On The Third Floor & To The Right

The Red Cow Moran was such a lovely hotel to stay in (the breakfast probably having been the best part), but I was more than ready to finally have my own permanent space for the next few months. The Tuesday after my first week in Dublin, I was informed that Margaret had secured a room for me in an area called Saggart; it's fifteen minutes away from my office if riding on the tram. Speaking of the tram, it's only a seven minute walk away from my front door step. Margaret informed me that the house had only been inhabited by the owners for maybe two or three months, and my room had never even been used before. I was already impressed by the fact that my room had been pristine, but there was also a full bathroom in my room as well (with a badass shower might I add). The best part of the room is the window facing Citywest and Saggart Village. It makes the room extremely welcoming and comforting. And if you look far enough left, you can see the mountains that hug the coast. I have the best natural lighting in the whole house if you ask me, and it makes me hate the morning a little less, honestly. I wouldn't say that living on the third floor is necessarily a bad thing because that just means stronger legs, and after a while, you just get used to it. My favorite time of the day is coming home, heading upstairs, and opening my door to the warm environment of my room as the sun shines onto the bed; it's absolute bliss.

Now, the owners themselves are Emily and Enda Keogh. And let me tell you this, they have been the sweetest and most welcoming roommates/house owners that I've had the pleasure of living with. I found out that Emily and Enda didn't know I was coming until the night before, and Emily didn't know this until she had gotten home at 9:00pm that exact night before. Because I was American, Enda made the safe assumption that I didn't have towels, blankets, or pillows. So that night after Emily got home around 9, they hurried and went and bought room essentials for me so that I could feel right at home. Normally when someone lets (leases) a room and moves in, they'll have nothing but their own things and a bed, but Enda and Emily truly took care of me. Emily and Enda are actually both teachers! Emily teaches art and Enda teaches history and English (and you can totally tell, there's art everywhere in the house as well as maps and literature, it's definitely a home of comfort). Also, the most fun news that I've learned, is that Emily is pregnant and is just finishing out her first trimester of pregnancy. It's been an awesome experience especially for her mother and mother-in-law because Ireland didn't have the ultrasound technology that they have now, and this is something that Emily is excited to share with them. Just think about that, their parents didn't have access to technology like this, and it really makes wonder where we would be without it today.

It's now been two official weeks in the house and I've learned a few things... One, the fire alarms are so ridiculously sensitive that you can be asleep at 3:00am, and they'll go off without any explanation. I've tried to ignore the sound, but it's simply impossible to do. Secondly, the home alarm system is fierce, and by fierce, I mean that if you do not realize which code you need to input at that very moment, you have thirty seconds to realize it before the entire alarm sounds off. Luckily, I've gotten the hang of the system and always make sure that I'm the last one out or the last one into the house to avoid any more mishaps on my part. And lastly, both doors (to the patio and the front door) are always locked. This is slightly problematic for me as I'm a fairly forgetful person, but once in the habit, securing that the doors are locked has become a little easier. The only unfortunate part about where I live is that I wished that we lived a little bit closer to the nearest grocery store. There is one about ten minutes away by foot, but my arms are no where near capable of holding two overstuffed bags for that long without stopping every few feet to rest my shoulders. Yes, I am a whiney brat, but if that's the only thing I have to complain about during this whole experience, SO BE IT.