Expectant Expatriates

In it's broadest sense, an expatriate is any person living in a different country from where he or she is a citizen. In common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by their companies. -wikipedia.com

If you know me, you know that I am pretty content to be a homebody. I enjoy traveling, but I certainly never expected to be an "expat" in any way, shape, or form. But when Greg's job asked him to do a short-term assignment at their facility in Ireland (for up to six months), it was the opportunity that he had been dreaming of and an offer that we just couldn't refuse! As our trip to Ireland approaches, both of us are excited and full of anticipation and expectations for this great adventure, which we want to share with our family and friends back home in the U.S.A. through this blog.

When Greg and I discussed this opportunity and made a joint decision to accept it, it was still early in January. Since then, gears have been turning behind the scenes to get everything set, but we still don't have a definite timeline. We were originally planning to be there in early March, but as we enter the last few days of February, "that ain't gonna happen." Right now a lot hinges on Greg obtaining his work visa; once that goes through, we expect things should move fairly quickly. Exactly how long Greg will be in Ireland is somewhat dependent on when the woman whose position he is covering there returns from her maternity leave; at this point, we are guesstimating late August into September. (?) As for myself? To my great delight and surprise, my work is willing to make accommodations to enable me to join my husband for at least half of his time abroad, so I will be taking some time off and will most likely be in Ireland with Greg from mid-April through June, pending final details.

Now for the question that's on everyone's mind...where, oh where, will we be?

Kinsale, County Cork - a historical, medieval harbor town widely considered to be the most picturesque village in southwest Ireland (a popular stop for tourists, and touted as the "Gourmet Capital of Ireland"). It is a small town less than a half hour from Cork, the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland.

Courtesy of Greg's employer, we will be living in a lovely, furnished three bedroom apartment right on the harbor - see the slideshow on the next post!

We are so excited about experiencing life in this beautiful place and being able to explore the lovely nation of Ireland at our leisure, as we hope to be able to make many weekend and day trips, and are also planning to take advantage of living "in Europe" to visit England and some locations on the Continent. Whatever we see and do while we are living abroad, we will be sure to share our experiences here...we are truly loving the life we live!