One way to Northern Ireland

In June 2018 I decided to leave my life in Sweden. I left my apartment, my full time job as a preschool teacher, my friends and my family and took a one way flight to Dublin. From Dublin I continued over to Belfast, which is the capital of Northern Ireland. It has now been three years, but how did it all start, and where am I now?

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I started my life living in a house share. It was a difficult time trying to juggle being new to the country and also trying to make new friends and manage a new job. It was many balls in the air, but I was excited to do this, all by myself. My first job was at a nursery, taking care of children from five months old up to four years old. This was very different from what I was used to in Sweden, so I struggled to make sense with the way they were working with children in those age groups. Not only was the job hard with long hours and work conditions I wouldn't wish upon any hard working person - it was also far away from where I lived, across the other side of the city. I took two buses to get there, and I was home late every evening. Sometimes if there was a traffic jam, and I either had to walk half of the way or wait on the bus, it took me one and a half hour at least to get back home. I spent approximately 10-11 hours on my job. My free time was cramped, but I managed to find time for myself and to meet new friends. How? I am still to this day surprised how I did not turn into a zombie!

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Roy T. Bennett

One year later I changed to a job doing technical support via social media, which I still do now. I started off working in an office (for one year) which was walking distance from where I lived, but from lockdown end of March 2020 I work from home. I have also moved twice - first I moved from the house share to a new house with a friend, and last year I met my boyfriend Matthew and we moved in together in January 2021. This will be our last year living in Northern Ireland as we are planning a move to Sweden in February 2022 which will be a big change for us both! We are excited, stressed and all the feeling you can imagine feeling.

Here I will write about the adventures I do, mostly together with my boyfriend and our dog Ollie. Everything from just a stroll in the park to a holiday abroad. Hopefully I will be able to inspire, motivate and give you tips on places to go - or products to try out. Enjoy!