Back to the Real World

I start my new job on Monday!  It was quite the process to get to this point.

April 2nd - Arrive in Dublin
May 10th - Offered my job
May 18th - Paperwork sent off to Irish government for my Work Permit
June 7th - Work Permit granted!
June 8th - Updated my status at the Immigration office (yay for a better photo on my immigration card)
June 25th- First day of my new job!

Although this seemed like the longest process in the world, they originally guessed my start date would be July 23rd, so things happened about a month quicker than expected.

So, here goes nothing.  I'm excited, a little nervous, but mostly, just ready.  I am not going to lie, I will miss sleeping in, hitting the gym before, or after, lunch and meeting my friend Abby for an afternoon coffee on the canal.  The last few months, I have developed a surprising ability to fill a day with these small tasks.  I did volunteer ~15 hours a week for the last 3 weeks, which really helped get me back into having a schedule.

I was able to squeeze in one last mini-trip last week before the responsibilities resume.  I tagged along with Brian on a trip to London for a few days.

On our walk to dinner

Brian was super busy with work during the day, but we had the nights together and I was able to entertain myself quite well during the day.

Brian and Big Ben

I met up with 2 old friends from Japan, Hannah and Denis.  Hannah, who was my neighbor in Bushi (the town we lived in), met me for lunch one afternoon.  It was great to catch up with her and talk about some good memories from our time in Tokyo.  Denis and his fiance Karen, met up with Brian and I for dinner one night.  They are getting married in a month and I couldn't have been more thrilled when Karen asked me to bring some of our wedding photos for her to look at.  I just love any excuse to look at our wedding photos.

My highlight during the day was when I took The Clipper commuter boat to Greenwich and spent the afternoon at the park, checking out the observatory and picnicking, which was good, but a picnic just isn't the same without Brian.

That's the boat I took - The Clipper

View of the Tower Bridge from the boat.
I love the double decker bus, classic London

Greenwich Mean Time clock

Greenwich Mean Time - official 24 hour clock

Prime Meridian - Left foot west, right foot East

View from One Tree Hill at Greenwich Park

After an afternoon of walking around in the, I popped into the Marks & Spensers grocery store for a drink.  What I found might be one of the coolest things I've ever bought at a grocery store - Rose, literally, by the glass.  I wasn't looking for a glass of wine, but how could I pass that up?

You couldn't resist either, right?

About to enjoy my wine while I wait for my boat

cheers!

London was a perfect little excursion to spend my last free week.

On the boat ride back to the hotel