On this day last year, Charlotte and I boarded an Aer Lingus flight with a one-way ticket from Seattle to Dublin. We’d flown over in late July to take care of immigration paperwork and settle into our apartment. This second flight, though, was the big one. Movers had packed our life into crates a few days before and Mushu and Fauna were in the cargo hold below us.
We’d spent the morning distracting ourselves at the lovely Woodland Park Zoo, where a coastal brown bear named Juniper decided it was a lovely day to toss a log around in the water by the glass. She just wanted to play and was, perhaps, confused as to why we weren’t joining in. Safety, Juniper, safety.
It’s wild how time embodies a dual pace when you fill it with a good life. Last year feels like yesterday. Last year feels like ancient history.
Throughout, everything seemed to just click into place. We lucked out with a stunning apartment in Dublin that made city living tolerable. We happened to put an offer on our dream house when Charlotte was, unbeknownst to us, barely one week pregnant. We settled into our new countryside life with enough buffer for our daughter to arrive in mid-July. We packed so much worthwhile effort into the last 12 months. Life is good.
One year in and Ireland has affirmed every part of why we moved. The pace and quality of life feel attuned to our rhythms.
There’s a stronger, more social fabric in the small towns around us than we found stateside. Ireland’s a country large enough to deliver everything you need and yet small enough that (true story) you drive 4 hours north to the US Embassy to get your daughter’s passport and meet a couple doing the same who live just 10 minutes down the road from you.
And, gosh, is it a gratifying, supportive country in which to raise a kiddo. From quality healthcare to abundant community organizations to exuberant strangers who adore little E. every single time we leave the house, it’s all been wonderful.
One year in and our days revolve around E. and (outside of her own growth, naturally) we expect the next year to move at a more relaxed or at least less dislocated pace. We have a trip back to the US later this year to see family and a vacation to the Canary Islands to celebrate Charlotte’s birthday in January. Ireland is home, though, and we couldn’t be happier.
