I just wanted you to know I haven't forgotten you. I have not lost interest in my blog writing just yet. In fact I have loads of ideas for different posts. I was just in a bit of a funk the last few days and couldn't bring myself to sit and write. I'm feeling a lot better today, but I did have my first homesick kind of meltdown the other day! Actually I'm not so sure I was homesick as much as just frustrated and upset. Getting settled has been more difficult than either Adam or I anticipated. When we are both down in the dumps and frustrated neither one of us can really pick the other up, so things get even uglier!
Getting settled largely hinged upon us having an address other than the Clarion Hotel. So we made that a reality and signed a lease this week. It should have been exciting, but it quickly became the source of my meltdown. I promise to expand upon that later.
Armed with a new address we finally had together the proper paperwork that would allow us to walk into the bank and open an account, or so we thought. Adam had even come home early from work because the banks are only open from 10am until 4pm Monday through Friday! Yes, I did say 10 to 4, crazy right? Anyone with a normal 9 to 5 job has to take time out of their work day if they want to conduct bank business, because Saturday is not an option. So that's just what Adam did for a second time when we returned with the correct paperwork. Finally success!
Now with an address and a bank account we thought we could finally get a cell phone contract. Of course we could have purchased pay as you go cell phones the first day we arrived but we felt with the cost and the inconvenience it wasn't the best option for us. Wrong! We were declined for a cell phone plan because we have no Irish credit history! I was half expecting this because my friend Evin said the same thing happened to her when she first moved here. So we currently have one phone that we are using on a pay as you go basis. Adam hopes to appeal in writing and see if we can't work it out. We don't have six months to wait and build up credit. We are Americans and we need immediate gratification!
The other issue we are dealing with is parking. Like most cities parking can be hard to come by. There is no designated parking space with our apartment. Street parking is our only option, but in order to do that you need a parking permit issued by the city. In order to get that, you guessed it, more red tape. Not only must you have vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and an apartment rental agreement, but you also need two recent utility bills or financial statements addressed and sent to your address. So while we wait for a bill to arrive at our new address so we can apply for a parking permit I'm not sure where the car will go in the mean time. They are serious about clamping (boot on your car) and ticketing, so we're not gonna mess around!
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| Not our car, but this is what we hope to avoid! |
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