What's For You Won't Pass You...

That saying is a popular saying in Irish culture, and I've heard it a million times growing up, but I have never lived it more than I have in the last 12 months. 

I am a list maker. A sneak peak into the Memos section on my phone will show you lists upon lists of things I need to buy, things I need to do, places I want to visit, and timelines of when I want to do these things. Another look into my Google spreadsheets will show more lists, of past parties I've thrown, and lists of things I needed to do. I can't stress enough how much I like lists. I get this from my mother, so it's extremely fitting that after I'd decided to move to Ireland, my mother helped me make a 'Pros' and 'Cons' list for moving to Ireland. 

I remember the day like it was yesterday, I had one of those moments where I started to panic, and thought that I might be making a mistake, that giving up everything I had was a stupid thing to do and I should just fight through the rut. It was October 2016, and my mom and I were sitting in Tim Hortons. I was talking about everything that had happened to me over the last 6 months and we decided to write the list. We wrote the list that would determine my future on a napkin, that I've kept with me this whole time. 

Every time I had doubts, I looked at the napkin. Every time someone told me I was crazy for moving, I looked at the napkin. Every time fear started to creep in, I looked at the napkin. I just kept saying to myself "I will be fine once I have a job and a place to live, and I can start settling in". 

There is a housing crisis in Ireland at the moment, where it's not only next to impossible to buy a home right now, it's just as bad in trying to rent one. It wasn't until I got here that I realized just how bad the situation is. The month I moved (February 2017) there were 7,421 people who were homeless in Ireland, and the number of families who identified as homeless has gone up by 36% since last year. Reading these stats caused more panic inside me. Where was I going to live? Again, I thought back to that night in Tim Hortons with my mother, and knew that regardless of all of these facts, I was exactly where I needed to be. 

The search for decent housing was one of the most frustrating parts of my journey so far, but I had some really fantastic family members who offered to drive me from place to place in the hopes that I would find a decent place to live. One day I got an email from my uncle with a link to a place that was advertised on the North side of the city, and close to where my parents grew up. It was the perfect location, close to town but also close enough to both sides of my family so I wouldn't feel lonely.

I am now writing this blog post from my new flat in Dublin. 

In 2 months, I landed a job, a flat in one of the worst housing markets in the country's history, and I'm starting to really feel like I belong. My head is spinning, I can't believe how fast everything has come together for me. I don't know if you believe in signs, but this sure as hell seems like one to me.