Without realizing it, the two-month-mark of our time in Dublin, came and went. I realized this about a week past the 2 month anniversary. I see this as a good sign - that I'm not counting down the days until we get to go home - in three and a half years....That'd be a lonnnggg countdown. Instead, time seems to be passing comfortably even though it's the middle of winter, in Dublin. Again, a good sign.
I think it was really great timing for my best friends to be here when this two-month-mark came and went as the 3 weeks leading up to their arrival I was busy preparing and before I knew it, it was over. And here we are in February. Mid-February even. Today is February 10, 2012 so it's also the day that Norah becomes 1 and 3/4. =) She is 20 months today (which is a silly counting system, only decipherable to new parents.) I firmly believe, once kids are ONE, they should henceforth be referred to in years or years "and a half". =) Just as I am 28 and 3 quarters. Off the subject.
Thinking back on the first month, the theme was certainly "Honeymoon-everything-is-magical-about-this-new-place". For month two, leading into the 3rd month, the theme seems to be "the magic is wearing thin". I knew this would happen, I just hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. Don't get me wrong, we're genuinely thankful for every single day we get to be on this adventure but we're also starting to see some of the things about Dublin (maybe Dun Laoghaire mainly...) that are not so charming. We're starting to see the many things that really are great about the States (never thought that would be a sentiment I'd have) and especially so, about Seattle. I've always loved Seattle but now we're really missing it and really missing our friends and family. We've talked a lot about the fact that we wouldn't see our friends for MONTHS at a time even though we lived 15 minutes from nearly all of them. Why didn't we see friends once a WEEK?! Or, at the very least, once a month. Now, of course, this is 50/50 guilt and I think it's very much a Seattle-phenomenon but living in Dublin has made us realize how absurd it is. People here, that we've JUST met, actually call us - on a weekly basis - to hang out. It's so nice! And human! Anyway, I digress. I just know, when we return to Seattle, we will be very different friends and will have a greater appreciation for having loved ones in such close proximity.
Sunday, when our friends left, I heard some news from home and it was the first time I cried with 'homesickness'. I'm not a cry-er. I just don't feel the urge and I don't do it. Years will go by, and I haven't cried. But, something about 1) having the worst flu known to man 2) our friends leaving and 3) hearing happy news from home made me really miss Seattle and realize how long I'll actually be here. I'm pretty stoic so I can adapt to, and get through, just about anything.... but only for so long. Every once and awhile I realize that one year of this will be a breeze but then I'll visit home and I have to come back. Then another year will go by. Then I'll visit home. Then I have to come back. And on....and on... So, at what point - during what trip home - will I break down and think "Please, don't make me go back Wayne!"? I hope that day doesn't come. I hope we'll make some genuine friendships here and it really will become home for these three and a half years.
Luckily though, we have great dialogue about this (on a daily basis) so we're very much 'keyed in' to our feelings about it. Come on, two therapists.... we talk...a LOT. We both share when we're missing something or if we're starting to feel homesick and the other will give a little extra support that day. In talking about it so much though, we're also able to consciously acknowledge that its fleeting (the homesickness) and that the overarching feeling or 'theme' is that we only have a finite amount of time here and we want to enjoy it and really be present. While three and a half years can sometimes feel like an eternity, we're also really aware that it's a very short amount of time as well, and that we better take it all in. I'm thankful and sort of proud that we are both able to hold these two feelings and let them both 'be'. More to come on this. But, for now, we're happy and making our little home here.
I thought I'd give a little description of what our weeks look like now, given that Wayne is in school and we've been here for the full two months.
Monday:
Wayne at UCD - 9 - 4
Gloria - desperately trying to keep Norah occupied until naptime when she can crochet the blanket she's making for Oma Feddema. =) Nap time, 12-2:30. Play, Feed child, Wayne's home. Cook dinner. Bath. Bed.
Tuesday:
Wayne at UCD - 9 - 4
Gloria - Walk around Dun Laoghaire, train to Baby Group at 10:45 am, train home, naptime/mommy free time. 2nd outing, post-naptime.
Wednesday:
Wayne - Home until 1 pm. Then UCD 1:30-7 pm (Wayne has class this afternoon)
Gloria - Walks with Norah, library, grocery shopping (nearly daily), etc. before cooking dinner and bathtime. It's dark about 5:30 pm now so the days are still short, given that she takes a 2-3 hour naps smack-dab in the middle of the day.
Thursday:
Wayne at UCD - 9 - 4
Gloria - same old, same old. Trying my hardest to keep Norah's brain stimulated. =)
Friday:
Wayne home. (He does reading and writing during naps, etc.)
10 am - Toddler Swim Time at the Pool! Norah talks about this (and "Baby Droop/Group") alllll week.
Then we'll do some outing in the later afternoon, post-naptime.
Saturday:
10 am: Gloria's Running group! This is Mommy time. Luckily I've found a positive hobby and don't, instead, have a mommy-drinking-group at some Irish Pub. This very well may happen in year two or three of our stint here. =)
The group I started has been meeting for about 6 weeks now and there are usually 6-9 runners each week. We run about 6K and then we go out for coffee and scones to reward ourselves. It's a fine way to spend Saturday morning. I think I mentioned in another post, there's even one young woman (same age as me) and she's from Seattle! This week we (the group) made an official goal and decided we'll run the "Great Ireland Run 10K" on April 15th. We've been consistently running 5-7K each week so we figure we should 'get something on the calendar' and at least get a T-Shirt out of all of our hard work. Well, my main aim is getting the T-Shirt...
So, that's become my very disjointed and scattered looking schedule here in Dublin. I've got to find some more baby groups as Norah absssoolutely loves them. She asks me to recount the details of "baby droop" every single day, until we go again. She'll say "Mommy tell Nowah 'bout baby droop?" (and then she gets a glazed look in her eye as I tell her everything we did in the group). This happens three times a day, for 7 days, until I have a new baby group to tell her about for the next 7. Hence the possibility for the mommy-drinking-group later on down the road.
6 comments:
I'm curious what cooking is like there for you. We did not cook AT ALL in China (which I really really missed, I enjoy cooking). But we had no oven. Not really a stove or utensils pans etc. Not to mention the ingredients available- I wouldn't know what to do with them. Do you find yourself cooking just like normal or have you had to adjust your menu/diets?
Your last paragraph describing Nowah asking about Baby Droop so you can tell her about it repeatedly made me laugh out loud, by myself, at my desk.
I'm sorry you're feeling a bit homesick. I wouldn't be surprised to hear you say in a year or so how sad you are to be headed back home to Seattle.
Aly,
Yes, cooking has been a little adjustment but nothing like what you must have experienced in China. One, I have a hard time finding things in the store (they're just not in, what I consider, logical places so I end up walking around for 20 minutes looking for baking powder..). Luckily we have the stove & oven but of course the oven has died so we're waiting for a new one. For the first two months we just thought it was hard to bake things but turns out it was broken the whole time...go figure.
But, yes, we've adjusted some things and I can't make some of my favorite recipes. For instance, they don't have black beans here. ?? why? I don't know. They also don't have canned/chopped tomatoes that aren't in tomato sauce. I'm used to cans of 'fire roasted tomatoes in juice' so that's one random thing that I do without. Instead I just CHOP tomatoes by myself, what a concept. =) We bought a couple cook books though so that's helping to get some new recipes.
And thanks for the advice on the homesickness. That means a lot coming from you because you've gone through this experience - times TEN. =)
I can understand your homesickness as I have it in reverse. When Jocelyn was in Antigua - I was missing her so much some days, but it got better as the months went by. I am sure your family is feeling that way about you too. One day, when you have to return to Seattle, you will be homesick for Dublin. That's the irony of life. :/
I wouldn't say times TEN! My time was much shorter in China. So yes, China was a lot more...(trying to think of a nice euphemism).."foreign" but it was a fairly short amount of time and I knew that all along so it was easier to cope with homesickness. I would guess that your homesickness isn't so much coming from where you are but just the thought of how long you'll be away from home. Give it a couple more months and I'm sure you'll feel like you are home. It's funny though, I know exactly what you mean about hanging out or not hanging with friends that live so close when you're home. I thought I'd be much better at getting together now that we're home...but we haven't. I love the Irish culture of calling often to get together. I need to be more like that. Even with you, we only saw each other every 4-5 years, but now that you're away I keep thinking "Man, that sucks. If she was here we could get together!" But lets be honest, probably wouldn't see you for another 4 years anyway :) But, I do miss you!
Interesting about the tomatoes...canned diced tomatoes are a staple in our diet so I would struggle without them. I don't know much about Irish food, will you do a post on typical Irish meals and what you guys are eating/cooking as a result of being in Ireland? Loved the pictures of the sweet shoppe in the Marko post.
Also, need an update on the soap opera neighbor girl :)
Aunt Janet,
I can completely imagine that must be SO hard having Jocelyn so far away. Imagining Norah being that far sounds like a nightmare!
Aly,
Well, yes, you're right in that it might be another 4 years but I blame that on the 'living in different states' thing. =) If you lived in Seattle, we would most definitely see you more often. We had such a great time with you and Doug on your visit to Seattle. We both said we wished you lived there. =) And yes, I've been thinking about doing a post about food so thanks for the push. I've taken a few pictures of meals so maybe I'll keep compiling. Basically we just got some new cookbooks and keep trying new recipes. =)
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