Missing Ireland

Let’s take a moment from the reality that is about befall me tomorrow during my beta testing and talk about Ireland. Brandon and I have been many places together: Peru, Mexico, British Columbia, Ireland and (I think) 42 out of the 50 states. I’ve always held the belief that I would never choose to go to the same place twice while on vacation, mostly because if I’m going to take a vacation (particularly an expensive one or one overseas) I don’t want to waste my two precious weeks in a place I’ve already been to. Peru almost changed my mind about that. Brandon and I fell in love with the Amazon, the wilderness, the food, the sounds, the animals, and the nights that were so dark you literally couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The fact that I didn’t come across a single snake or spider probably helped preserve those good memories of Peru.

But Ireland was different, so much different than any vacation or experience I’ve ever had. It was what I wish my trip to Peru had been: life-changing. It wasn’t anything in particular, but instead was the whole thing. It was the people, the food, the adventure, the scenery, the drinks, and the bonding time that I got with Brandon. Every moment in Ireland was the best moment of my life.

It’s been 4 months since we got back and not a week goes by that I don’t think about the Emerald Isle. I’ve never missed a country as much as I miss Ireland and I yearn for the chance to go back and live there someday.

These aren’t just words either. Brandon and I have been planning for some time to eventually move to Europe. Not anytime soon, we would probably be in our 50’s by the time we get around to doing it. And maybe not forever, maybe just for 5 or 10 years. You see, Brandon wants to be a scientist. He wants to eventually get his PhD in math or physics and get a research grant, preferably on something to do with the origins of the universe (kinda like Stephen Hawking). He feels that once he gets his PhD, we could move to Europe where he can set his own schedule doing research. But since the research grants only last for a few years, he would either have to keep getting grants or we’d have to eventually move back to the US. I don’t think we could afford to retire in Europe.

I’m totally supportive of his dream, except that he’s wanting to move to Switzerland, where he says all the good research companies are. I’m not too keen on learning a new language (German) at the age of 50. I know many Swiss do speak some English but if I’m going to live in their country I can’t expect them to accommodate me all the time by speaking it. I, on the other hand, would rather move to a primarily English-speaking country like the U.K., Scotland or Ireland…especially Ireland. I did tell Brandon that I’d give Switzerland a “try”, meaning I would at least visit the country for a couple weeks before saying no. But it’s got tough competition compared to Ireland. Brandon argues that we’re going to move wherever he gets a job but with a PhD I’m sure that won’t be hard. Besides, if he gets a research grant he could work practically anywhere, right? After all, his brain is pretty portable.

**At this point the post turns political. Skip to the last paragraph if you’re not open-minded or respectful when it comes to politics or people whose views are different than yours.**

We have other reasons for wanting to move to Europe, most of them dealing with politics. I don’t talk about politics on this blog much, but I just feel that the America that exists today is not the America that I once loved. It’s almost like the America I love is nothing more than a dream. There was once a time when a foreigner could come to America, work hard, and make a life for his family. There was once a time when the voice of the American people was heard. That time is long gone. Now the government belongs to the highest bidder, corporations with the biggest wallets and the loudest mouths (and that’s coming from someone who works for a GIANT corporation). The politicians don’t care about the average American because the average American didn’t pay to get them in office. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the middle class are eventually shoved into one group or the other. It just doesn’t seem right to me anymore.

In a nutshell, I believe that with greater wealth comes greater responsibility to society. Call us Social.ists if you like, it won’t hurt my feelings, and I realize these words may cause me to lose many followers. Yes, we both believe in socialized healthcare and socialized retirement. In fact, the US is one of the only developed countries that doesn’t have socialized healthcare. We believe in the welfare system. My mom was on welfare when I was a toddler. It helped her when she needed it most and for that I am grateful. And yes, Ireland isn’t exactly gleaming in comparison to the US. They have a shitty unemployment rate right now, but they’re doing quite a few things right. For example, vehicles aren’t taxed annually based on their value, like they are in many states in the US. They’re taxed based on the engine size and CO2 emissions. It sounds so ingenious but really it’s just plain common sense. After all, why should a person pay more property taxes on a new hybrid car than an old beat-up truck that gets 8mpg? Where’s the incentive to go green in a situation like that?

Well, anyway, those are my views and I’m just stating them, not trying to start a debate in my comments box. I don’t shout them from the rooftops on my blog, though I’ve been known to voice my opinion on Facebook a bit, which has lost me quite a few friends on there as well. C’est la vie.

So maybe in the far and distant future (like 5 or 10 years) Brandon and I will take a nice vacation to Switzerland. And maybe we’ll even move there. But I have a feeling my heart will always be in Ireland.