. Sure, it's different with fleece lined stockings to replace my bare legs and yes I do miss having browner legs and exposing my tattooed ankle, but when you're in summer gear in the indoor warmth and the sun is shining deceptively while it's 4 degrees outside, it's really not as bad as I thought. And when you tire of it? Did I mention Europe is at my fingertips? Warmer weather is 120€ and a 2 hour flight away, no problems at all.

So socially, I don't yet have the kind of networks I have built elsewhere. And the coffee shop culture here, REALLY leaves something to be desired. But life is good, and the world is my oyster.

With my cliché quota all but exhausted for one post, there is only one thing left to say, I saved the most clichéd and mushiest of all to last: Lastly, I am happy because, no matter what adjustments I'm still acclimatising to here, there is one constant that I can confidently rely on. I know that no matter what is going on with me in my day to day life, there are always people around the world whose regard and love for me crosses physical and mental barriers across timezones, climates and momentary feelings of aloneness. And for all those reasons, I am happy.



* Consider this a highly mushy update on my new life and let's all just agree I will try once again to be a bit more constant from here on with my updates. Much love. 

Dublin: The story so far

Tomorrow it will be 7 weeks since I left Sydney. Time has flown by unbelievably fast. I am slowly starting to feel like I actually live here, rather than feeling as though I am on a prolonged visit, though I miss Sydney terribly. I am still not completely settled, given that I STILL don't have the shipping of all my stuff which I sent via sea, but on the flip side I have started to be able to confidently navigate my way through the Dublin streets, and hope to settle in to some sort of routine soon - now that I am done with my training at work and all the Jewish holidays of this time of year are done with.

So then, it is time for an update, isn't it?

What can I say, it has been an adjustment. The two toughest things on me have been the weather, which hasn't been TOO rainy so far, but it is certainly windy and chilly, which I don't deal with awfully well. This has not come as a surprise, as I did know what I was getting myself into, but nevertheless the cold is a struggle which I am learning to deal with. On a plus side, in preparation for what is already shaping up to be a chilly winter, if autumn is anything to go by, I acquired these pair of gloves today to keep me warm:

Why yes, those ARE teddy bear gloves. If you know me, it will come as no surprise to you at all that I am a total sucker for this kitschy childish stuff, and naturally had to own these. 

The second thing which has been tough is not having the network I am used to. Living in Australia was tough at times, in the absence of family nearby, but over time I built an amazing network of friends whom I love dearly and miss terribly. It is always a bit of a bummer when instead of living your life to its fullest, you find yourself having to explain injokes and funny moments in your past, and have to launch into a description not only of the moments that made you smile, but the people too, who they are and what they mean to you, because everything is foreign, and so am I. For example, a couple of weeks ago, on a typical Friday afternoon at work, come 5pm I wondered downstairs with my workmates to the regular Friday arvo drinks, with a live band playing cover songs for our entertainment. At some point, the band played "do you come from a land down under." I was immediately reminded of last December, in Mumbai, with 20 fellow Aussies and our Indian buddies at a pub when this song came on and we all went mental with excitement and faux patriotism, so much so that at the end of the night, the DJ played the song again just for us, and was met with no less enthusiasm the second time. Irrespective of this moment, which brings back fond memories, any Aussie hearing this song while abroad, I imagine, would probably get quite excited/proud. At my work though, it is a mixture of mainly Europeans of all nationalities, a sprinkling of Middle Easterners, and the odd Americans or Asians. I haven't met any Aussies here, certainly not at work. So not only were there no familiar faces, but no random Aussies either, to share in my enthusiasm when I heard the song. Noone cared but me. Stupid, trivial, inconsequential? Yes, but it's the little things that often make the biggest difference. 

Don't get me wrong though. Things are good. Work is going well so far. I finished my training about a week and a half ago. The day we finished, my team had a team outing to a place by the water, just out of Dublin, called Howth. We went out on a fishing boat for about an hour and a half, ate cheese and drank wine, enjoyed the sunset and even saw seal/s!!!!! Look how freakin' cute the seal was:

We then had a lovely dinner at a seafood restaurant before making our way back into Dublin. It was a great way to get to know some of my teammates a bit better, and do something different. I find Dublin to be a bit small as far as cities go, so it was nice to venture out. I mean, there are suburbs, and it extends further than the average expat ventures within the city boundaries, but I mean more in the conceptual sense, rather than in a literal sense. 

To give you more of an idea what I mean, let me explain. For one, aside from when going to the airport, I have yet to have caught a taxi anywhere I've wanted to go which has cost me more than 10 Euro. Secondly, Dublin has much more of a mono-culture as opposed to multicultural Sydney, all (and other things) contributing to the feeling of smallness, which I am just unaccustomed to.

As such, I have made it a mission once every 4-6 weeks to take advantage of the proximity to continental Europe and venture out of Dublin to explore on weekends. The first such trip was made last Saturday when I jetted off to Paris. Paris was a mere 24 hour trip, but I am very very glad I made it. The purpose of the trip was to visit a friend from Australia who was there at the time. We spent a lovely day, despite it raining more than Dublin was on that day, seeing the main sights: The Champs Elysees , Arc De Triomphe and le Tour Eiffel. Yes, there is more to see in Paris than these, but I have visited Paris before and seen many of its other sights, have no fear. Revisiting the Eiffel Tower was particularly breathtaking as we did so at night. The tower was lit up and it was just stunning. Aside from catching up with my friend, which was great, the only other plan of the day was to eat well, and a lot. I can confirm that this goal was carried out successfully. Unlike Dublin (sorry Dublin..) finding a good place to indulge in anything from a good coffee or baked good, to a nice meal accompanied with a great glass of wine, is as easy is walking into virtually any place you encounter in Paris. It was a great treat. For a taste of the beauty of the Eiffel Tower, and my 24 hours of eating decadence, check out these photos which I took: 

Pain Au Chocolát, et Macaron Pistaché

Next on my list of places to visit: Copenhagen (November) and UK (December), where I am excited to be attending Limmud this year. And those are just the trips already booked. Also on the short term travel list are Barcelona and Berlin, but not confirmed as yet :) 

On the topic of Limmud, I am excited to go not only because I have previously immensely enjoyed its offshoot, Limmud Oz, nor because I am meeting a good friend there (though both are exciting and compelling reasons in their own right). The third reason is a craving for Jewish life since I arrived in Dublin. Before leaving Sydney I joked that I needed to maximise on Jew events as much as possible, knowing I would not get the same in Dublin. Of course, I was right. Funnily, I live in Portobello, which is actually the historical centre of Jewish life in Dublin, unbeknown to me when I decided to live here. There is even a (semi) kosher bakery, the only one in Dublin, just up the road from me, which has been here for over a 100 years. The Irish Jewish museum is also only just around the corner. In saying that, whatever Jewish life once existed in Portobello now exists in the history books only. There is still a community here, in another area, mostly centred around Dublin 6. There are two functional Synagogues, and from what I've seen the community is pretty tight knit. The Jews of Ireland are said to number around 2000 all up. From what I understand, the active number, in Dublin, is far less. 

The Chagim (Jewish holidays, for the non-Jews reading), therefore were an interesting experience. Spending holidays without my family has always been tough. Over the last few years though, I have been lucky to spend the holidays with some varied and interesting people, and some very dear friends. For Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) this year, myself and other Israelis at my company had a joint meal together at work. It was very nice and festive, though I didn't really know anyone as I'd only been in the company for 2 weeks. For Yom Kippur I took a day off work and during the day I went to the Orthodox Synagogue. There I met a bunch of young people around my age, which was nice. After the fast ended we went out for drinks and I met a bunch more people, that was also great. So there is -some- Jewish life, but definitely not the diversity of offerings you get in Sydney. No chance of getting "Jewed Out" in Dublin, that's for sure. I have met some nice people though, and several who are also craving a bit more of what they are used to from elsewhere by way of more Jewish cultural stuff, so you never know, maybe our own thing can grow from that - if anyone will do it, anyone who knows me probably thinks/knows I'll get on it, so we'll see....

So what else is there....Dublin is "interesting", let's put it that way. Irish people are definitely one of the nicest I've met in the world, I still stand by that. The longer I'm here though, the more I come to the conclusion that years of mocking hipsters and yuppies in Sydney, and having existed in that environment, I've become a pseudo hipster/yuppie hybrid myself. I am definitely always on the lookout for a good coffee place (they are scarce), that also serves good/unique/vegan/exotic cafe food and beverages (haven't found anywhere that quite hits the spot yet). I have found a few places that serve chai lattes fortunately, one which is even quite up to my standards (Place is called "Grub" on Georges St, for anyone who may be interested). The chai place even has a whole ethical/fair trade/organic/recycling thing going on which hits the spot for my inner do-gooder/closet hippie persona so that was a nice find. No cafe favourites as yet though. Also, having massive Max Brenner and other chocolate cafe withdrawals here. 

In terms of what I have adopted from Sydney's Inner West alternative dress sense, I definitely haven't seen a similar scene here. I am also yet to discover some good markets for second hand shopping - a new favourite activity I picked up in Australia thanks to a good friend over there. On that, the dress sense here is..... "unique", let's just say. I am baffled at the amount of girls here in ridiculously high stilettos on any given night out. It's all they sell in stores too. For a tall girl like me it doesn't leave many options. Not to mention most girls can't even walk in them and end up looking like they are walking on stilts, in my humble opinion. Given the weather here, and the fact this is still a rather conservative Catholic country, many of the dresses you see girls wearing in clubs is..... (running out of polite descriptions here...) well, astonishing. It doesn't leave much room for imagination let's just say. Sometimes I feel like I dress like a nun in comparison....hmmm....

To sum up though, I'm having a great time all in all. I'm trying to maximise my time, setting up a routine the way I want to. I've signed up for Arabic classes. I hope to start gym and yoga soon. Constantly planning my travel plans on weekends. Always looking out for good concerts in town - they are so much cheaper over here! I went to the Scissor Sisters concert the other week - that was fab. I've been going to the theatre a lot too, that is something I love about Dublin, as it is renowned for its literary greats. Last week I bought a copy of Ulysses for only 3 Euro - bargain! So far in the theatre I have seen "A woman of no importance" by Oscar Wilde, "The picture of Dorian Gray", also by Oscar Wilde (it was FANTASTIC), next week I am seeing "The Judas Kiss" ABOUT Oscar Wilde (do you see a pattern developing?), and in November I will be going to see a stage production of Ulysses by James Joyce. And to top it all off: I found out "The Book of Mormon" is coming to London next year, and there is no way I am going to miss it. So lots of exciting things on the culture front.

Anyways, that's a pretty solid update I think. I wish this post was more sharp, or witty, or philosophical rather than just descriptive, but I'm too tired and it's taken me a while to get motivated to write this, so it is what it is.

Much love to all. Over and Out.

The year that was, and the year that approaches: Jewish New Year 5773

So, I started this "tradition" last year on Rosh Hashana, reflecting on the year that was. As it serves as a nice memory to look back on I thought I'd repeat it, especially in light of major changes that come with the move I made, this may come as a handy reference point in one year's time again.

What can I say. Reading back my Jewish new year post from last year, (you can read it here, if you wish), I would never have imagined back then where I would be one year on.

So, the year that was:

PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENTS

I am not big on this one, maybe because I tend to be harsh on myself. In an interview for a job recently I was asked, "if your friends were to describe you, what would they say?" This got me thinking, how would I LIKE my friends to describe me. I would like people to think of me as kind, caring, non-judgmental, friendly and helpful. One can always define themselves by the job they hold, the person they are with, the stuff they have done. There is a lot to be said for such achievements when they have come about through hard work, commitment and personal attributes such as intellect and drive. However, since life is full of surprises, these types of achievements are not always in our control. What I can control is how I treat others, if I help others when I can, if I attempt to make a positive impact on the world, in the grander scheme of things, whether on a small or large scale. If I have achieved any of those things in the past year, it is these things I am most proud of. Some other things I am proud of from the past year are standing up for myself, standing up for what I feel is right and standing up for others. This past year, like in previous times in my life, I have learnt that doing so is not always the easiest option, and there is often a personal price to be paid. Truth be told, this year I feel I paid a heavy personal price for speaking out, for being who I am, and not being afraid. But despite the personal price I have paid, I feel it is for the best, morally I feel I have done right, and as always, I have grown from the experience and I feel I have come out on top. I count that as an achievement for which I hold my head up high. This year I also learnt, more so than in the past, the weight of my words and the impact they can have. I feel that through hard work and true passion, I have earnt the respect of many I have encountered, and in doing so, that I have gained a voice worthy of respect. That too I see as a personal achievement, one I hope to continue to live up to and remain worthy of.

CARVING OUT A PATH

This time last year, I said that I felt I had not really begun on what I viewed to be the career path of my choice. In the past year I have learnt a lot, did not follow a straight path, but allowed myself to explore different professional interests along the way which have helped solidify my thoughts on what I want to achieve in my professional life. I have moved to Dublin for work, to pursue an opportunity in an area which is certainly where I had hoped to see myself, sooner or later, though it is still just early days yet. I have experienced on my own skin what as recent grads we are often told and often have trouble accepting, that a successful career path is not necessarily linear, rather there are many paths, often tangled, that lead to success.  This year has been a tangled path indeed, full of highs and lows, but as always I try and give thanks for all the lessons learnt through the good times, and the bad.

MOVING TO DUBLIN

This is still very fresh, 3 weeks into the move, but deserves a mention nonetheless. Several of my friends have said to me they think I am "brave"for having the guts to make such a move, from one end of the earth to just about the furthest point from it you can get, and for the second time in my life at that. I don't think I am brave. While the move has gone smoothly and things have been going great so far, truth be told that at least conceptually it has been hard. I try and live by the philosophy that one must seize the opportunities given to them, and that I have, but not without a tonne of self doubt and questioning of the choices I have made in life. The choices I have made, moving from Israel to Australia and now from Australia to Ireland have been big steps, not taken lightly, but rather with a heavy heart. I am constantly striving to grow as a person and expand my horizons, and this has informed the choices I have made and the drastic changes that have resulted. The question of belonging has weighed heavily upon me for a long time, mentally placing myself in a split identity, as an Israeli and an Australian and questioning what that means and who I am. In Australia in the past 6 years, I have set down roots, I built a life, a network, a community, all of which fulfilled my life immensely and through the ups and the downs I loved my life in Oz. Here's hoping Dublin will be equally as kind to me. As mentioned in my previous post, so far Irish eyes have definitely smiled upon me.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

I try and say this as often as I can, but what you give to my life I am forever indebted for. To my family, once again I know I don't call enough, or update enough, or live up to expectations often enough. But even when I'm self involved and not reaching out, you are in my heart and mind, and for being there for me unconditionally when I do pull my head up, I love you very much. Though I know I haven't always been there when you wanted, I hope I have managed to be there when you needed me, and here's hoping with increased geographical proximity this coming year will see more face to face time, fingers crossed. My friends the world over, new and old, I am constantly moved by how you enrich my life. In the absence of family in Australia, I can say that in my time living there I always felt very well looked after profoundly and in so many ways, and many of you have become an extension of my family to me. Even with my move to Dublin, the constant contact and interest you show means more than you probably realize. I am forever thankful for my family and friends and how loved you make me feel, I hope you feel that love radiating back from me to you because I try my best to make it known.

TRAVEL

Of course. This year I added India and Poland to my visited countries list. Both countries have had a lasting impact on me in different ways. The rich culture and the vibrancy of life in India has gotten under my skin and I can't get it out, nor do I want to. While life there is complex, there is corruption and poverty and many sad things which don't make sense and just shouldn't be, there is also just something special about India that I can't put my finger on. I did not go there for a spiritual awakening, I did not meditate daily, I did not smoke any substances on Goan beaches, I did not spend any time in silent reflection in an Ashram or anything of the likes. But in all my travels there is just something about the country that I haven't encountered anywhere else, nor can I fully verbalise it. I must also say that when you moved past the incessant pushiness of vendors always trying to sell you something (and at an inflated price), service providers trying to make money off you and so on, the genuine kindness and honesty and emotiveness of the Indian people is something I admire greatly and draw aspiration, and inspiration, from. Visiting Poland, where my Grandfather (Z"l) was born and had lived as a Jew during the atrocities of the second world war, also had a profound effect on my spirit and sense of Jewish identity, and not in the way you may have expected. I visited Auschwitz and saw first hand what pure evil looked like. I learnt more about Polish Jewry and its fate during the war than I'd known through all the years of Holocaust education at school. Most importantly though, I went with an open mind and left with more than a smidgen of optimism, for the revival of Polish Jewry specifically, and for the continuity of European Jewry more broadly. Specifically when it comes to Poland and the Polish people, I enjoyed my time there immensely. I stayed at a Polish friend's house in Krakow, and had a great time being hosted graciously by her and her family, and enjoyed overwhelmingly positive attitudes from all Poles I encountered, towards myself as an Israeli and a Jew, and towards Judaism and Israel in general. Krakow's annual Jewish cultural festival had the city abuzz while I was there, attracting great interest from tourists and non-Jewish locals alike, as well as energising the local Jewish community, which is small but brimming with rich revival of Polish Jewish life. Being in Poland, facing my family's past, and the past of my people, while looking towards the future and the prospects for revival of Polish Jewish life was a little bitter, for the recognition of the sheer scale of what we as Jews of Poland lost, but more so sweet for the commitment of the local Jewish community to bring back, on however small a scale, a Jewish presence and Jewish culture to what was at one period in time the centre of Jewish civilisation and thought across Europe and beyond. Visiting Warsaw, on a fellowship with other Jews from all corners of the world, sharing their experiences of Jewish life in places I didn't even know Jewish communities existed, was a powerful addition to the experience of Poland as well. Meeting Jews from communities across Europe and the Middle East which I didn't even know existed (Turkey, Denmark and Hungary particularly spring to mind) was a heartening experience. It strengthened my own sense of identity and desire to understand more about my roots, extending beyond being born in Israel and knowing about Israeli history. I have developed a new appreciation for wanting to connect with my European roots, if not only to understand how my family lived for generations in the not too distant past, but also for the sake of connecting more deeply, and being able to hopefully carry forward, the historical knowledge of European Jewish history. To that end I hope to visit Romania, where the majority of my family came from, sometime in the near future, and now living in Ireland, though being somewhat removed from "true" European life, I am nevertheless excited to be able to count myself among present day European Jewry, which, with my newly formed friendships amongst fellow European Jews across the continent, I hope to take part in as best I can.

So that was the year that was. For me, the year that will be is sure to be full of new experiences, territories previously uncharted and many unknowns, as would be expected moving to a new country. To myself I wish that I can make the most of these new experiences, that I can do some good and that The Creator will judge me favourably for my actions. To my family and friends I wish the sweetness and happiness that we enjoy on Rosh Hashana to last the whole year through, may you be challenged in a good way, may you grow from the experiences, and may you have the courage and strength to achieve what you hope to achieve in life. Here's to an amazing 5773. Shana Tova!

New beginnings

For those of you who know me in real life, you'll know I've just undergone a pretty big life change. For those who happen to be reading this otherwise, I've just packed up my happy life in Australia to seek new opportunities, new challenges and new experiences in Dublin, Ireland. As such, this blog may change tack a bit from now on. Will try to post more regularly, and will try share experiences from my new life in Ireland. Fear not though, a leopard can't change its spots, so there's sure to be political and other such posts too from time to time.


So it has now been 2 week since I left Sydney. That's probably as good a time as any to begin to recall my journey to Ireland.

After a frantic week of late nights packing, sorting and stressing, everything was done and I set off on August 26th. I was lucky to have some close friends come see me off at the airport, and for that I am so grateful to have such amazing people in my life. With many tears shed, a few last minute surprises, airport arguments over excess baggage and a rendition of Lambada which will forever be etched in my mind and bring a smile to my face, off I went through the departures gate, on my own, to set off on my new path.

The journey to Dublin took me 43 hours. Fun. First stop was Singapore, with scoot airlines, with a business class upgrade sweetening an otherwise bittersweet occasion, fresh from the farewell of my amazing friends. Flight was pleasant enough. Food was nice, service was good, and in business we received Ipads to watch movies on, we got given luggage tags as a gift (random), and got to keep the earphones that came with the iPad. I watched 'the hunger games' on board. Never one to succumb to trends or pay attention to hype, I knew little about what to expect, and found the movie intense. Life lesson learnt: no matter what happens in life, at least I'm not in the hunger games!

After 8 hours I arrived in Singapore, where I had 11 hours overnight which I planned to spend sleeping at my friend's sister's house. What should have been a good rest was shortened by the need to ship off half my luggage in unaccompanied luggage, to avoid exorbitant excess baggage costs by my next airline , Malaysian airline, which gains a dishonourable mention here for that affair. Nevertheless, I got 5 hours sleep in Singapore, in a proper bed, and was hosted very graciously, with a 4am breakfast served to me and just the loveliest of hospitality. Thank you to my friend Kalpna and her family, for organising that for me and for hosting me so well, it means a lot.

Next stop was Kuala lumpur, a short, hour long, flight. Here I ran into a girl I know from sydney, for I wouldn't be me if I didn't run into a familiar face in unfamiliar territory (more on this later).

From Kuala Lumpur, it was a 12.5 hour flight to London. I must say I was not overly impressed with the service on board, though the flight was comfortable enough. During the first meal, they couldn't find me supposedly, to give me the kosher meal I'd ordered. By the time I got my meal others were having theirs collected. Oh well.

After I arrived in London for the final stretch, I decided to try beg for mercy and cut down the 4.5 hour layover enroute to the Emerald Isle. No such luck, no compassion was to be found. Instead I spent half my time talking to an Israeli farmer, who pegged me as Israeli as soon as he saw me, something I found quite ironic given the journey I had travelled by the time I'd arrived into London. Nevertheless, eventually 9pm came around and finally I was on my way to my final destination and onto the start of my new life. Boarding the flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus, it was immediately unmistakable that I was finally on my way to Ireland, with flight crew including names such as "Paddy" and "PJ O'Neill", or as I like to call it "Irish McIrish names". Since arriving here I have found that so many people here do in fact have such typically Irish names, as opposed to just common English names. I guess that shouldn't surprise me much. In any case, after a short flight I was finally in Dublin, and jumped into a cab headed to Dublin 22, where again I was very lucky to have been hosted graciously by the Uncle of a friend from Sydney, while I searched for more permanent accommodation in Dublin.


So here I am. What can I say about my time here so far? There is a saying in Hebrew, which translates in English to "change your place, change your luck". I have always thought of myself as lucky for the things I have in life, but on a day to day basis I am not known for having particularly good luck, if you believe in that stuff. In Ireland though, there is the term "luck of the Irish", and I really feel that since getting here I have enjoyed quite a bit of the luck of the Irish. Funnily enough, while packing up all my things in Sydney, I found a key ring that I had bought in Ireland when holidaying here 3 years ago, with a real 4 leaf clover, another Irish symbol of luck, which I put on my keys since I got here. I am not a superstitious person, but for whatever reason, I do feel that things have gone very smoothly for me here so far (and having now said that I'm not superstitious, "knock on wood" for that one :-p).

So how has the luck of the Irish rubbed off on me? For starters, I started house hunting the 1st full day I got here - and found a house that very night, which I moved into a week ago today. I now live in an area called Portobello, in a charming two storey house with two extremely lovely Irish girls as my housemates. We got on so well when I came to inspect the house that they asked me to move in, if I was interested, on the spot and I immediately agreed. Portobello is a very vibrant part of Dublin, very multicultural and full of diverse restaurants, cafes and pubs. Having researched areas in Dublin before I arrived, it was on my shortlist of places I wanted to live. It's also very close to the city centre, and satisfied my desire to live in a house, rather than an apartment, so it basically ticked the two boxes I had in mind: Living in a house, and being close to the city. Very lucky indeed!

Secondly, as excited as I've been to move out here, my friends will know how much I was dreading the Irish weather. Well, in the two weeks I have been here the weather has been absolutely brilliant, it's actually been really, really nice! Or, as they say here in Ireland "it's been grand". On a side note, "grand" is a term used here a lot, and can be positive or negative. You can say "it's grand" when you're really happy/excited about something, or you can say "it's grand" when really it's not grand at all and what you really mean is "it's ok", or "don't worry about it."

Then there has been the people that I've met so far. I have been told more than once before arriving here how friendly the Irish people are. It is very true. Irish people have to be amongst the friendliest I have come across in the world, everyone really is so nice. From my host in my first week here who looked after me so well and took me under his wing as I arrived, to my lovely housemates who have been so welcoming, one of whom has introduced me to Irish life and out to parties and clubs with her friends, the other one always checking in on me to see how I'm getting on and even made dinner for me tonight while she made dinner for her mum who came over tonight, to even just helpful strangers all around. Even bus drivers and taxi drivers here have just been so damn nice. I have met so many people at work too, from all over Europe, along with some locals, and I work with a great bunch of people all round.

I will expand more on day to day experiences I have had since arriving in future posts. One funny thing to mention though, which I said I'd get to earlier in this post. Those of you who know me personally know how well connected I have become in Australian life with the networks I've established. Hence why it's so typical that I ran into someone I know in Kuala Lumpur airport on my way over, just like it's hilarious yet typical that when travelling in India last year, I ran into someone I know among the billion people that are in that vast country. Naturally being new in Dublin I don't have a network here as yet. However, today I discovered that one of the good friends of my housemate, whom I've met in the last couple of days, used to live next door to an Irish Jewish family who immigrated to Australia who I know from Sydney. Now me being me it is not that atypical that I would know any given Jewish person in Sydney, but what are the chances that in my first 2 weeks here I would meet someone, obviously not Jewish, who happened to live next door to this Jewish family who moved to Australia? The answer is that with approximately 1 million residents in Dublin the chances literally are around one in a million. And yet, in typical me fashion, that's exactly what happened.

One final update before I sign out. I have also made an effort to tap into the Jewish community here. It is very very small. Last week I met the Rabbi, who is really nice, and I attend Shabbat services last Saturday at the Orthodox Shul here. The Rabbi introduced me to other members of the community, most of who are of older generations, there weren't really any young local Jews when I went there. As the High Holy Days are coming up, it was good to go there when I did, as I intend to attend services at the Shul during the upcoming Jewish holidays. There is also a pretty tight knit group of Israelis who I work with, they hang out a lot and seem to look after each other, which is nice. They are planning to do something together for all Israelis and Jews who we work with to celebrate Rosh Hashana, so that should be quite nice.

Overall, it has been a pretty good two weeks here. I am starting to get my bearings around the city and now starting to build some sort of routine. On the cards is an exercise routine I hope to get into soon, and I plan to sign up for Arabic language classes fairly soon, a hobby I picked up in Sydney since the start of this year. Socially things are coming along slowly but surely, as some friendships are beginning to form. I haven't felt lonely or sad as yet, so that's all good. It has been really great receiving so many facebook posts and messages, text messages, whatsapps, email and viber calls from so many people in Sydney already, I love hearing from you all and I promise I'll always respond even if I don't initiate contact, so please keep it up! Being on such a close time zone to Israel has been great too, being able to speak to my sisters and Mum more regularly and at decent hours is, as we say here in Ireland, grand!

So that's it for now, so far I am smiling and pretty happy as I settle in, so only good news so far. Missing everyone, sending everyone, wherever you are in the world, much love from the Emerald Isle xx.