Moving to Ireland: Temporary Home, Floor 1

Moving to a foreign country is exciting and full of adventure.

It is also full of paperwork and more paperwork.

You need paperwork to enter the country. More paperwork to stay in the country. More paperwork to open a bank account. And so on.

Needless to say, the powers-that-be want to be certain that you really want to live there.

While all of that resolve testing is underway, you need a place to stay until you are legally able to lease a home.

Handy Husband’s employer provided temporary accommodations for our family while we searched for a permanent Irish residence. The company assisting us with the relocation, Irish Relo, gave us three choices of homes available when we would be arriving. We selected the one that would work best for our family.

It wasn’t the fanciest or the biggest, but it was the most family-friendly. That’s key for us!

The home is located in area called Donnybrook, which is relatively close to Dublin’s City Centre. It also happens to be very close to a whole slew of foreign embassies. My kids have played with children from Israel, Poland and France just because they were also in the area temporarily. Mission: Global Citizen is well underway.

Now let’s get down to what you really came to see today – pictures.

This is the dining area of our temporary home. Looking down the hallway to the right is the front door with a cool stained glass window.

By the way, much to my surprise, there weren’t any coat hooks in this home, so we made due with doors and backs of chairs.

Right off the entry is a doorway to the kitchen. If you’ve ever wanted to shut the door on your kitchen, well, this home might be your soulmate.

I will point out three things about this kitchen.

1) The refrigerator is the size of our wine fridge back home. I’m not sure if that says more about this kitchen or more about… oh, never mind.

2) There’s a red switch on the wall. Do you see it? That switch needs to be turned on in order for the cooker (aka the stove) to work. It’s a safety switch of sorts. That tidbit would have been really helpful to know when we visited during Spring Break.

3. There’s a half carton of eggs on top of the microwave. Eggs are not refrigerated in Ireland – not even in the store. I picked these up on the shelf next to the spaghetti sauce. Eggs aren’t cheaper here, but they are gorgeous, organic-tasting brown eggs like you pay extra for in the United States.

Wait. I feel the need to make one additional point about this kitchen in case you think I’ve lost my ever loving mind during this move. (The move isn’t over, so it still might happen. Ha!) There was no cabinet space left for food, so most everything we bought that didn’t need to be refrigerated ended up on the counter. Yes, it made me feel 10 degrees of twitchy.

Let’s move back to the living area. Walk four and a half steps this way. Good! You’re there!

If you were sitting at the dining table in that first picture and turned your head, this is what you would see.

A child coloring in a living room. A very brown living room. This house takes neutral to a whole new level. I’ve come to the realization that neutral is fine, peaceful even, as long as it has personality. This home has zero personality, but I give it points for being functional.

Through that door is the smidgen of outdoor space that has definitely come in handy when I yell at least once an hour “everybody go outside and play!”

Around the corner from this home, but still inside the neighborhood is a large green space. I’m not sure who was thrilled more – me or the kids – when I decided they could play over there without my direct supervision. Little do they know I can hear the rattle of their scooters with the windows open.

The last space on the first floor of this home can be found under the stairs! That’s where the owner tucked the washer/dryer combo.

There are two irons because Handy Husband bought one when he first arrived. That’s right, ladies! He knows how to iron. That’s why I snatched him up!

The washer/dryer combo is an awesome idea. This one just doesn’t dry clothes very efficiently. I’ve heard this complaint from other people who’ve used these machines too. It’s better just to hang the clothes to dry.

This appliance is also a lot smaller than what you might be used to in the United States. It can adequately clean approximately 4 pairs of underwear at a time. I’m only halfway joking. In all actuality, it can clean maybe one and a half outfits at a time. I can’t tell you how thrilled this makes me.

Sarcasm aside, I am so happy we chose to be in this little home instead of in a high-rise building. Finding ways to keep your kids occupied when all of their stuff is packed away in a shipping container is a lot easier when they can run outside and play.

Stay tuned for pictures of the 2nd floor. They are riveting.

If you are moving, visiting or want to know more about life in Ireland, here are a whole bunch of posts for you!

Living in Ireland: Life Without a Car

Living in Ireland: Inside My Kitchen

Living in Ireland: Christmas in Retail 2017

Living in Ireland: Storm Ophelia

Living in Ireland: That Time a Tree Came Down

Living in Ireland: Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Living in Ireland: Back After A Month in the United States

Living in Ireland: As Seen On My Commute

Living in Ireland: A Trip to the Hardware Store

Living in Ireland: Spring Flowers In Our Yard