Do you know the saying Home is where the heart is? It’s safe to say that although my heart is in the hands of my significant other, my heart also remains in the city of Galway. Situated in the West coast of Ireland and neighbouring numerous counties, Galway has drawn in people far and wide from the nation and from a global scale because of its beautiful landscapes across Connemara, the bustling shopper’s destination of Shop Street and the world of cultural pubs and restaurants that are offered to the public. My heart will remain here for the rest of my days; there will be no moving to a different country or even county for that matter of fact. Galway is where I want to remain. There is a whole world that I still want to travel to: Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Norway, Germany, but all in good time. Perhaps when I get my finances under wraps to a good budget then I can start making some plans to see the world that’s out there waiting to be explored by new eyes.
Why Ireland? Why not live somewhere abroad? The rent rates are too expensive! There aren’t enough opportunities here! I’ve heard it all, but everyone has their heart set on something different and I’m the definition of a “homebody”, I spent most of my free time at home where I’m safe and comfortable and that’s how Galway makes me feel. I know that if I were to live abroad, I would spend all that time missing my family and friends, I would miss my home. I know my limits; I got my first job in Athlone back in the summer of 2015 and I stayed with my step-dad’s family up in the town of Athlone and over those few months, I became terribly homesick and often cried at not being able to see my parents or siblings or friends; safe to say I wouldn’t last long in a foreign country or even a neighbouring county in Ireland.
The rent rates are expensive, yes! Galway may not have the world of opportunities like you would get in Dubai or England or America, but people are forgetting to read between the lines. My partner and I stressed until we were sick because of rent prices and trying to find the perfect place for ourselves. Prices are sky-high, but with a little work and time, the right place will come to find you and it’s the moment when you settle into your new home and think “This is ours, we got this and we can afford this comfortably” that you’ll appreciate the little hidden treats Galway has to offer in regards to property. I see myself living here for the rest of my life; I can still walk across the Wolfe Tone bridge and admire the running river of the River Corrib; I can still walk down Shop Street and feel a sense of belonging. I can see myself writing for a local newspaper in Galway and building a reputation as a writer and an author with the story ideas I’ve lined up (and yet to start writing).
Home is where you establish your forever foundation to be, it’s where you plant your permanent seeds and let them grow to bigger and greater things, it’s where you make a life for yourself and for your future younger generations to come in your family, it’s where you feel happiest. It’s where you belong. It’s where you want to be.
Galway is my home. Always and forever!
