I am currently living in Ireland. The place is called Dromin West. The house we rent is on a little hill, and it has an incredible view on the Carrauntuohill. After 45 days, I’m still amazed of the Beauty that surrounds me when I go home. I’ve always considered that beauty is everywhere, if you take the time to look around you. Indeed I’ve always found beauty in Brussels, the people, the little weird things upon which you stumble everyday. But this beauty, here, is different. It’s not something you need to search, it’s not something made by humans, it’s not something that asks you to create a meaning of. It’s obvious. I think it’s the first time that I live in an obviously beautiful place. If you never have, it makes a difference, believe me.
I am awfully priviledged to be able to call this place home. I’ve worked for it, of course, gaining ressources (money, knowledge) little by little so that I can now be here without too much worry. But it has essentially be luck that led me here. Luck to be born at the right place, with the right parents to guide me, with the right skin colour and the brain working in a way that fits with some important aspects of capitalist society. Luck to have met the right person to bring me here. And just a little bit of courage to leave the path that would have made me richer, that would have allowed me to continue to harvest the fruits of my privileges.
For the rest, we are slowly starting to settle down. My son has started pre-school this week, my lover has started working 3 weeks ago, and up until now, I’ve just taken care of the home and the child, all while looking for the « perfect » job. It’s quite obvious I won’t find it. Being in a remote place as I am, there is less demand for people to manage digital products or create digital strategies; and more to serve tourists in restaurants. It’s OK, there’s still some time before the funds run dry.
I’m not missing much of my life in Brussels. I think a lot about the people: family, friends, people I work with, colleagues. But I’ve never much missed people, because I dont feel the need for them to be physically close to me to have them in my heart. I also took some objects which are directly related to them. Those objects being with me gives me opportunities, each and everyday, to think about those people, to wonder what they are doing, to wish them the best, and to remind me that they probably wish me the same. Moving abroad has really helped me put the right value to objects. I’ve parted away with many of them (clothes, books, tools and devices) and kept the objects with stories. I hope that in the future, I will have new objects with new stories that I will want to keep the next time I move.
I wonder how much time it will take until I get bored. I will get bored, that’s for sure. Boredom is extremely useful to me, because it’s in boredom that desire emerges. I’ve not been bored in many years, and I feel that could be the best that Ireland will bring me.