Background FAQ

[written by Chris] You may ask, why are you in Ireland?  Below are some answers to common questions.

No really, why are you in Ireland?

I'm in my 10th year teaching at Calvin, and I am on Sabbatical this semester.  We are not big travelers, and we wanted to travel for part of the semester, to somewhere that speaks English. Ireland does not require visas (for stays under 90 days) and accepts US drivers licenses.  But the most specific reason is that I do research while I am away as part of my Sabbatical, and the company for which I am consulting on medical device sustainability (Boston Scientific) has manufacturing facilities in Ireland.  So I can do my research onsite, specifically in Clonmel.

Who went along?

Sam, Lily, Kate, and me.  The boys are both in college now, and we did offer to fly them out to visit but they seemed very busy.  So our concern/guilt about being "unfair" has diminished a bit. 

Where are you living?

Housing is challenging to find, so we were fortunate to find a furnished apartment in Clonmel IN A CASTLE.  It's a 3 bedroom 2 bath place on a nice estate along a river.  Honestly, it's even more fairy tale than we expected!  Detailed housing pictures will likely be the next post.

How long will you be there?

Because this is a public blog, we are not advertising the dates of our trip.  But it is more than a couple weeks, so it is kind of like vacation, but also kind of like living at home in another home.   It's a much different dynamic than when you need to cram in all the sights in 7 days half jet-lagged before you fly home.  We are buying spices, making chore charts, working, etc.

How are you getting around?

We are renting a car.  Note, Ireland driving is on the left, and the rentals are stick shifts (which I last drove about 20 years ago), and the stick shift is on the left!!!  Also, the rural roads are about 10 feet wide, with walls on each side.  And when I say "on each side" I don't mean "near the road."  I mean the wall is the road edge.  This driving is not for the faint of heart.

 (stock photo - now imagine a bus coming the other way at 100 kph)

What are the girls doing for school?

We considered having them go to an Irish school, but that got complicated and would change the constraints of our journeys. So they took classes over the summer and are taking online classes through Michigan Virtual while they are here.

What is the weather like?

Not too different from Michigan in terms of temps, but there is a lot of on again off again drizzle.  As recommended, we bought waterproof jackets and waterproof shoes.