I am moving to Ireland.
Last February A and I celebrated our 4 year wedding anniversary and altogether our 9 years together in Dublin. One evening as as we’re watching the tide come in, listening to the most wonderful sounds only the oceans can create, enjoying the sunset, I thought to myself what a marvellous place to be. Little did I know, I was actually going to be in this place, well almost…
Fast forward five months and here we are. Let me just clarify real quick, our anniversary and me moving are in no way related, rather just a happy coincidence. A and I went to Ireland to recharge our batteries from the harsh winter in Norway and we enjoyed ourselves utterly. But in no way did I in my wildest dreams think that this actually could become my (temporary) home. A few hours after we returned to Oslo I got an invitation to a job-interview in Cork. And then, just mere days after that the offer came in and the rest is madness…
Before you ask, A will not be moving with me but we have a plan in place and will see each other as often as time and finances will allow. I have been offered a three year contract to do a PhD in Marine Innovation at the University College in Cork and my mind has been boggling ever since I found out. I get to move to Ireland and do a PhD about the marine environment and how people interact with it and most I have to do is read and write! It’s a dream come true!
I am thrilled beyond everything and yet still can’t fully comprehend what is happening. Seven years ago to the day we found out that we were moving to Norway and it’s been a wild ride. Now I’m about to head out on a new journey to the Emerald Isle and I’m overwhelmed. When I first met A, I would have never in a million years dreamed that anything we have accomplished thus far in these last nine years together would be possible. But here we are, going further than either of us ever thought possible and loving every single moment of it. We don’t know what the future holds, we have no idea what heights (and ocean-y lows) may come but we are excited!
These next few weeks will be filled with packing up things and doing all the moving-related things, you know, like finding the best midnight pizza (or the lost cause of teaching me how to cook anything really) and most importantly embracing it all like there is no tomorrow. On August 2nd A and I will head out to Cork and make sure that I get settled in. And although both A and I are incredibly sad about having to spend so much time apart, we couldn’t be more excited for this amazing adventure.
We won’t be apart for all of the three years, we are after all not new to the long distance Spiel and we both know first hand how difficult distance can be. But we are determined to making it work. After all, how often do you get the opportunity to do something truly amazing and you’re actually at the right time at the right place? So, with this I return to the life long quest of figuring out where a bird and a fish may live. But I came to this realization:
A bird may love a fish and honestly, it never really mattered where they lived, because when you love someone that’s all that really matters…
A bird loves a fish 