New Panda in Town
The bunkers on top of Malin Head, the most northerly point in Ireland.
Moving to a new place is always filled with challenges and adventures; when that new place is across an ocean in a different country, those challenges and adventures are greatly increased! It is hard to believe, but we have been living in Groomsport for well over two months now. Over these past weeks we have learned to navigate the roads (with a great deal of help from our trusty sat-nav) and have (mostly) figured out the shops. We have taken day trips to beautiful formal gardens, relaxing mountain forests, and bustling indoor markets. There are still about a dozen times a day that we are reminded that things are different here, but slowly it is starting to feel a bit more familiar.
It might have been a touch windy...
However, there is one adventure that outshines the rest: the adventure of having our first child born in Northern Ireland! We are very excited to announce that we are expecting a child in mid-March. This has meant several trips to our local doctor and the hospital maternity unit as we learn an entirely new heath-care system; a system that while not perfect, certainly does seem to do a fantastic job of caring for expectant mothers! So far, everything seems to be progressing normally, which is a great relief to both of us.
There are still a lot of unknowns in this adventure, especially surrounding all the stuff that comes with a baby, but we are lucky to be in a caring community that has already welcomed us with open arms. We are confident that when our child arrives, the arms of our community will be thrown even wider to welcome the new panda in town!
