Ireland Vol. 2: Megan Goes to Work! (and Gets Lost)

7/11/22

WE HAVE HOT WATER. I REPEAT, WE HAVE HOT WATER.

In the words of Barney Stinson when he got two bags of gummy bears from the vending machine for the price of one, “it’s like I don’t even care what happens the rest of the day.” Except I’ll go one step further and say I don’t even care what happens the rest of the WEEK, all that matters is I just took the most glorious hot shower of my life tonight, after turning on the water heater and waiting 45 minutes, of course.

7/14/22

Other than my long-standing quest for functioning appliances, my first full week in Sligo has gone pretty  well! Are my unpacked bags still strewn haphazardly throughout my room? Yes. Do I have a mountain of clothes piled on my spare bed? Also yes. Have I cooked a meal in my kitchen? … does oatmeal count? But I think these are a testament to the fact that I have been with friends, out exploring, and making the most of my first few days here!

On Tuesday we celebrated the birthday of my friend Kyle (henceforth referred to as Handyman because he showed me how to close my front door my first night here)…(yes I have an engineering degree and I couldn’t figure out how to close my front door), and a group of us went to dinner at a restaurant in town. I learned a lesson that night as I saw the food approaching the table – when at an Irish restaurant, order the beef and potatoes (Handyman’s order) and not the Margherita pizza (my order). As I type this I realize that’s on me, and that should have been the obvious choice when in Ireland. Sometimes though, you’re just really in the mood for a good pizza. What I learned, though, is that while here I will train my body to always be in the mood for a good beef and potatoes.

First Day of Work

Wednesday was my very first day on-site at work, which I started in the customary Megan fashion by preparing for my big adult job by eating oatmeal for breakfast and packing a PB&J for lunch. I am still waiting to find out the specifics of my projects for the year, but I think it will be project management-focused within the Engineering team, working on diagnostics test kits that analyze blood to screen for a variety of infectious diseases.

It was a good but relatively uneventful first day, as I am still waiting to get the necessary access to things and to get going on my projects. The notable exception was when I found myself utterly lost while trying to leave at the end of the day. Using my (clearly) top-notch navigational skills, I managed to end up on the opposite end of the building from the front door. After asking three different people for help, I finally was instructed to walk outside and circle the entire building to find the parking lot, sorry, car park, and then finally my car. I’m so glad I was able to show that I was competent, quick-learning, and in control on my first day in my new role.

Post-Work Activities

Once arriving home and seeing it was still light out, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to go for a run. While I desperately love my collaborative running playlist made with my bsff (best sister friend forever, if you aren’t up on the lingo) Emily, I may need to tweak it just a bit for my year in Ireland. It just didn’t quite feel right running through this:

While listening to this:

2.5 miles and a lot of early 2000’s pop later, I decided to call it a day.

I closed the night out by FaceTiming first BSFF and then my parents which was much needed family time and felt like a big warm hug. I’ve been a busy bee this whole week but talking to them reminded me to slow down, take a breath, and focus on the important things in life – like if the pergola my parents are putting in our backyard at home in California is 9 feet tall or 8 and ¾ feet tall (it’s very important that it’s at least 9 feet tall). In all seriousness, it was the highlight of my day and I feel incredibly lucky to have such positive, supportive people in my life.  

Looking Ahead

This weekend other friends from neighboring Irish towns will be coming to Sligo to go hiking and explore the area. We will need to be careful though, because according to Irish Meteorological Service there is a heat advisory this weekend with temperatures reaching up to 30 degrees!!!

For those who are not as acquainted with the Celsius temperature scale as me, an Irish resident, (who definitely did not convert it on Google) that translates to a sweltering 86 degrees Fahrenheit! I may be an ex-Arizona resident, but I don’t know if even I am truly prepared to take on this extreme weather.

As it seems to be my new tradition to end with a list, I will leave you with some goals I have for this coming year.

Goals I Have for This Upcoming Year

1)     Become a regular at an Irish pub

a.      Very wise people told me the best way to do this in America is by tipping generously. Seeing how tipping is not a common practice in Ireland, I am accepting any and all tips (haha) on the best way to make this happen.

2)     Cook real meals for myself

a.      Anyone who knew me in Casa knows that I fell short on this one last year. I’m hoping to turn it around this year, although this week was not a promising start.

3)     Take time for myself for health and wellbeing

a.      I don’t exactly plan on running any marathons this year (or halves for that matter), but I am striving to keep movement as part of my daily routine for my mental and physical health.

b.      Walking to the pub counts as exercise, right?

4)     Embrace the adventure!

a.      Knowing that I may never get this opportunity again, I just want to try things I’ve never tried, do things I’ve never done, and get the most out of every second I am here. To quote 2019 Megan, who was in turn quoting the movie UP, “Adventure is out there and I’m ready for it!”

Final Notes

Thank you all for your support and kind words about my first post! I am going to try to post weekly entries, even if I am not able to write an Ireland update, you will have some type of content coming your way. If you would like to be notified when a new entry is posted, please sign up for the email newsletter! I promise it is not a scam, it is just me, my spotty WiFi, and an overpriced Canva Pro membership. This blog thing is still completely new, and I am learning as I go. Thank you for being patient and going on this journey with me! If you haven’t done so already, feel free to check out my first blog post too, Ireland Vol. 1.