Living in Galway

After living in a hostel for four weeks, we decided it was time to find a place to live where there was not eight other people sharing our room. The first place we looked at was the size of an average sized living room at home... the whole apartment was that size! The kitchen, living room, and two bedrooms squished in that area! Because it was located in the city center, the price was high. The tennants were a little strange, so sharing such close quarters with them, scared us off to the next place. The next house we liked, and said we would return with a deposit later that night, but when the landlord tried to chase Niki down the street for whatever she had in her pocket... we decided we were not going to live there.... From there, we walked into the house that we are at now. The room is very spacious with a nice and comfy double bed. It is a two floor home, and we share it with two other girls. The two girls are very friendly, but one of them, Flick, will be leaving us in September to do some volunteer work in Equador. Flick is from Manchester, and Michelle is from Northern Ireland. Our landlady, Breda, is a bit crackers, but lets face it, we don't have to live with her... All in all, we have found a pretty comfortable place to live. We have settled into the working life of the Irish in Galway. Working no more than 40 hours a week, starting no earlier than 10am, enjoying the abiance of the street life, any morning, afternoon, or evening... and loving the Saturday morning market! And of course, the fresh Guiness! When it is not raining, we have found some great spots to just chill out and read a book along the river, only seconds away from the city center.
For the next little while, our posts will more than likely be spread out because we are working enough hours to save for the real trip! Our Adventures of Europe... But keep posted, we will write something here and there, and will be putting new pictures up as we get them!

Working in Galway

After our trip with Jill, we had to replenish our funds... Niki was the first to find work by chumming it up with the Australian girl she handed her resume to. She landed a job at a designer boutique / Hat Shop. She started out working in the boutique, and managed to work her way over to the Hat Shop on a regular basis. The Hat Shop is an experience on its own, and a real taste of Irish culture. Irish women go to extremes for weddings, not only do they spend hundres of euros on their outfit, they also buy new jewellery, new handbags, and new shoes, for every single wedding that they attend! Their outfit isn't finished there... they have to wear something on their head to complete their look! The closer you are to the bride and groom, the more elaborate you must go. Women spend anywhere from 50 Euros, to 1,000 Euros on a headpiece! Apparently we get rid of the wedding hats in the fall though, and stock only casual hats... so needless to say, the job won't be as interesting come the fall.
The boutique isn't quite my kind of place. Overpriced clothing never goes over well with me, but it has provided access to salon openings, and fashion shows, where free champaigne was given out.

Scott has slowly gotten into a good place of work. Work experience in Ireland started by having an interview as the Assistant Pro at a golf course called Adare Manor. Unfortunately, I got the job only to be called back the next day saying that the course is already over budget and unfortunately will not be taking on ANY new workers for the remainder of the season... They held interviews for a job that was never available! So from there, I took a job working as a street fundraiser raising money for a childrens charity. The real drag about this job was, I could accept no money donations. I had to stop people from what they were doing, or where they were going, and try to get them to give me, a total stranger, their bank details for a five year contract! It turned out that most of the money this company made, went back to the company, and not to the charity! I could have nothing to do with this shady operation. I worked there for only four days, and in that span of time, I was hit by an old man with his cane, had a stink bomb thrown at me and it exploded on my shoe, and was called every name in the book.
From there, I got a job at a casino called Caesars Palace. When I went in for the interview, it turns out, the guy that ran the bingo was leaving at weeks end... so can you take a guess at what happened next? Yes... a bingo magnet! I now run a bingo session four nights a week. I also have been given hours upstairs in the snooker hall, and when it is quiet, I get to work on my snooker skills... and hours in the roulette room... I must say, it is a pretty relaxing job, considering when I am working the roulette table (they are electronic) I get to watch TV or read a book.
At first it was hard to get used to the 40 hour work week or less, and seeing each other more on a regular basis, but after a few days, we wouldn't have it any other way!