April, 2024 – Preparing the Landing Area
In parallel with creating the plan, and the contingencies to the plan, I had to prepare for my arrival in my new home. Realistically, I had to prepare my new home before I could even prepare for my arrival there.
First, I verified my enrollment to Trinity. I did this before I even quit Raytheon, in fact, reaching out to the coordinator and verifying that all was happy and prepared.
Then, I worked with the coordinator to find a relocation firm – someone who would be able to not only help me land on my feet and find a good apartment… but a team who could help me acclimatize to the city and the new culture. Now, I know this isn’t always an option for people, so I freely admit to my privilege here – being able to afford this service isn’t a given, and I’m super thankful that I was able to enlist their help.
It.
Took.
Forever.
Seriously – the two firms that Trinity recommended were bad. One went out of business, and the other wouldn’t return my calls. So I found some others. Of those three I found myself, two never called me back, and one ended up going out of business while I was speaking to them. Thankfully, they recommended someone else after they went under… and THAT, the sixth group I spoke with, was the one that’s worked out so far.
With them, I finally got the ball rolling in early March. We got me an Irish Social Security number, connected with health insurance (both for my travels, and for when I arrive in Ireland), and discussed the basics of how a house search would go. Basically, they’re like a super realtor who does everything.
It worked out pretty well! As of writing this, I’ve got the basics laid out, and the final piece of the puzzle is finding a spot for me to stay once I land in Dublin… The relocation folks will be meeting me at the airport as if I were some fancy debutant, and I have no doubt that we’ll lock down a good place for me to stay while we rock the apartment search.
As before – slowly but surely. Taking the time required, and making the move happen.