To all my devoted followers, wondering where I went for the better part of a month, I have been consumed with bringing Irish breakfast tea and fruit scones to wary shoppers during the chaos of the holiday shopping season. This month was devoted to acquiring funds to sustain my travels and livelihood over here, and as a consequence, I have had little opportunity to explore new places or ponder purpose, though I have certainly met and have begun developing genuine friendships with some amazing people. These people were complete strangers to me just over a month ago, and already I feel relatively established in this friend group, this community at work.
There is such a difference in living with and without community. When I initially arrived in 
this foreign place, I felt quite isolated and out of my comfort zone, in large part because I lacked a sense of belonging. Though four years ago as a freshman at university I also moved to a new place independently, I was certainly a part of a community there. Everyone was in the same position of not knowing anyone, and we were living in a space in which we shared a common identity. When you move to a new city, the common identity is less prominent, and it’s more difficult to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
As social creatures we humans crave connection, or even a distraction and belonging. There is a difference in the distance as well. It is possible to have a stellar support system, and love many humans, but if they are not in your immediate area and you cannot physically see them, the isolation and loneliness can set in. I am fortunate to have found some 
wonderful people to initially distract me from missing my dear friends but have since shifted into feeling a distinct connection and belonging to the Bewley family.
But about the work: Most of the shifts I work are from 10-7. So the itinerary for the majority of my days this past month has looked like this: 8 am, roll out of bed to catch the bus by 8:30 because traffic in Dublin is horrendous and the bus system is unreliable, so a 30-40 minute commute is doubled or tripled. I arrive to work, run around a beautiful historic building, balancing and prioritizing tasks that are a total blur until I get off work 8 or 9 or 10 hours later. By then all I can muster the energy for is to go out for a pint with my coworkers and my good friends here, and then suddenly it’s 11 or 12 or 1 am and I find myself somehow stumbling home, all to wake up the next day and do it all over 
again, with slight variations.
Though I didn’t necessarily apply for this visa and move my entire life to simply work in a cafe across this world, it seems like a good place to be in for the time being. I dedicated this holiday season to working hard, to save up so I can take various holidays in the impending months. I was hoping that with starting work I would start to make friends, and this place has surpassed where I was expecting to be just 2.25 short months into my experience here. True, I am here on a working holiday visa, so it follows that I would do some work as well. So although the last month was not imbued in adventure, I am grateful for the position I am in, for the people I’ve been meeting, and the consistent tip money I walk away with.
As I rang in the New Year, a New Decade, I was in a kitchen surrounded by people I genuinely care about. We hugged and kissed each other on the cheek in celebration. At that moment, and many moments prior and since, I’ve recognized my courage, the risks I’ve taken and the reward I’ve experienced as a result. It feels like the turning of a new chapter in this book I just began about prioritizing myself and living the life I want.
