My first weeks in Dublin

The first weeks I spent in Dublin have been great. There are a few points to know before coming here on Erasmus or for a long stay.

The first one is that Dublin is expensive. Renting a single bedroom is almost impossible for less than 700 euros. You have to be patient while looking for accommodation here as there are not a lot of good places, emails are not always answered and even if you get a response you have to compete with many other people interested in the same place. The best thing you can do is call every phone number you can find on rent.ie or daft.ie. You can also try your luck on other websites like Spotahome that search accommodations for you for a fee. It may be a good option if you don't want to be in a hostel for an undetermined amount of time and spend your time searching through dozens of ads or walking through Dublin every day. Moreover, you don't have to be here.

Second point. Where can you eat the first days if you don't have a kitchen? Forget about your (I'm sure) healthy lifestyle. Have you heard about Tesco? Tesco is our savior in our darkest hours here. It provides you the holy Meal Deal that gives you fuel to keep going one more day. It includes a sandwich, small beverage, and a candy bar or chips for less than 4 euros. It's not much but it saves your day sometimes.

Third point. I don't like too much to party but it is, like everything else, expensive. If you want to have a beer while a band is playing, then you can go to any pub in Temple Bar (tourist traps in the words of my bosses), but I'm sure  there are more places (check on my to-do list).

Fourth point. Try to speak English whenever you can and don't be ashamed of your level or pronunciation. At first maybe you won´t understand even when the shopkeeper asks you if you want the receipt, but you won´t make the same mistake again and you will learn something every day.

My last advice is that, whatever your expectations are, try to keep calm and enjoy the experience. You are in such a beautiful country not only to work in an office nine-to-five but also to have some unforgettable weeks.

What I have done these weeks? I´ve learnt how to implement an online payment API and how to deal with AWS, Gradle scripting, JSF-Primefaces-Hibernate… a lot of things. I try to go to the gym every day to relax and every weekend I also do a one-day trip to different places in Ireland. You can´t imagine how absolutely beautiful it is. No photo can do it justice.  

One of the Glendalough lakes

Long library, Dublin