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One year living as an Expat in Ireland – and what it has taught us

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Over the past 12 months we have both learnt so much, here are some of the things we have learnt after a year living as an expat in Ireland.A year ago I stepped off the plane into unchartered territories of moving overseas and living in a foreign country. Both Rob and I have been fortunate enough to experience living overseas when we were younger, but I have to say the first lesson I learnt this year is that moving overseas as a single, broke student is entirely different to moving over as a married couple, with a dog, trying to get out of debt and trying to live life more intentionally. We moved to Ireland for the adventure and the chance to travel and explore more of the world. And I guess for the most part, an adventure is what we got – except not entirely how we planned it would all go down. Over the past 12 months we have had some highs and lows. We have both learnt so much, so I thought I would share some of the things we have learnt after a year living as an expat in Ireland.

Nothing goes how you plan for it to go, even when you plan the shit out of it.

Before we moved over, we did a pretty extensive search into what it would be like, what it would cost, what work permits we could apply for, what jobs we could get etc. I would like to think that if we were to do it all again, I wouldn’t change any of the work we did in the planning phase – we did a lot of good planning. Unfortunately, life sometimes doesn’t always stick to the plan. We underestimated the bureaucracy and admin it would take to get jobs and work permits. And there were a couple of things that honestly were completely out of our control.

We successfully moved over our furbaby and it was the best decision ever.

Those first few months when I was at home and looking for a job, having Jack at home with me was honestly the best thing in my day. Jack has this attitude in life where he gets so excited for walkies, and running on the beach, but he is equally excited for snoozes on the couch – no matter what happens, as long as we do it together as a family, then he is happy. Which is kind of how I feel about being here together, I know things will be OK as long as we are all three together.

moving a pet to Ireland is easy - if you know how!

We learnt how to do things on our own.

A lot of this new experience is dealing with things on your own. Your friends and family back home will be supportive as they can but there will be things that are far more complicated to explain. We assumed it would be easy and underestimated how lonely it would actually be. There were large parts of this year where we had to carry on alone. 

We learnt a lot about budgeting and saving money.

For most of this first year we have had to work out how to live off one salary. It’s been tough and some days it was a serious struggle. But what helped most was learning how to better work with the money we had coming in. Figuring out what was important to us, and what we thought should be important to us based off expectations we had put on ourselves. This was a hard learning to go through. Slowly we are getting rid of debt and learning to not give into peer pressure of what ‘perfect life’ looks like. The truth is perfect for us is being debt-free. And moving overseas has shown us that we can get out of debt if we stop buying things we don’t actually need, or that don’t actually bring us any joy.

Guinness Lake, Lough Tay, Glendalough in wicklow, Ireland

We learnt patience, and to trust the process.

We are still learning to not be in such a hurry to have everything sorted – some things take time. As much as we planned for the move, there has been a large part of waiting on feedback. Waiting to hear that we got the job, waiting for the process of the work permit to be sorted out, waiting to hear what the next step is. Before living in Ireland, we were impatient; if we wanted something we just went out and got it. We never really waited long enough to appreciate the process. Being an expat where you are always waiting, we learnt to have a little more patience. Some days we are better at it than other days.

We got creative on how to get out the house and learnt how to travel slowly.

The slow travel lifestyle is definitely something we most certainly have bought into. Slow travel is the art of going and seeing a place at a pace that suits you. It means avoiding ticking off a list and marking a place done after one weekend visit. We have gotten really creative at finding free things to do in the city. Exploring Dublin top to bottom, and inside out. Rob has probably taken over 100 panoramic photos of every place we have visited since we have been here. We have tasted tons of donuts, had a few pints in quite a few pubs, walked hundreds of thousands of steps all over, taken bus tours and day tours to various well-known spots, not to mention we have found tons of free things to do too.

The Burren, West coast of Ireland

In Ireland alone we have travelled and explored large parts of Dublin and surrounding areas, but also we have travelled to 14 of the 32 counties in Ireland in just one short year. I even wrote a few blog posts about some of the highlights:

We learnt about communication, and worked on our marriage

Want to test your marriage? Go to a foreign place where you know no one, live on one salary, have one person unemployed at home, feel helpless and foreign even in a room full of people, and wait for feedback on if you can actually stay in the country together – that combo is bound to test your relationship with each other. Nothing has tested our marriage more than living here and having to support each other and figure things out together and on our own. There have been days when I was weak and impatient, and Rob was strong and supportive for me. Equally there have been days where I have had to carry the support for our family. Living with financial uncertainty in a foreign country has been a huge learning curve for us. I am thankful that we have each other. Surprisingly, I learnt how strong I actually can be when I need to be, especially since I have needed to be stronger than I have ever been. Most of all, we learnt how much we love each other – and I honestly wouldn’t want to do this life journey with anyone else.

We learnt how to get out of our comfort zone and do things that challenged us.

Asking for help, learning to say no, reaching out to strangers to make friends – this year has taught us how to not give a shit about what people think is the right way to live, we have just gone on and done things in our own way. And I have to say, it’s been awesome to actually do life the way we want to. Even if this year has not gone how we both planned, we have still managed to work towards having a life that makes us happier as individuals and made us a stronger couple.

Oktoberfest in Dublin

We learnt how to make friends, and honestly, they are pretty awesome folk.

We are still figuring out the cultural differences. Because even though everyone speaks English, there are so many different ways of saying things and misinterpretations and misunderstandings have happened. But for the most part, the Irish are a friendly bunch. I am so thankful for the friends we have met. It is kind of crazy how complete strangers have come to our aid, and who have helped us in ways you just can’t explain to a person who has not been through something similar. We have laughed and cried and shared our hopes and fears with these people – and they have done everything they could to console us, and help us – from small ways like whatsapping us to check in and see how we were doing, skype calls in the middle of the day, dropping off a box of beers, inviting us over for dinners almost every month and supplying endless bottles of wine, meeting us for endless cups of coffee, for hugs and laughs when all we wanted to do was cry, taking us away for the weekend and introducing us to their friends, even offering their home as a safe place to stay. Words cannot express how truly thankful we have been for those people, those friends, have been such a welcome blessing in disguise. We will never forget the kindness, and hope that one day, when we are settled that we can offer the same to someone else in need.

This year has been a rollercoaster. Any expat who says moving to a new country is easy and without challenges is either exceptionally lucky or in massive denial. Most expats I have spoken to have said it takes at least one year to 18 months to fully settle into a new way of living. As much as you can appreciate all the new things that will surround you, the change is constantly there, there is no reprieve or normal. It’s a new normal where you can either sink or keep swimming. I sound a bit negative, but I think it’s important to be realistic with your expectations when considering a move overseas. Things will be different, there will be challenges, and there will be a lot of confusion and frustration. But along with all the negative, there will also be laughs and adventure, and the experience that will change you – if you are lucky, hopefully for the better.

HAVE YOU EVER LIVED OVERSEAS AS AN EXPAT – DID YOU FIND IT EASY? WHAT WERE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND LESSONS YOU FACED?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Over the past 12 months we have both learnt so much, here are some of the things we have learnt after a year living as an expat in Ireland.

Top 10 things to sort out when you arrive in Ireland (as an expat)

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the top 10 things you should get sorted as soon as you move over to Ireland as an expat.The best part of living abroad is the realization that you can never get away from admin and paperwork. Some things change and some things stay the same, but no matter where you live, there will always be admin and paperwork! The bonus fun fact is that it is going to be slightly different wherever you plan on living. The paper work also seems to increase depending on if you are married/single; if you need a visa to live or work in a place and if you plan on one day seeking permanent residency in a particular foreign country.

Basically you can not avoid getting sucked into an admin paper trail, so I thought that I would outline some of the basic things you, as an expat in Ireland, should try get sorted within the first few weeks of your arrival. This list is a culmination of our experience and is purely based off our own experience and unique situation to moving to Ireland from South Africa. If you are looking to chat more about how you can move to Ireland, feel free to contact me, and if its technical info you need about your own situation, Citizen Information can also be a great resource.

Disclosure: this information is also based on the fact that you have legally arrived in Ireland and that you are legally allowed to enter the country and live/work here. If you want to read more about how we moved to Ireland, maybe start with this post and then come back here.

Top 10 things you need to sort out as an expat moving to Ireland

Top 10 things you need to sort out as an expat moving to Ireland Click To Tweet
  1. First things first, you need to find a place to stay – I recommend trying to do this while you are actually in the country, although you can most certainly check the various rental sites online. I just found that good spots go quite quickly, so you want to be able to give them a call, or meet/view the place quickly. This post is a great resource for anyone looking for a pet friendly rental in Dublin. Key to getting a rental sorted, means that you can get a proof of address in Ireland. I had hoped that the rental agreement itself could be used as a form of proof of address – but the bank however would not accept this as proof of address. You will probably sign up for utilities like gas/electricity/TV/Wifi any ways, and these can be used as proof of address. If you are married, try set up these accounts where both of you have a name on these utilities (or one has TV and the other has electricity account). A proof of address is going to be a valuable piece of paper you will need to set up other things while you live here in Ireland.
  2. If you are a non-EU passport holder, when you went go through immigration at the airport, they will give you a card with information on setting up an appointment for your GNIB card. This is basically an immigration card that shows you are legally allowed to work/live in Ireland. It is essential you make this booking within 90 days of your arrival. Over certain times of the year, appointments book up months in advance – so the first day you arrive in the country, you should go online and set your GNIB appointment. Make sure you give yourself time to get this sorted. (Note: it will cost EUR300 for this card; so bring cash or card to pay for this at your appointment). Depending on if you plan on working or living in Ireland, you will need to bring with you all the necessary documentation – this should be outlined on their website.
  3. If you are like me, and plan on bringing over your phone from your home country to use here in Ireland, check that your phone is unlocked before you leave home. In South Africa, most phones are unlocked, but Americans that have come to Ireland often find out too late that their phone is locked, making it impossible to switch to an Irish sim card. I recommend going and getting your first sim card for your phone at carphone warehouse – they offer sales and specials for all service providers here in Ireland. You can get a pay as you go SIM, or a contract – depending on what you are looking for.
  4. When you first arrive in Ireland, you might be relying on public transport for a while, until you have a car. I strongly recommend that you sign up for a leap card – it costs EUR5 for the card and you can top up from your phone (Andriod only) or at the luas or train stations. Leap cards can be used on Dublin buses, Luas and the DART, you will also need a leap card to be able to register to use Dublin Bikes (it costs further EUR25 per year to be registered to Dublin Bikes). The rates for all these public transport services are cheaper if you use a leap card than if you pay cash – so it is well worth it!
  5. Before you arrive in Ireland, I hope you will look at if you need a work permit, and which one you can apply for. This really will help ease the stress if you know this before you arrive. If you are not sure, then read this post on finding a job and applying for a work permit in Ireland.
  6. Key to getting GNIB cards and work permits, is keeping track of when your passport expires. It might sound like an obvious one, but I recently got my work permit, and my permit is only valid till when my passport expires. I will need to get a new passport and then go back and update it with my work permit details thereafter, these costs all add up at the end of the day.
  7. If you are planning on working or earning a salary here in Ireland, then you will need to open up a bank account. This is a bit different to back home, you have to book an appointment at the local bank, and go in with your passport, and proof of address. I had to use a utility account as proof of address, because AIB would not accept my rental agreement.
  8. Once you have a bank account and a work permit, then you need to set up an appoint with social services to get a PPS number. You only need a PPS number if you are planning on claiming welfare, or if you are paying taxes (i.e working).
  9. After getting your PPS number, you need to go online and register your pps number with MyGov.ie to avoid paying maximum tax. You need to do this BEFORE you start getting your paycheck.
  10. If you plan on buying a car/ driving in Ireland. You are allowed to swop your South African drivers out for an Irish drivers license. All you need to do is fill some forms, go for an eye test, and then make an appointment. You will need to hand over your current, valid South African drivers license. It takes 3 weeks – 3 months to get your Irish drivers license back. The cost to get this sorted is EUR55.

So there you have it, the top 10 things you should get sorted as soon as you move over to Ireland as an expat.

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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Top 10 things you need to sort out as an expat moving to Ireland

10 things I do in Ireland that I never did in South Africa

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There are a few things that I have noticed that we do here in Ireland, that we didn't do back in South Africa. Here are some of the differences we found.I can’t actually believe it’s been 11 months since we left South Africa and moved over here to Ireland with the pug. Some days I miss home terribly, other days it still feels like a dream that we are actually living here. And truthfully, most days, we are still wading through everything and still trying to find our feet.

So much has changed, yet so much has stayed the same. We still work, we still need to pay bills, we still battle to carve out personal time to exercise and keep healthy, and I am still forever wondering what to cook for dinner (I am my mother’s daughter no matter where I am in the world!). There are a few things that I have noticed that we do here in Ireland, that we didn’t do back in South Africa. So I thought I would share some of these differences, but maybe they aren’t really that different as they are just a new norm?

10 things I do now that I live in Ireland as an expat Click To Tweet
  1. I now use all the coins. I have been known to jingle jangle all the way to the store with over 20 euro in change, and buy a week’s worth of groceries. Thank goodness for self-service machines, it means I can slot all those pesky coins into the machine without feeling guilty that the teller has to count it all. We used to have a piggy bank in SA too, but we used to put it into money bags and take it to the bank – Rob always felt too shy to go out and pay for things with coins. Now in Ireland, I feel nothing to go and pay for meals, or groceries with a handful of change. I do feel like 2 euro (largest denomination of coin here) goes a lot further than R5 coin (largest in SA), but maybe that is because we had to learn how to live off one salary.
  2. We weekly shop instead of monthly bulk buy. This might have started more out of necessity, we don’t own a car so we have to rely on what we can carry in back packs and in our arms while walking to and from the store. The largest store close to our home is a 3km loop there and back. I don’t mind so much as it helps get my steps up for my fitbit. The other reason for a weekly shop instead of a monthly bulk buy is that we have less food wastage, We also save money because we eat what we have in the house before walking to the shops to buy more.
  3. We don’t eat Hawaiian pizzas or MacDonald’s that much. Take out food is expensive, so if we are going to have a cheat meal, we often resort to frozen pizzas from Tesco. There are not a lot of pizza topping variations when it comes to frozen pizza, so we tend stick to pepperoni. I really miss a good Hawaiian pizza – pineapple on pizza is the best thing ever! And I suppose it is not a bad thing that we don’t have a MacDonald’s drive thru close by!
  4. We use the postal service (and it actually arrives). This still cracks me up. I get my payslip posted to me each month, I have had my job contract posted to me, our bank cards with a separate envelope for my pin have all been posted to us too. Direct mail is not dead here. In some instances you will find companies are more likely to post something to you than they are to email you, and it is reliable. It usually arrives within a day or two, which still boggles my mind.
  5. I carry a material shopping bag in my handbag. This is really bad because I know my mum does this back home, but in SA, I very rarely brought shopping bags with me to the store. Now I always keep a cloth bag on me because I refuse to pay extra for a plastic bag – plus we really should be thinking of the environment more.
  6. We walk everywhere. We don’t have a car (yet. We are thinking about getting one next year) so we rely on our two feet a lot more. We walk to get groceries. We walk the pug. I walk on average 4km every day just to get to walk and home.
  7. I don’t know how much data I use each month because wi-fi is everywhere. We both have phone contracts with 30 gig data plan, and we have wi-fi at home, not to mention there is wi-fi on the bus to work. I honestly don’t know how we ever lived on a gig of data back in SA.
  8. We don’t own an “american size” fridge. When we were looking for a place to rent, a lot of rental options had the term “american size fridge” – upon further investigation, we realised it was basically a fridge freezer combo – standard in most South African homes too. Since Dublin pet-friendly rentals are hard to come by, we had to forego the big fridge but for two people on a tight budget, the fridge we have suits our needs perfectly.
  9. We use public transport every day. I have gotten pretty good at figuring out Dublin Bus routes, taking the train, riding the luas, topping up with credit through the app (super handy!). Not to mention running to catch the bus and knowing which bus route is the fastest way home.
  10. I now own a coat for every season – all of various thickness and waterproof range. All serve their purpose, trust me I have thought about cutting them down to one (to suit my capsule wardrobe lifestyle). The one thing I am yet to master is figuring out the right coat on before I leave the house and then as they say here in Ireland, “I’ll be grand so”.

It has been the most challenging year we have ever faced, moving overseas is often not as glam as you might expect, but these funny quirky stories are what makes us laugh and learn from these new and different situations. No matter what happens in the future, our lives have certainly changed either way. I think the key to having a successful expat transition is to embrace the changes, try roll with it and go with the change. Not everything you did back home is right (or wrong) – it is just different, and sometimes that change can actually be for the better.

WHAT DO YOU DO DIFFERENTLY IN AS AN EXPAT?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!)..

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2 -3 times a month, to be sure you don’t miss out on the new post you should sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox – Sign up now!

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There are a few things that I have noticed that we do here in Ireland, that we didn't do back in South Africa. So I thought I would share some of these differences, but maybe they aren't really that different as they are just a new norm?

The Best Ways to Find a Pet-Friendly Rental in Dublin

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Although it is super tricky to find a rental that is pet friendly, it is possible. Here are the considerations you should have when looking for a pet-friendly rental in Dublin, Ireland.Lately I have been getting a few emails from people looking to move to Ireland with their pets. The number one question they ask is how easy is it to find a place to live with your pet. In the sage words of Nelson Mandela, it always seems impossible until it is done. Although I am sure he never meant it for moving to a new country with your pet. Although it is super tricky to find a rental that is pet friendly, it is possible. I tried to list a few of the considerations you should have when looking for a pet-friendly rental in Dublin.

While moving your pet over to Ireland can be relatively easy to do (no quarantine definitely helps, but read my post on all you need to know about moving your pet to Ireland f you need help with this.). The trick is once you are over here; it is a bit of a stress finding accommodation for the whole family, fur babies included.

Here are some ways to find a pet-friendly rental in Dublin. Click To Tweet

If you can – divide and conquer. 

We didn’t want to kennel Jack while we looked for a place to stay, so my husband moved over a few weeks before we did to find a pet-friendly place.

Search online, but try do it while you are in Ireland.

We looked online, on www.daft.ie, to find a place to rent in Dublin. I think we were lucky, given the time we moved over and that my husband was available to meet at any time of the day. We found a place within 10days, and were able to move into the place 4 days later. I do think that was a bit of luck and the fact that the place we found was empty already helped move the process along quicker than expected.

Narrow down the search, by looking for what you need.

It is better to look while one of you is here; this is because places go so quickly. When you are looking for places online, try advanced search settings by looking for places that are privately managed by the landlord and not a rental agent. This is because a landlord can make a decision on the spot on whether he/she is happy to allow pets – a rental agent will need to sign this off with the owner, and it is far easier for that person to say no if they haven’t met you. Search for places that have a garden or small outside area. You will also find it more likely to find a pet friendly lace in a house, versus a flat. I guess this might also come down to what kind of pet you have, but a flat doesn’t just mean what the owner allows – you also need to factor in what the body corporate of that block of flats allow.

Be available to act fast.

You will need to act fast, if you see a place that ticks all your boxes, be available to go see the place and make a decision right there. One of the deciding factors to how we were able to secure the home we live in now, was that Rob was able to draw the deposit and offer it right then and then.

Be prepared to pay a bit more.

If you can, you might have to budget a bit more, in some cases I have heard of people offering a double deposit to secure a home for themselves and their pet. Depending on where you want to live, rental prices in Dublin are quite pricey. We chose to find a place that was closer to the city, and central to public transport because we don’t own a car and we also wanted to experience living in a city versus outer areas which are more similar to the suburbs we had back in South Africa. We ended up with a place that is a bit older and with basic furnishings than what we hoped, but it’s central and close to bus, train and luas (tram) so it’s the perfect lock up and go for us. We are super lucky that our landlords are really nice, and they allowed us to keep Jack with us which was the most important thing!

HOW DID YOU FIND PET FRIENDLY PLACE TO RENT IN YOUR TOWN?

Unlock the simple life,

~Meg~

p.s. If social media is your thing (snap! It’s my fave too!), you should totally follow me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or join my exclusive Facebook Group. And because I seriously am an open book, if you ever want to bounce ideas off me, or just chat and connect send me an email (I really love chatting!).

p.p.s. I try post varied content 2-3 times a week; I am also setting up exclusive challenges; guides and templates that I will only share with my subscribers, so be sure to sign up and get all the news straight in your inbox! Sign up now!

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Although it is super tricky to find a rental that is pet friendly, it is possible. Here are the considerations you should have when looking for a pet-friendly rental in Dublin, Ireland.

Although it is super tricky to find a rental that is pet friendly, it is possible. Here are the considerations you should have when looking for a pet-friendly rental in Dublin, Ireland.

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