24 Days to go...

Hello, hello everyone!

My sincerest apologies, it has been forever and a day since I last posted to the blog!! November/December has been a long month, it started off very quiet and that is the main reason why I was finding it so difficult to compose a blog post because I simply hadn't gotten up to anything remotely interesting. Then as Christmas edged closer and closer and I was working more and more, I couldn't find the time to sit down! As I was spending so much of my time working again, there's nothing particularly interesting about that either!

The good news is, as of December 22nd, I have officially handed in my notice at work and my last day will be January 10th 2015 giving me a full ten days to sort myself and some personal matters out before we leave! One piece of advice I would give you all, if you're planning on leaving your job, hand in your notice as soon as possible! Be gone from that job within 2 weeks to 1 month depending on how much notice you are required to give. What I was doing, slowly counting down the weeks and days was torture! I've been finding it really difficult to go into work recently and not feel a little sad! Over the last few weeks there has not been one day where I've set foot in the place and thought to myself, "I'm going to have to hand in my notice soon", "I'm going to be leaving soon". It's actually really hard! At the same time though, I am so excited for the day to finally arrive! Myself and my boyfriend Larry talk about it as if we're already living there!

As I haven't been able to stop thinking about my looming departure, I have been actively making purchases that are Canadian winter appropriate. I still have lots to buy, I've been doing it very gradually. As Christmas comes before Canada, most purchases I've made recently are presents for other people. I've bought winters thermals, I've even tested them out! Got the thermal vests, leggings and tops from Penneys and they definitely add warmth, but need to worn alongside other layers. Need to invest in a few more of those, the ones I have are not skin tight and I think they would need to be to work effectively.

Had a very quiet Christmas in my house this year. Gifts I received were small in numbers but, this Christmas was about spending time with my friends and family, as it should be every year! Preparations are full steam ahead now that Xmas is over! Here are just some of the outerwear items I have purchased for Canada. Hoping they'll serve me well!

Mittens from my mum. Xmas present.

Snow boots! Lidl's finest! 

Regatta Jacket!
Hope it keeps the cold out?

Close up shot of the jacket.

One interesting thing I did get up to recently is, on December 20th, I went to see The Strypes in 5th on Teeling here in Sligo. If you don't know who this fantastic band are, let me introduce you! Group of extremely talented and young men hailing from county Cavan here in Ireland. Their talent is one that needs to be witnessed first hand! If there's ever an opportunity for you to see them live, take it from me, good and see them! Below I have featured of them performing on the David Letterman show in America in March 2014! They are so amazing live!!

Ross Farrelly, lead singer

Cool snap, Ross Farrelly.

The Strypes

Season's greeting to you all! Best of love and luck for the new year! Here's hoping 2015 is one amazing year!

Thanks for reading!

Ciara.

76 Days to go...

If you guys follow my Facebook account at all, (which I highly recommend you do) you will have seen that I've had quite the busy weekend!
              First and foremost, I had my graduation ceremony on Friday October 31st, Halloween of all days! Interestingly, this is my third time to graduate and I think it's definitely going to be my last! For the foreseeable future anyway. At first I didn't really like the idea of having my grad on Halloween as I wouldn't be able to dress up like everyone else, I was afraid I'd look a bit silly dressed in my finery!? In the end it didn't make much of a difference, there was a lot of people wearing suits and dresses about Sligo town that night. My graduation ceremony was the last one to take place that day and out of all the ceremonies there were. I was quite nervous as a few days before the ceremony I had learned that the whole thing would be lived streamed! Just to give the entire world the opportunity to watch me fall flat on my face! Thankfully, that didn't happen though and I successfully made it from one side of the stage to the other! I graduated with a second class honours degree in business with marketing. I've been in college a grand total of five years so, it took a bit longer than normal but, it's still a great achievement and I'm not ashamed to say that I am proud of myself! Here's a photo of me that you may have already seen, I featured it on the Ciara in Canada Facebook page.

Quite an impressive cake! 

To celebrate my graduation, myself and my boyfriend Larry went to Galway that same weekend. Galway is my... our,  all time favourite place! It's just such a great city, small and quaint but packs a serious punch! There's always something to do and see there. It's only about a two hour drive from Sligo to! Myself and Larry have gone to Galway several times over the course of our relationship, the two of us are big into our food and there's a list of restaurants as long as my arm that we always visit while there! During this trip we ate in Oscar's Seafood Bistro, The Front Door, The Quay Street Kitchen and Moran's Oyster Cottage which is located 10 miles outside of Galway city. I highly recommend all of these restaurants particularly if you like seafood! Here's just a glimpse of some of the food we enjoyed over the weekend...

Menu from Oscar's Seafood Bistro

Brill with Mussels in a creamy sauce,
Hake with slow roasted pork and mushrooms and veg.
Oscar's Seafood Bistro. 

Mussels in a creamy white wine sauce.
The Quay Street Kitchen.

Fresh oysters!
Moran's Oyster Cottage/Moran's on the weir. 

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

Ciara.

90 Days to go...

From today, my departure date is now exactly 3 months away , which is strange considering today is the 22nd and not the 20th  but, I guess it's because the month of September and November both have 30 days and not 31 so, there's two days counted in the following months.
It feels like only yesterday that everyone was saying Christmas was only 90 days away. Now look how close it is! If you're at all curious it's just 63 days away! How mental is that! Last  week, I had to say goodbye to another good friend of mine! Mark Brennan, a very funny, honest and hard working person who has also made the decision to emigrate to Canada. He's someone I have become close with over the past year and it makes me happy and sad all at the same time to have to say goodbye to him. He left last Wednesday so, he is living there one week now. Somehow, at the moment I would imagine it feels like he's on holidays rather than actually living there. (Hi Mark if you're reading this!) I wish him all the very best of luck on his new adventure. I'm hoping that Canada will provide you with every bit of happiness you deserve. I'll be sure to meet you in Toronto when I eventually get there myself.

Myself and Mark. Dec '13

I also got some good news this week! A nice surprise! My best friend Rachael returned home unexpectedly his week. She's been living in London for over a year and it was so great to see her again! I didn't realise how much I had missed her until she announced she was at home! Sometimes there can be a number of days or even weeks can pass by before we get the chance to speak to one another. I work, she works, our work hours can clash. We're both kept so busy all the time! Even when we're not busy, we're still busy! I only got to see her for a short amount of time but, it felt as if she had never left and we had only seen each other the other day?! The next time I see her should be at Christmas and then of course, because I leave in January, this Christmas could potentially be the last time we see each other for several months?!

Rachael and Me. August '13

My parents also returned from their trip to Canada/America and have been exhausted ever since! Jet lag is an awful thing! Could take a full week to get over in some cases! From the few photos I have seen Calgary looks like a small city (in comparison to say, Toronto) but, I'm so excited to go there! I'm hoping to see more photos of their trip soon!

That's all for now,
Thanks for reading!

Ciara.

104 Days to go...

As I sit here and write this, I am currently home alone. I have never been more bored in my entire life and a little lonely, I'm not gonna lie! My parents are away at the moment and will be for two whole weeks. Don't worry they'll be returning soon! I have only a few more days for fend for myself. Where are they you ask? Only in Calgary, Alberta, Canada! The jealousy is pouring out of me! What I wouldn't give to be there, see my sister and check the place out! I mean, this is going to be my future home and I have no clue what it looks like! Not only were they spending time in Calgary but, they actually went on a long road trip through parts of the US! Seattle, Oregon, Idaho, Montana to name a few! They had some places and faces to see! I have never set foot in America, the jealous is boiling over now! 
               Fending for myself this past week has been a real eye opener because this is exactly what I'm going to have to do when I move to Canada. Cooking, cleaning for myself doing simple things like having to put the rubbish bins out, feeding the dog, making sure I get myself up on time for because no one is going to wake me should I oversleep or anything! These are things I have done in the past but, they have never been my sole responsibility. It's going to take some getting used to to say the least. On Thursday night, I cooked a rather delicious meal that I thought I might share with you all. Creamy spinach chicken pasta! I got the recipe from Donal Skeehan's Kitchen Hero book and it was so easy! I'll be sure to include a picture of what I made and one of the recipe itself from the book so all you budding chefs out there can be inspired! I'm actually excited to be including photos on the blog, they will be my first. Hopefully, I'll be including lots more in the future! 

Huge picture! But wanted to make sure you could all read it!
Also had to take it as a landscape so it would all fit in one photo!

The water charges in Ireland are now up and running and I don't know what to make of them myself. Many countries, Canada included already pay for their water usage so, I'm surprised that water charges haven't been introduced before this? They only real issue I have with them is it's just another bill that we have to pay to get this debt stricken country back to normality. As I currently live at home, I'm not really affected by any of these charges but, my parents are and that worries me. How exactly are they or anyone else supposed to be able to survive in this country?! This is just another reason why I want to leave. Makes me so angry to even think about!

             Recently I started watching The Walking Dead and I have become obsessed with it! I really didn't think I was going to like it if I'm honest. Shows about vampires, zombies and mythical creatures fall into the same category for me. Because they are based around something that isn't real I find it hard to believe and think I won't enjoy it. I watched one season of True Blood before and yeah, gave up, didn't like it because all it was for me was blood, vampires and scenes of an intimate nature shall we say! I got bored! So, I thought The Walking Dead would be the same style of thing. If you have not seen this show, I highly recommend it. It will honestly have you on the edge of your seat! I'm already on season two and I only started watching it a few days ago! Other TV series that I recommend if you haven't already seen them would be Breaking Bad, Orange is the new black and Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones is another show I started watching way after everyone else and became hooked. I found it confusing in the beginning but decided to stick with it and I would tell you all to do the same. Roll on season 5 is all I can say! 

I hope you're all enjoying reading my blog! For the next 100 odd days any posts I make are likely to have nothing to do with Canada. Seeing as I have booked my flights all I can do now is wait and hope you enjoy reading about various things I get up to for the time being.

Thanks for reading!
Ciara. 

WE BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS!!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, you read the title correctly, your eyes do not deceive you. This is not a drill, okay enough... It is with great pleasure and excitement (and also quite a few nerves!) that I can formally announce that myself and Larry have finally booked our flights! It was a very scary moment, I'm not going to lie. As I sat there browsing through various flight options, hoping to strike upon a cheap deal my heart was in my mouth. I kept looking at Larry and he knew I was scared and apprehensive even though I have said numerous times how excited I was and how I couldn't wait to get out of here yet, when it came down to it, I was scared. I'm sure those of you who have been though this experience have had a similar feeling. 

                  In the end myself and Larry got a pretty decent deal on our flights. We leave on January 20th 2015, flying to Toronto from Dublin. We're going to be staying there for a few days with family members I have there before continuing on to Calgary, Alberta where my sister lives, our new home! We have yet to actually book our ongoing flights to Calgary but from pricing flights, I can tell you we will more than likely fly on Jan 24th? Weirdly booking the flight for a Saturday is the cheapest day?! Currently we have 117 days to wait, also did anyone notice that from today it's exactly three months to Xmas! This year is flying! I'm so excited!! 

Earlier this month I celebrated my birthday and I've decided I'm going to buy myself a proper camera. Probably a DSLR or something of that nature. All I have at the moment is a small (crappy) Samsung digital camera which is fine for nights out or whatever but, it was only cheap and while I was on vacation in Canada this summer it drove me mad! It has bad battery power, memory storage is limited and it just isn't good for taking good photos. I plan on including lots of photos in the blog, just to break it up a bit and to really allow my readers to join in on my experience in moving to Canada. Don't worry, that will be happening soon, just still deciding what camera to buy! They can be very expensive cameras to buy so, I don't want to rush into this making a purchase. Any tips or recommendations that you may have and you can give to me regarding cameras would be greatly appreciated. :)

Thanks for reading,
Ciara. 

Results Day

The time between the day I sat my repeat exam and the day I got my result (today!) felt like an eternity. I found myself incessantly thinking about the result of the exam and the impact it would have on my future. With each day my confidence fell dramatically about the likelihood of whether I passed. I was so sure that I would have to repeat the exam again in January. I also found myself working really excessive hours, last week I worked 8 days straight in work and this made me realise how much I wanted to get out of there! I felt overworked and underpaid as the saying goes and therefore, I really needed to pass! This also made me feel like I could have done more studying, I could have worked harder. “Shoulda, coulda, woulda…” 

Having said all that, It is with great pleasure that I can officially announce that I did indeed pass my exam. It wasn't an impressive grade, it was just a mediocre pass but, that's all that I wanted. It does mean that I am forever finished college and will be graduating in October/November. 
          Coincidently, today is actually my 24th birthday so, It may have been a tough week but today, has brought some very good news. The next step in the process will be the scariest one so far. The one that will make it official. It's time to book the flights... 

Thanks for reading,
Ciara. 

The Waiting Game

Since my last post to my blog I have now sat my repeat exam, I sat it today in fact! I was so worried about it and frankly, I'm still worried about it. If I'm completely honest, I'm not really sure how it went, and I really think there is a good chance I could have to re-sit the exam in January, again. Economics is just not my strong point; I could sit this exam 1000 times and fail it each and every time. The last thing I want to have to do is re-sit this exam again but, at least I have the option.  Myself and my boyfriend Larry decided to hold off on booking our flights until we knew whether I had passed the exam or not. As we are planning to move in January and I'm now thinking there’s a very good possibility I may have to sit the exam again in that same month, we may end up moving in February instead.  Now we play the waiting game and anxiously await the results of this exam. I should have the results soon enough, within the next 2-3 weeks and I’ll be sure to let you know.

In other areas of my life there’s not a whole lot I think I could tell you that I've been up to recently. I've been working loads and have been feeling really unhappy in my job and in my surroundings. As each day passes I feel more and more confident that making this move to Canada is the right one for me.This coming week, I have to work 7 days straight as a supervisor because there’s no one else to do it. My mum made the comment to me that, I applied for this job in work and I brought this on myself but, how is it my fault that there is no other service leader or supervisor available to work during this time? Someone made a major scheduling error and it sure as hell was not me. Things like this happen all the time where I work and it drives me crazy! It makes me want to hand in my notice tomorrow and walk out the door. I'm literally counting down the days until I can do this for real.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara.

College. The Final Hurdle.

If you read my last post on this blog then you’ll be more than familiar with the decision making process I went through to take myself to Canada. You’ll also know that there are a few small bumps in the road before I can actually get there. The most significant one being the fact that I have one exam to repeat in order to finish college, get my degree and hopefully, never ever set foot on any sort of an educational premises again! I was done with college, I had spent almost all of my life in full time education, 18 or 19 years altogether, I think?! That’s a long time and to be quite honest, I am sick of it. Having the opportunity to be able to attend college or university is not something I should take lightly but, I was pretty sick and tired of attending classes, most of which I didn’t like, having to do exams and assignments, having to be told what to do, where to go and having to pay for it!

One of the main reasons me and boyfriend have not booked out flights yet is because, I want to make sure I have passed this exam before leaving the country. Hypothetically speaking, should I fail this exam again, the next set of repeat exams take place early January 2015. We are currently planning to leave in January so, should I fail, we’ll more than likely leave in February or as soon as possible following the exam.

I really hate exams and having to study for them. It bores me to death and I procrastinate like theirs no tomorrow! Exams are not my strong point, I never really do well in them and it sucks because it drags down my G.P.A! I would have loved to have gotten a 2.1, honours degree, that’s where your grade point average is 60-70% overall. There were some subjects I had in college this year that I loved, and got high percentages in but, it’s my stupid exams that bring me down. I could easily get a 2.1 if I didn’t have to do any exams! Studying at the moment is slow to start and as per usual, I feel like I’m taking nothing in from any of it?! I still can’t manage to bring myself to really throw myself into study even though I really can’t afford to fail this exam, again! My mum and boyfriend keep saying things like, “don’t fall at the last hurdle”, “you just have to get through this week, keep studying and then it’s over!”. It’s easy for them to say when they don’t have to sit the exam. It’s a subject that I hate to, Economics. I hate it with a livid passion! I find it very hard, confusing and I don’t understand it half the time.  I had to sit an exam in this subject in May as well as I only just passed it! I have a super busy in work next week to, making my studying time very limited!

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how my studying is going, how the exam goes and if I pass it or not whenever I get the result.

Thanks for reading,
Ciara.

How it all started....

The seed was initially planted by my older (and only) sister, Aideen. She and her boyfriend Mark had been living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada for about 1 year and they loved their new life. I can’t help but admit that I was jealous. I really look up to my sister she’s very courageous, head strong, stubborn as hell sometimes but, she’s not afraid to take risks and goes after what she wants. She made it seem like moving to Canada was no big deal even though the process for her to obtain an IEC visa was a lot more complex at the time. 

I remember talking to her on Skype on one occasion and her asking me what my plan was for when I finished college. She asked me had I considered applying for the visa and at the time, my answer was no. I wasn't finished college until the end of that year so, I figured I’d finish college, work for one year, save money and then maybe apply? However, she informed me of a rumour she had heard through various social media accounts saying that apparently, the IEC process wasn't going to be opening for the following year and that maybe I should apply. If I don’t get it, I don’t get it but, if I was successful I didn't necessarily have to use it but, at least I would have the option. That was how it all began...

When I was in my final year of college that realised that I was following a routine and a pretty boring one at that! I went to college every day studying marketing, Monday-Thursday/Friday and then worked part-time at the weekends Thursday-Sunday and I did this every day, every week, every month for four years. It had become so part of my life that I didn't even notice and accepted it as normal. 

Ireland is having a tough time economically at the moment (as you all know!) and once you get to the end of your educational road, it makes you really think what your next step should be. It’s a decision you have to make by yourself, for yourself and it can be difficult. You’ll be scared, have serious self-doubt and it involves taking a leap of faith into the unknown and this is where I found myself.

Being from a small town in the north-west of Ireland that has really suffered from the effects of the recession, there are no real opportunities here. Trust me, it’s not worth my while searching and applying for jobs because I know I would've been unsuccessful in my attempt.  Most employers require you to have some sort of experience and, being fresh out of college of course I didn't have any real experience you can’t get experience without having a job. It’s a vicious circle.

What made the decision particularly hard for me was the fact that I had a part-time job. I worked in Penneys/Primark and to someone who has never worked there, you assume it’s a normal, easy part-time job and it is for the most part. What you don’t realise is Penneys is actually a great company to work for and they can provide you with some really good opportunities. There had to be a way I could work for the company where I was qualified, in marketing. I've always been interested in advertising and if I could only be given the opportunity, I would happily do that for Penneys. I loved the store that I worked in, we all got on like family and it taught me a lot about working in retail and just how sh*t that can be!!  However, as I said, I worked there for four years and the work started to become very mundane. I was literally doing the same thing every weekend, in a place I had been living my entire life. Many shops in Sligo had closed as a result of the recession, I had been to every restaurant and bar in town because there was just nothing else to do. I was seeing the same faces and places everyday. Everthing about my life had started to become very mundane and I was feeling uninspired .

When you work in Penneys for five or more years, you can take a career break, and leave the company for one year but, your job and your rate of pay will still be waiting for you when you return if, you choose to do that. One of my best friends, that I work with Michelle has also chosen to move to Canada, she’s been working in Penneys longer than me and has chosen to take her leave should it not work out for her? As I've been working there under 5 years, I'm forced to leave permanently. Yes, if Canada doesn't work out for me I can return home but, I won’t have a job to return to, one that I have really enjoyed, made great friends and worked so hard in. That’s the thing that scares me the most...

I recently returned from a family holiday from Canada, the last time I set foot on Canadian soil was 10 years before that and I am so glad I got to visit the country again before moving there permanently. My boyfriend Larry also came with us, he is joining me in this big move and I'm so glad he got to see Canada before making the move. From visiting the country, I don't have any apprehension (not really) about going any more, I can't wait! Canada is an amazing country full of fantastic, friendly people and also, full of jobs! 

The next big step for myself and Larry to make the move and decision we have made feel 100% real for the first time will be to book our flights. Next on the list of things to do.

Thank you for reading,
Ciara.