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| Kenmare Bridge. Photo by Audrey Atkinson. |
I'm a city girl. I'm used to thriving in an urban environment. However, I also love my husband, and he has a great job in his hometown, which is difficult to get nowadays. I've been unemployed for a while now, and while Kenmare is a fabulous tourist destination, there's not much employment opportunity on offer. This isn't a pity-party blog - I'm determined to adapt and try to enjoy life here, after all, it looks like my husband and I won't be going anywhere for a while so I might as well get used it.
It's not all bad...I have a a dog to keep me company, my husband's family loves me, I have a nice house with cheap rent, and when it's not raining, it actually very pretty out here. I do have a lot to be thankful for.
Now, Just because I've been unemployed doesn't mean that I haven't kept busy. I've done courses in Business Studies and Payroll. I've taken up volunteer gardening at my local adult education centre. I'm constantly applying and searching for jobs, and applying for other courses. I might even go back to college one day. I'm learning how to cook, I'm going to create a garden, and with a little bit of inspiration and motivation, I might even get back into making art again. By the way, I'll try to stick to keeping my own photography on my blog. I hope to post on a weekly basis of my little adventures. Hopefully my life will be entertaining to others, and if anyone has any questions or comments for me, I'm happy to respond.
So I think I'll be the first to comment (on behalf of a relative) on my own post.
ReplyDeleteI got a wonderful comment via Facebook from my Aunt Vicky, who lives in Florida. I find it relevant to my own situation, and quite inspiring too. Hopefully it will inspire others as well. Here's what she had to say (paraphrased, but hopefully accurate and polite):
'We are 2 peas in a pod. I was unemployed in 2010. I was fortunate enough to acquire a river property, and now living in the country since April 2012. The 2 acres healed me spiritually and I am learning everyday things about myself that I never knew where there. I'm employed now, but learning a different industry and enjoying the people that live here.'
and this was my reply:
'That's inspiring...while I always knew that the Arts was never going to be lucrative, I thought my employment record (2 p/t jobs while attending f/t college) after graduation would stand to my advantage as many students in Ireland don't work during the academic year. Who knows, maybe it would have if Tom was in a position to move to Cork, instead of me moving to Kenmare. That's just the way it goes. I took several intern positions in the Arts, but no organization was prepared to keep me as a paid employee, and this is an ongoing issue within the Arts/Cultural sector. So I'm branching out with my business studies and my volunteer gardening and see where it takes me. I hope to learn more about myself.'
I think this really sums up what the purpose of what my blog is about. Discovering people in similar situations and seeing how they adapt.