Life Update: I’ve Moved to Another Continent!

Preface

Despite the gradual increase of people (especially around my age) moving abroad, I always had ZERO intention of following in their footsteps.

Living in Bangladesh, with its plethora of problems and everyday struggles, never motivated me to stop doing that and think otherwise.

On the other hand, I had nothing against the concept of living/settling abroad. To each his own, right? 😊

But when my wife finally got her dream opportunity in a PhD position at a prestigious institution such as Trinity College in Ireland, I eventually made the decision to move with her.

But not right away, it took me one and a half years of paperwork, confusion, and indecision.

Moving to Ireland

Well, the act itself wasn’t tough. I had plenty of time to think everything through and prepare myself.

But it still felt weird to leave the country I’ve lived in since my birth. Also, leaving my family once again was not an easy decision to make 😞

I was also in the process of traveling all 64 districts of Bangladesh (got till 28 only). So that one’s also abandoned, for now!

So yeah… tough? Not really.
But that weird feeling? Definitely! 🙃

The 35+ Hour Journey

☑️ Living inside an airport sitting around on benches and sofas for half a day
☑️ Getting a free Istanbul tour of around 5 hours from the airlines as compensation
☑️ Going 20+ hours without any sleep (still felt no jetlag after landing and adjusted to the new timezone on my first day including the sleep cycle! ✌️)

The whole story, with photos from the Istanbul tour, is available here (written in Bangla). Nonetheless, here’s a collage of a few memories:

Life in Dublin, Ireland (So Far!)

Pretty good, actually 😃

It’s been over two months and this change has been a pleasant experience, at least till now!

Like, there are positives and negatives about living anywhere on earth, right? So Dublin (or Ireland as a whole) is no different.
But overall, I think the positive aspects outweigh the negatives.

🚩 Yes, the weather is a downer for me — with cold and rain being the protagonists and the sun making cameo appearances once in a while. I’m still getting adjusted to the temperature fighting against my tropical skin.

Also, the cost of living is through the roof (literally, when it comes to the rent and utilities).

But man oh man, the scenic beauty of this island country! Traveling, undoubtedly, has been one of the best parts of moving here ✅

There’s also fresh food to eat, cleaner air to breathe in, and my dust allergy is good as gone — poof! 💨

And many other small things in life…

But the best part?
I get to live and share my life with my wife, finally 💜

Work Life in a Different Timezone!

So I’m still working at XpeedStudio, as its Digital Marketing Manager with a team full of happy souls. The only difference is that I’ve gone remote now and also I start my day when it’s still dark outside 😄

But it’s great actually — starting the day that early and finishing work at midday. Now I have the whole afternoon and the evening to myself — whether I want to take a stroll outside 🚶‍♂️ or watch a movie! 🎞️

As for working remotely, I have extensive experience in that thanks (or no thanks, I guess) to the COVID-19 pandemic.

👉 Remote work has its pros and cons, in my opinion. I never found it difficult before, and it’s the same even now — thanks to the cooperation from my co-workers and the company itself! 💯

So, till now, work life has been going GREAT! ✌️

Time to Go!

Wow, I had no idea this would be so long! It seems like I really missed writing. Guess it’s time I restarted my blogging again 😉

So yeah, till the next blog post… 👣