April 16, 1994 was the day I emigrated to the United States. That year was one of the few occasions that Ireland qualified for the World Cup. It was also the year OJ Simpson got in his white Bronco and the LA cops gave chase after he was alleged to have murdered his wife and her boyfriend. Those are probably the two major news events I remember from my first year in NYC.
I landed in JFK airport with my whole life in a suitcase and almost 30 years later, here I was preparing to return with a whole lot more, the most important cargo being my fourteen year old son. Managing to a relatively short timeline was one of my biggest challenges in planning the move from Long Island to Greystones. I needed to re-educate myself on Irish schooling and ensure that my son was going to have enough of a start in secondary school in Ireland to provide him with a fair chance to study for the Junior Cert in 2 years versus 3. Don't expect to waltz into the local school when you arrive! We went on a waitlist in early February 2023 and by the end of April 2023 had secured a place in a secondary school. I had decided we would rent a place initially - it was not viable to execute a move and buy in a short time frame plus I didn't know the area very well. I chose Greystones after falling in love with it when I visited my sister and brother-in-law who moved there right before the COVID pandemic. I found online forums, relocation guides, and expat groups to be invaluable resources during our move. These platforms provided us with practical tips and emotional support.
It's hard to know exactly where to start when planning an international move. While reaching out to schools in Ireland, exploring where to live and how to find accommodation during a major housing crisis, I was simultaneously focused on getting rid of all clothes, furniture, and "stuff". Most of the furniture in the US is over-sized so I had decided not to bring any back (plus my husband was staying on until later in the year so it made sense to keep the place furnished for him). In the meantime, I made many of my neighbors and friends happy with donations of tables, office desks, printers, lamps, rugs, some wedding gifts that had not seen the light of day such as Waterford crystal and steak knives!! My Nicole Miller wedding dress from 2008 ended up at a very basic local thrift shop - simply because I didn't have time to find the nice place online to sell it - without being scammed that is...
I created a moving checklist in Excel with different categories like school, car, house, furniture etc. to keep me on track with everything. I had a demanding job and decided to leave my employer at the end of March. There was no way I was going to have the time to prepare properly for the move while on a busy work schedule. And I decided to take care of me. Every week I met at least one person for lunch or dinner, this became known as my farewell tour.
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