wow! yes. that would explain a lot. thanks, liam!

Hello, all,
I'm new on this site and joined because my husband, two boys and I are planning to move to Dublin next summer. We are moving because I would like to live in Europe again (I grew up in Denmark but have lived the last 15 years in the US.) I have finally convinced my husband to give it a go and I am worried about lots of things which are only exacerbated by the fact that this is a decision driven by me and the rest of my family is going along with it but not enthusiastically behind it.. I am most worried that my family will not be happy there, that my kids won't like their school and won't find friends (and the same goes for myself and husband), and that my husband and I won't find jobs we like. I think some of it is just nerves over moving that I would feel going anywhere. I feel pretty confident that my husband will have jobs to choose from because he works in tech (he is a solutions architect). I am managing a project for a local health care non-profit implementing a patient portal.
Thanks!
Rikke

Hi Rikke (@rikkes). And welcome 🙂
Can I ask why Dublin, and not Denmark?

It's pretty exciting stuff to move back to Europe. I hope everything works out great for you and your family.
The one thing that I might advise (given what you said above) is to try to have as open a mind as possible after making the move. So many things will be different (e.g. way of life, schools, customs, shopping, etc), and the only way to succeed is to set out knowing that it will be different (not better or worse), than what you're used to.
Of course you'll prefer some things you were used to in America, but many things will be just as good in Ireland. If you can convince your family to approach it as positively as they possibly can, everything should work out well.

Looking forward to hearing more from you and your upcoming move.
Best wishes
Liam

Hi Liam, thanks for the speedy reply. And for your advice - I think you are right and it'll help a lot to have an open mind. There are many aspects of living in the US that I am not so thrilled about but for my family it'll be harder.

And as for why not Denmark, there are a few reasons: 1. I think it'll be easier for my husband (who doesn't speak Danish) and for my kids (who are not fluent), 2. Ireland is absolutely beautiful and the people very friendly 3. It is an adventure for our whole family, not me returning home. We'll all be on an equal footing, so to speak.

Best,
Rikke

We are fortunate in that our daughters are both in their 20's and on their own, so they won't be coming with us. In fact, their first comment was something along the lines of, "Oh good, I've always wanted to visit there!" But still, making a move like this is a huge undertaking and the more we learn about all of the steps involved, and the current climate regarding rental housing, it seems more daunting. Since we are looking to move sometime in the summer or fall of 2017, we have time to make a decision.
Back to the original topic, and our concerns have been noted by others on the forum: getting settled in a new country where most things are completely unfamiliar, arriving on a 90-day tourist visa and being turned down for an extension, truly becoming a part of our new community, and living on more of a budget than we do now. However, both of us feel that this is something we really want to do, and we can sort out most of the hurdles, or at least the ones we know about so far.

My wife is concerned about finding her favorite foods, and is prepared to make them herself. Tacos and Burritos.

We both worry about schooling for our youngest. How he will handle the transition.

Other worries are how our pet will handle the move, and transition.

We moved to Ireland in July with our 3 kids. My husband is Irish, but had been away from Ireland for 27 years. The kids have adjusted, but it was a bumpy start. They missed America, their friends and relatives. I myself was very homesick around month 3 of living here. I actually miss Walmart! There's nothing here like it. Anyway, we just found a rental ourselves, but it took us 6 weeks of active searching. We would have loved to buy something, but the banks would not give us a mortgage due to the fact that we just moved here and don't have a proven record of paying rent or mortgages on time. They will not recognize anything we have paid regularly and on time in the U.S. like our mortgage. Frustrating, hence why we are renting. Things are a lot more laid back and can sometimes go at a snails pace especially when it comes to the social welfare offices if you're trying to get something like child benefit for your kids. But we moved here for a better future for our family too. I'm still trying to adjust but it's a daily process. It's just a matter of time.

Thanks for putting a positive spin on things Claudia. We went through a lot of the same frustrations, and it's not easy. The banks were particularly difficult to deal with. That first 6 months or so is quite a pain to get through.

I am not worried about the crime at all in Ireland - to be honest, it seems nonexistent compared to the crime here in the US, especially in Los Angeles where I am from. I look at the Irish newspapers daily online and it is sobering to see that their crime sections have no new stories for days, or the current story is an update of a crime that already occurred.

My biggest worry is how my oldest son will transition. He will be 4 next June, so we will be moving right before he enters school. I know kids absorb new places like sponges, but I do worry he will miss the familiar places or quick trips to his grandparents. My youngest will have no clue what is happening as he just turned 1 in November.

I also worry about how our family, mine in particular, will handle us leaving. We have prepped the parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles and everyone seems to be in denial about it. When we actually do move it will come as a "shock" even though everyone has been aware for well over a year now.

We are pretty excited more than anything.

Kate @katemreagan,

I am in the same boat as you about family but specifically my husband's family. We just told them at Thanksgiving that we are planning to move and my sister-in-law said that she is just going to pretend we didn't say that and hope we change our minds! Meanwhile, my family is in Denmark and they are very excited that we will be nearer but it feels like we are being unfair to my husband's family. It is all more fraught than I had initially realized!