#corklike

Update:

Wow, what a day we had yesterday.

Yesterday morning, I had another interview with a place I'd REALLY like to work at. It went really well, and I should hear back from them within a week. I know I've said this before, but the interview process here is much more formal and drawn out when compared with South Africa. Account for the extra time when planning your arrival and job-hunt, as all you will want to do is rush the process. That'll get you down, and you don't need that kind of negativity here.

From the interview, we decided to pop in to the local Social Welfare Office on Hanover Street in Cork. For those of you heading to Cork, this will be the place you get your PPS from, and will form an integral part of the initial phases of your time here in Ireland. Having just arrived on the off-chance that I might be able to secure an appointment for PPS (your first visit, provided everything is in order and requirements are met, is simply to book your appointment. Don't expect to be done in a day.), I almost expected to be turned away. But, I went with the fact that I am looking for work, was about to sign a lease agreement on a house, and also wanted to convert my SA drivers license etc.

Unfortunately, I was turned away as my reasons simply were not good enough. If this was in SA, I'd probably be pulling my hair out and saying all-sorts about government's organisational skills, but out here the service is so friendly and of such a high standard that you actually walk out in a better mood than you went in. The gent behind the counter really wanted to assist, even taking my query to his superiors to see what could be done but, unfortunately, to get a PPS you need proof of address and some sort of proof of employment. Make sure you get a signed offer of employment as soon as possible, so that you can start on your PPS without delay.

On the way back from the hostel, Cindy received an email from the rental agent stating that we could move in as soon as today (yesterday) or tomorrow (today). We immediately jumped at the opportunity to get out of the hostel and into our new home, so we made a bee-line for the hostel and got packing. Again, the flights of stairs, combined with luggage that is now well and truly broken beyond repair came back to haunt me. A short while later, we were in a taxi and on our way to Kent station (the only public transport between Cork and Cobh is by train, but is very efficient (24 minutes in total) and always on time at either end.

Getting into Cobh, we immediately set about getting a taxi so that we could meet with the agent at the agreed 3pm appointment, outside our new home!

I went off in search of an ATM (agents here prefer deposits, and even rental payments, in cash). I ended up having to draw from two separate ATM's as the first couldn't give me enough money. It must have looked like suspicious activity, as BidVest suspended the card as soon as they realized they couldn't get hold of me (they still had my SA number). A word of advice is that if you're going to be using some sort of currency card, let them know what your Irish number is as soon as you get it. It's not too much of a headache to re-activate the card, but avoid it.

Soon, with the agent gone, we were settling into our new home and enjoying the incredible views from our lounge window. Cheaper, more commutable places can be found, but one look out across the water makes it all worth it.

Today, we are heading in to Cork to submit the EU1 form, along with a cover letter. We also need to get some essential household items, as "fully furnished" in Ireland doesn't mean the same as it does back in SA. Come prepared, if you can. Otherwise, come ready to spend money to get your house as live-able as possible.

That's it for now, folks.