Not long after I had made The List official something made an appearance in my life. As I explained in the brief post about The List I had created it as a barrier for me. I was quite happy being single and it meant I had many an adventure ahead of me. I didn’t have to worry about anyone else, I could make decisions that didn’t effect anyone but me. I could just get up and go to America for work for three weeks, or decide that Ireland wasn’t for me and move to another country.
In fact, I have realised that despite all the things that drive me batty about this country I do actually like living here, a lot. And I believe it is directly related to the fact that there are only 4.5 million people in the Republic of Ireland. When I travelled home at the start of June, and I was packed onto a crowded train at rush hour in Leeds full of obnoxious, yuppie Northerners I realised then that if I had the opportunity to move home I wouldn’t actually like it in the UK any more. I have lived in the remote areas before, the fact still remains though that even if I did live on the Moors, or in the Peak District somewhere on the side of a mountain I would eventually have to deal with these people that I have now come to dislike.
On getting back to York once more I had to deal with traffic, rude people, unfriendly people that wouldn’t give you the time of day and kids that I would gladly herd onto the M62 at rush hour and broadcast a scoring system on the over head Variable Message Signs. I am not really a people person. I get on famously with people I like but if I don’t like someone it’s not long before I’ve left a trail of destruction behind me a mile wide. Don’t annoy me and I won’t annoy you.
So right then, as I waded my way through York city center in the mid-week crush around lunchtime, I realised that this is most definitely not me. I love York with a fiery passion. In my honest opinion it is the best city in England but the crowds, the traffic and the people I’m finding not to my liking now I’ve lived away for so long.
I like that the only traffic I have to deal with is because an artic has jack knifed on a country road, or a combine is squeezing down the road to work. I’m not surrounded by bad drivers, slow drivers or nervous drivers because there are just not that many people in Ireland. The people here are so friendly even if I do find myself sticking out like a sore thumb as a result of my Queen’s English. I love the fact that I can drive my car with a failed NCT (that’s an MOT to my UK readers) for three months before I have to do anything about it. I love that on a Sunday in Cork City I can park my car anywhere, and I mean anywhere even with the broken back window!
That and the only people that really piss me off nearly always end up being people from the UK on holiday over here (or other countries – I’m looking at you self absorbed dick brain from Australia in De Barra’s the other night).
All in all I really do enjoy living in Ireland, it suits me down to the ground quite perfectly. And about a month ago it got significantly more awesome. Who would have thought but there was actually someone out here that could tick most of the things on my List off! Now I have someone to go off and do stupid things with. If I’m going to have time in hospital I’m not going to be alone…!
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