I have been awful at updating this, and I'd love to say it's because I'm busy traveling, and doing all of these amazing things, but the boring reality is that work has been crazy, and life takes over and whatnot. There have been quite a few people who have asked me to continue writing, so here it is.
I just got back from a weekend in Galway, and fully expected this post to be about that, but I have been missing my friends lately, and felt I needed to write about what was currently on my mind. I will write the next post on Galway, I promise!
The first two blogs I focused on how amazing it's been for me so far, and how much I'm loving life right now. While that's all still true, there was one aspect of the move that I didn't think would hit me as hard as it has. I miss my friends. For the most part I'm fine, but there are two or three friends that I've found myself missing like crazy. The once in a lifetime friends that each serve a purpose, and you know you won't be able to find again no matter how hard you try. I figured I'd give you an insight into the people who have helped shape the person I have become over the last few years, so in later posts when I mention how much I miss my friends, you'll know exactly what I'm missing.
First there's Christine. Christine has been a friend of mine since I was 14 years old. We lost touch for a tiny bit over the University years, but quickly got back in touch, and it was like we picked up right where we left off. She's my pillar to my past, and holds all of my high school memories. My oldest friend, and probably one of the kindest people I have ever met. We shared so many childhood sleepovers, where we would re-watch Remember the Titans or A Walk to Remember over and over again because we loved them so much. We'd anticipate the next Harry Potter release, because we were both obsessed, and we'd watch Home Alone and Home Alone 2 every Christmas (Marv and those bricks, classic). We would write notes to each other in class, and share all of our secrets. Our dad's worked together, and every year they'd have a company picnic at Marineland, where we'd ride every ride a million times, and pick random strangers out of a crowd so we could laugh at their reactions to the scary rides. This is the girl who would do all of my art assignments for me because she knew I was so goddamn bad at it, and the one who laughed at all of my jokes. For my 18th birthday, she made me a scrapbook of all of our memories, and it was the best gift I've ever gotten. She's so thoughtful, and so creative (but she did feel the need to include the awful pic of me trying the vomit flavoured Bertie Botts Bean from Harry Potter, so that was kinda rude). A true friend. Whenever I'm feeling nostalgic, I know I can go visit her and we can laugh about all of the dumb things we did as kids. She recently had a baby, and it sucks that I'm missing out on that part of her life. 
Then there's Tina. A single paragraph will not be enough to describe the ins and outs of Tina, but I sure as hell am going to try. I met Tina when we started working together at the Shaw Festival. She instantly became my work BFF and we were inseparable. On any given workday, you'd be guaranteed to find her and I in the greenroom grabbing coffee at 9 am (and 11, and 1, and 3...I'm aware of my addiction, thanks. No shame.) We were ALWAYS laughing and cracking jokes, and it got to a point where we couldn't even look at each other during department meetings, because we could read each others thoughts, and we'd laugh uncontrollably. Tina is the funniest person I have ever met. The only person who can consistently make me laugh until I cry. Many days I find myself laughing at old Tina memories, or reading old conversations. In addition to being hilarious, she is one of the most loyal friends I have ever had. Tina subscribes to the "You hate this person? Then I hate them too" school of thought, which I absolutely adore. "Oh, this guy hurt you? Well he's an ass and looks like he got kicked in the face too many times" is a classic Tina response. She's someone who loved the drive-in just as much as I did, and we would count down every winter to the day it opened. Then we'd wait about a month after that before going because it was too freaking cold to sit in your car in March. We had the same fave restaurants, and could manage to convince the other to go right after work simply by singing "Early bird dinnnnerrr" into the other's ear. Every morning, we'd open up google chat, even though we were in the same room, and we'd talk about what was going on in our days. 
I miss Tina, but we chat every single day, from the time she wakes up, until the time I go to bed. It's tough with the time difference, but we still know everything that's going on in each other's lives, and that's made it much easier on the days where I feel isolated. Our nicknames were "The Kidneys" which started as a joke, but in hindsight, she absolutely is my kidney, and I miss her every day.
Last, but definitely not least is Milica. Milica is the reason why I started this blog, and I know I've disappointed her with my lack of posts. I met Milica while doing my post-grad. We met on the very first day, and instantly became friends. I knew she was my kind of person when she suggested we forget the 45 minute line for free beef on a bun the school was providing and go to Boston Pizza for lunch. Even though we'd only known each other a couple of hours, it wasn't the slightest bit awkward. From that moment, Milica became my voice of reason. She was the calm and collected person I could go to whenever I had a problem, and she'd listen, and help me lay it all out and think about it rationally. The best support system anyone could ask for from a friend. Milica has a memory unlike anyone I have ever met. Whenever I'd go to her with relationship issues, there would be things I'd forgotten, and she'd be able to recall them like they happened yesterday, and use them to put everything back into perspective. She's not just my therapist though. Milica is always up for having a good time. Going for drinks, trying new things. Milica is always game for anything. I'd have the most ridiculous suggestions, and she'd just laugh and agree to go. "Hey Milica, let's go axe throwing this weekend' was met with the most excited response ever. (Turns out, she's a champion axe thrower, and has finally found her calling). I think this is why she's the best at telling stories. She is able to articulate her level of social awkwardness better than any other person I know, and she's the first to laugh at herself for doing something stupid. This is the girl who wrote me a list of 23 reasons why I should come out on a night when I didn't feel like going to the bar. She had locked me in by number 14, but I kept reading because they were so brilliant. The girl who would be the designated driver, and then write you a list of 32 hilarious things you said and did while drunk, and laugh at you for losing her keys (seriously though girl, that's on you. You gave your keys to the drunk girl to hold onto) The friend who is always up for a good time, but always responds to the "Can we do dinner, I need to talk" texts with an immediate yes. (Well, almost immediate, she never checks her damn phone, but when she does, she replies right away) I have met loads of wonderful people since moving to Ireland, and I'm very grateful for that, but the bonds I have with those three girls is unlike any I anticipate finding here, and for that reason I find myself thinking about home more and more.
For anyone thinking of making a move, I still recommend it. I have learned so much about myself as a person, and seen so many new things that I wouldn't have been able to experience otherwise. It's great to experience working in a different country, and going for drinks after work with different types of people. Even the experience of dating over here has been different from anything I'm used to, but it's all helping me grow and contributing to a really interesting life story when I come to the end of my days.
Again, I wouldn't trade my new life for the world, but I absolutely miss my old one.
