It’s been more than a month now, of leaving everything we knew to move abroad.

A lot has happened in this short period of 30-something days. We immigrated to a country where we knew nobody. We moved into a stranger’s house. We started attending a new church. We figured out how to use the public transport. We explored a bit of the towns around us. We ventured into City Centre a few times. We got phone numbers and bank accounts. I got a job. We moved houses again. We celebrated our first Valentine’s overseas. We celebrated a year and a half of marriage. We spent time reflecting on the last year and a half of marriage and how far we’ve come. We’ve missed our families and learnt to live life without them around. We’ve missed our friends and have had to try and make time to talk with them. We’ve done real adulting things like deep-cleaned a room and priced fridges. We’ve worked through difficult days. We’ve lived through lonely days. And we’ve celebrated exciting days. It’s been the adventure of a lifetime.

Cheylin toasting to Kendal on Valentine’s Day

But it also comes with a lot of unpacking.

My anxiety has been high the last few days and I realised that it’s probably because I don’t know how to resign myself to a full time job. I have never just had one job. Even my first job (at the first restaurant) was my 2nd part time job on top of my full time degree. I was at university from Monday to Friday almost the entire day everyday, then I’d come home on Friday night, decorate the cupcakes I had baked the night before, head to church where I served as a leader in the youth, wake up on the Saturday and deliver the cupcakes — spend some time doing something social (probably) and on the Sunday I went to the restaurant job. Before lockdown happened in March 2020, I was working 3–4 part time jobs on top of my full time degree.

Even last year when I was working full time as a Personal Assistant, I still took on design and editing gigs (in an effort to save to move to Ireland) and then hated myself when I failed to find time or energy to do the things I actually wanted to do — like make YouTube videos.

I thought things would be different here, but the train of multiple workloads has made its way over the boarder. You see, working full time at The Grill will be enough for us, with our savings, until Kendal finds work. We’ll actually get to save money for things without taking on extra work. For the first time in my life, one job will actually be enough. And I enjoyed for the first week. I really did. I was editing a video for YouTube again, and spending time with my husband, and planning adventures and just chilling.

I’ve decided to start saying no to things. While the design and editing work is the kind of work I actually enjoy, I want to be here. I want to be present in the life that’s in front of me. I want to spend my days off, exploring the city, not cooped up in my room doing extra work. I want to start studying again and have time to pursue my creative goals. I want to finish writing my book and spend a morning going down a rabbit hole just because I can. I’m tired of of exhausting myself. I’m tired of the anxiety. I just want to have a simpler life for a while. And I think that’s allowed. It’s one of the reasons we wanted to move to Ireland in the first place. For the peace. For the lack of having to work so hard that sleep feels like a burden.

The hustle, driven by a maddened sense of success, is only there to entrap you into a life of slavery to a system you thought you’d overcome.

I want to hustle on my own terms, while pursuing my own goals. And allowing time to just enjoy it for what it is.

With love, from Dublin
Cheylin

Hi! 👋🏻

We’re Ken & Chey – a young South African couple currently exploring Ireland.

We’re adventurers, writers, musicians, tech nerds and vloggers who love Jesus and coffee. This is our adventure and we’re so excited to share it with you.

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