Trainee Buyer Baaaaaby

I feel so bad neglecting my blog baby last month. My only excuse comes in the form of my new job, which I LOVE! After four weeks of inter-railing, minus one infuriating appendix, followed by weeks of bed rest, and three job interviews later, I finally got myself a job! I'm now a Trainee Buyer in a Dublin Buying Office.

There's not many buying opportunities in Ireland so positions are very hard to come by. Dublin is the hub for Buying roles and competition is so fierce that some assessment centres have been nicknamed the 'Hunger Games'... No pressure like! All I can say is to push the boundaries and chance your arm at applying for a job you wouldn't expect to get in a million years. You'd be surprised with the outcome - I received an email back saying that although I didn't have the necessary experience for the applied job (which I was well aware of but god loves a trier) there was a position available that I might be interested in. And I certainly was!

A Buying Office is a very fast paced environment; constantly busy and exciting. No two days are the same as there's always samples to be approved, suppliers to be mailed, meetings to attend, or comp shopping to be done! I'm working in the Accessories department (heaven), and it suits me down to the ground. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a serious Accessories enthusiast. I'm forever updating my wardrobe with statement necklaces, or throwing on a printed scarf. 

My buying team are so lovely and friendly. They are always there to guide me and help me out. I have learned an insane amount in these past three weeks, and I can't wait to see what the next few weeks have to offer... Although my life is currently a sea of Scarves, piles of SS15 Hair purchase orders and late nights, I feel very much included in the buying experience. If I wasn't raising requested orders, nobody would have the luxury of browsing and buying them in store next Spring!

On another note, I haven't forgotten about my Inter-railing series, and promise to get the next installment out soon enough.

Thanks for reading!

raebelle

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Inter-railing Pt. 1

Paris was the perfect city to kick off the trip because it was familiar territory for myself and my friend. My Mam brought me over when I was 16 and I fell in love with the Parisian lifestyle and culture instantly. The second time around did not fail on my expectations... We dove straight into all the touristy things; snapshots outside Moulin Rouge (no way could we afford to go in), chillin' with gargoyles on top of Notre Dame, posing outside the Louvre (I visited the museum the last time I was in Paris so we gave going in a miss), checking out the city views from the L'Arc de Triomph, trekking up the Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur, and exploring the depths of the Catacombs.

FIRST 2 WEEKS OF ADVENTURES

ICE BAR IN AMSTERDAM

Amsterdam was crazy, just as expected! Once you hit De Dam Square you're sorted and can easily get your bearings of the city. The Anne Frank Museum is a MUST! On a more personal note to fashion addicts out there you'd be worth visiting the Museum of Bags and Purses (I abandoned the lads while they went to the Heineken Museum). The Red Lake District is so surreal... It must have looked somewhat bizarre me following the two lads down the creepy cobbled alleyways and passing all the windows full of lingerie-clad ladies. The Ice Bar was one of my highlights (make sure to book in advance) as well as dancing on tables with the Dutch locals. Amsterdam was bittersweet because one of my friends had to go back to Scotland for personal reasons (there was no arguments or anything sinister about it!) so that left myself and Alex to tackle the rest of the trip together - usually a recipe for disaster!

GERMAN CUISINE IN BERLIN

Berlin surprised me... It was great craic, and there is so much to see! The city is oozing with culture and historical attractions for tourists to feed on; Brandenburg Gate, TV Tower, Musuem Islands, Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Topographie de Terrors, Watch Tower, Holocaust Memorial, and The Reichstag. My most memorable experience was watching Germany play their first match in the World Cup against Portugal behind Brandenburg Gate. OLE, SUPER DEUTSCHLAND! The Germans embraced us with open arms as we drank beer and cheered along in the crowd, getting our faces smeared with war paint, welcoming us with open arms into their country. The atmosphere was beyond electric, and something I will never forget, especially when Deutschland won.

PARTYING WITH AUSSIES IN PRAGUE

Prague was the messiest city by far! We wasted a day dying with incurable hangovers (I blame the absinthe) but the Pub Crawl was most definitely worth it. What goes on tour stays on tour... As frail as we were the next day we managed to find a hidden gem in the corner of Old Town Square, a Tim Burton exhibition. The gallery was like an insight into Burton's eccentric and tantalizing mind. There was character sketches, and even a letter that Burton had written to Johnny Depp himself - Johnny actually touched that piece of paper! Prague Castle is so unique as it's not just one castle but entire grounds. Old Town Square is so quaint and full of beautiful Victorian buildings, with the Astronomical Clock (make sure to catch the display) and Charles Bridge as the main attractions for us tourists.

IRISH BAR WITH ALEX & NEW MATE RASS IN MUNICH

Munich didn't have much touristy things to offer (or maybe we we just needed a break from them) so we settled into an Kilian's Irish bar for the day after a wander around Marianplatz. They even served Bulmers and Tayto! Meeting the Irish ledge that is Mickey Joe Harte in Germany of all places was some experience. Shame he didn't have his glittery green guitar with 'em though (he said he left it back home safe and sound) but he did play 'We've got the World Tonight' just for me! I bonded with some rowdy Northern Irish lads over our mutual appreciation for the main lad himself, seeing as Alex had no clue who he was, and it turned into another chaotic night!

THE LOST SHEEP AT NEUSCHWANSTEIN

It was visiting Neuschwanstein Castle just outside Munich that blew me away... The castle that inspired Walt Disney's, and my god, it did not disappoint! It was my first day flying solo because Alex had other plans. I was determined to visit that castle since before we even started our travels so I couldn't miss out on it. I was glad I ventured alone because I met some amazing people that day. Despite the tour-guide highlighting the fact she has "never lost a tour so please don't be the first", 3 of us managed to prove her wrong... Figured we'd trek up the mountains due to plain sight of the castle. Although it was lashing rain and foggy, the view was spectacular. The mist made the place look like a magical scene from a fairy tale. We toyed with the idea of whether to go into the castle or not, and I'm delighted that we did. King Ludwig's castle was so surreal and eccentric, modern before its time; one of the first ever glass doors, swan statues everywhere, an indoor cave, a palm tree staircase, and one of the first telephones ever invented!

REAL LIFE DISNEY CASTLE NEUSCHWANSTEIN, MUNICH

Decided after all the mountain climbing we deserved a decent fed. Enter Hofbrauhaus; the most famous beer hall in the world. Rows upon rows of benches in the great hall and beer garden, filled to the brim with thirsty Germans and hungry tourists. I'm somewhat of a picky eater (ok, that's a huge understatement) and I tried their brewed beer and some German cuisine (a pork knuckle), and I have to say, I was impressed!

HOFBRAUHAUS MUNCHEN WITH SOME NEW FRIENDS

   

BYEEEEE ALEX!!!

Lausanne was the most magical setting imaginable, and the perfect place to say farewell to my bestie. The view of the sun glistening on Lake Geneva, sail boats docked at the harbour, and the snowy Swiss Alps as the backdrop literally took my breath away. Hiring a peddle boat onto the Lake to admire the scene is one of my favourite memories from the trip. As if Switzerland couldn't get any better, we surprised ourselves with our impeccable timing of arriving during a free (every travelers' favourite word) Swiss Music Festival. You'd swear we planned it! Although the outrageously expensive beer was the price to pay for their 'free' festival...

LAKE GENEVA, LAUSANNE

We spent our last day drinking beers by Lake Geneva, toasting to the end of our adventure. I'm not going to lie, I was terrified of Alex leaving, and me having to fend for myself. But it's one of the best decisions I ever made... Read about all my adventures in the next post!

raebelle
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Inter-railing 2014

I can't believe it's nearly been two months since I went on my travels! To simply sum up the trip it consisted of an Irish wan (me), a Scotsman and a South African travelling around Europe for 2 weeks, me flying solo for a while in Italy, and then my best friend from Ireland surprising me last minute by accompanying me for the final week of the trip...

The trip finally became reality when we booked our global passes on InterRail.eu back in March. I chose a '22 days continuous' ticket whereas the lads got a '10 days within 22' days pass because they were only traveling to 6 cities within 2 weeks. The continuous pass was slightly more expensive but seeing as I was going to be a lone traveler for a while I decided it best to have the freedom of a continuous pass. We booked all the hostels (HostelWorld) and reserved all the trains (Voyages SNCF) for the first two weeks in advance. Once the lads left, I was left to my own devices and musings, choosing to 'wing it' and book hostels as I went.

Before booking the passes, there were discussions/beer sessions to choose our route... It proved such a difficult task to decide where to go, where to miss out on, and even more so for everyone to agree! After extensive research, I discovered that the best solution was to plan the route in somewhat of a circle as is much more cost and time effective. However, ours ended up looking like a diamond shaped route with the last leg of my trip down in Italy.

The trip kicked off with a solid 23 hour bus journey at 7am from Aberdeen to Paris - just for the craic like! It was as cheap as chips so worth it in that respect, but the repercussions of the outrageously budget-friendly decision cost us hours of deprived sleep, restless legs, and sore arses. Surprisingly we didn't rip each others' throats out once, which was a success in its own right!

We generally stayed in cities for two nights before jogging onto the next city - no rest for the wicked! However, I found myself spending longer in Italian cities. My journey started off in the fashion capital of Paris and coincidentally finished up in another top fashion destination, Milan. Unfortunately, not many luxurious stores were visited during the trek due to the lack of packed stylish and sophisticated attire. However, I did find myself wandering into Chanel on L'Avenue Montaigne and offered water. Sure, who could refuse Chanel!?

I have decided that the only effective way to blog about my travels is to divide the trip into three sections; The first two weeks with the lads, Italy by myself, and Italy with my friend. Stay tuned for Inter-railing part 1 for all the goss and shenanigans...

raebelle
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Interview Tiiiiime

So now I'm home and on the mend after my stint in hospital, the pressure's on to find a grown up job in the real world. I managed to score my first interview within 24 hours of applying for jobs... I'm not gonna lie, I even impressed myself there! Naturally, first on the agenda was to find a suitable interview outfit. First impressions and all that jazz!

Waterfall Blazer - Penneys €16
Shirt - H&M €9.99
Slim Fit Trousers - New Look €18.99
Court Shoes - Office AW13'
Bag & Necklace - New Look AW13'

I think I scrubbed up well considering I had an hour's time frame and an unemployed budget to work with! I love the waterfall blazer because it can transcend from a day in the office piece into an after-work-drinks ensemble perfectly. The trousers are so comfy and feels like I'm wearing jeans! I invested in my Office court shoes last year when I spotted them in sale. I feel the pointed toe, embellished with leopard trim and gold spikes. gave my outfit an edge and they match my bag!

The interview was for a position in a direct sales Marketing company in Dublin. I met the Managing Director in the morning, and I was delighted to get invited to the second round of interviews later that day. I never experienced a group interview before, and I have to say it was fierce tough. However, I received positive feedback that I was friendly and interactive throughout, so despite the shakes, I seemed to take it all in my stride!  The open day presentation was very informative and interesting. In the end I was offered the position but I realised after the challenging day that the job just wasn't for me. Although there was some amazing opportunities to travel and progress in the company, I wasn't keen on the initial face-to-face marketing technique. I have no patience whatsoever for door-to-door salesmen, so I can't imagine ever being one!

Nonetheless, the day proved to be a great learning experience and I enjoyed the challenge.

Plus, now I have my interview ensemble sorted!

Roll on the next one...

raebelle
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I'm Baaaack

Helloooooooo strangers!

I had good intentions of getting back into the swing of things with this blogging malarky as soon as I returned from my travels but life intervened...and landed me in A&E.

I wasn't even home 2 days before I was giving my mam grief, rushing me to the hospital with pains on my right side and back. I was in the hospital longer than the comfort of me own bed by the end of the week!

Despite numerous tests, and prodding from clueless doctors, it was camera keyhole surgery that determined the problem was appendix woes. I eventually got home 4 days later minus one temperamental appendix. In fairness, I was fierce lucky the fecker didn't decide to burst before or during my trip though.

So looks like my first few weeks back home in the nest of 'relaxing unemployed bliss' has been sidetracked by nursing myself back to somewhat decent health before I can even contemplate job hunting...

On the bright side, I'll have plenty of free time to fire out some posts in between snoozing and struggling to climb up the stairs, so keep your peepers peeled!

raebelle
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New Beginnings

I can't get over the fact that I haven't blogged in almost a month. Life has been crazy! In the space of a month I officially decided to move home, handed in my Notice, and booked Inter-railing around Europe. I may rewind and start from the beginning...

It's official: After almost 5 years of living in the land of Scots I'm moving back home to Ireland. The decision to move back to the Emerald Isle has not been taken lightly whatsoever. It's a necessary evil to follow career prospects and to save for further travelling, with the added bonus of being home with my family and beloved school friends again! I'm taking 3 steps back and moving back into my Mammy's house (I say Mam's house because I've never actually lived in the new house). I'm a country bumpkin at heart so living so close to town will be a strange sensation. Living at home again will be even stranger because I've been living my independent life in Aberdeen for so long now.

Inter-railing's actually happening! A month of gallivanting around Europe: 2 weeks with the lads around popular cities, and nearly 2 weeks flying solo around Italy. Travelling with the lads will be the best send off I could wish for. It will be a surreal experience when they head back and I'm doing it alone, but I feel it's the right decision for me despite the mixed bag of feelings; bubbling over with excitement and the constant worry of butterflies fluttering in my tummy. Sure look, I could love it, make tonnes of new friends and experiences I will cherish, or I could hate it and crawl back home with my tail between my legs... But the point is that I'm giving it a go, and that's what matters!

FIRST LEG OF THE TRIP, EXCLUDING FIRST STOP PARIS

Handing in my Notice was a tough decision to make and I will be sad to leave the team. I've been lucky enough to work with a wonderful group of girls at Dune London for the past 10 months and learned an immense amount from my Managers. Lots of ups and down, tears and tantrums, but it has enabled me enhance my skills, and Management has now been successfully ticked off my list and added onto the aul' CV.

I would honestly be lost without my Aberdream family over the past few years as they are all far to good to me. It's the end of an era really. I have made lifelong friends, in the form of Irish, Scots and a South African, who will always stay close to my heart no matter where we are in the world, and I have the some happiest and craziest of memories with each one of them. I'm bed hopping and couch surfing for the last few weeks here in Aberdeen as the troops have rallied round for me, and I have to say, it's been grand. Preparation for inter-railing, so I'm told!

Keep an eye out for future blog posts if anyone's interested in inter-railing as they're focused on all the planning malarky and destinations :)

To be continued....

raebelle
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Happenings

I'm posting to apologise for the severe lack of posts recently! I said at the start of the year 2014 is gonna be mine. The musings and thoughts from my Words of Wisdom post has been itching away at me for weeks now. So I'm trying my bestest to make my dreams a reality and get things in motion. I'm stubborn as hell but when I want something I go for it full speed ahead. Lots of happenings, surprises, and whatnot occurring at the moment so keep your head up and peepers pealed for updates cos life is just starting to get interesting...

Saving has been the fundamental hobby of late. Well a necessity more-so than a hobby... Even my poor aul' wardrobe has suffered due to all this saving malarky hence the lack of outfit posts. I'd love to say normality will resume and shopping sprees will become a regular occurrence again but these savings are saved for something much more special and exciting which will inevitably leave me broke!

Follow me on Bloglovin', Twitter or through my Followers if you wanna be the first to know all!

raebelle
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