Strangers: How a bar napkin changed my life!

It took fate and a bar napkin with my phone number to set everything in motion.

In this episode, I'm taking you back to the moment everything changed. The day I traded the familiar for the unknown, packing two suitcases and a Hello Kitty duffle bag with nothing but faith in what lie ahead. Leaving Houston for New York wasn't just a move, It was a declaration of freedom. The city tested me, shaped me, and ultimately led me somewhere I never expected halfway across the world building a life in Ireland. This is a story about chasing dreams that doesn't always work out.

Adapted in places where you feel like an outsider and learning that sometimes the best decisions start with the leap into the unknown. So if you've ever thought about picking up and starting fresh or if you've ever wrestled with identity, belonging, or the weight of expectations, this one's for you.

Ever wondered what it's really like to thrive abroad and not just survive? Welcome to the Galway Gal where stories, culture, and adventure collide. I'm Lauren, your host and your no BS guide to life, travel, and culture shock with a Galway twist. From unfiltered stories to offbeat adventures, we're diving into conversations that celebrate the charm, wit, and the heart of life in Ireland and beyond. Whether you're gearing up for your first big move or just daydreaming about life on the other side of the world, you've come to the right place.

Let's rewrite the rules and redefine what home really means. Freedom came in the form of a one way ticket. My own declaration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As a first generation Nigerian American, I stood tall at five'nine, propped up by a mountain of student loans and a pocket full of fantasies. I had a legacy to honor.

My parents had sacrificed so much to build a better life for us here. With dual master's degrees between them both the bar was set high. But to their surprise, the doctor in the family wouldn't be me. Days of forcing my eyelids open through gene mapping lectures, dressing how they want it, and foregoing innocent mischief with my peers had me ready to swap places for the stranger who has taken over my life. I'm taking a break from school and moving to New York to pursue a modeling career.

I'm sure my dad's idea of a peaceful dinner that night wasn't this. His forehead paused midair, hesitant to make a landing as he processed what he had just heard. My mother's head swung from left to right, sucking her teeth in before launching into a lecture I didn't stick around to hear. Two large suitcases and a Hello Kitty duffle bat hinted that I have places to be. I didn't have any concrete plans, but I'd rather be homeless in New York than wake up to another day of a pillow still damp from the tears of a life I'd been trying to fit into.

This mantra might have been taken a little too seriously, but it kept me going. For the first two months, I crashed on a sofa bed in East Harlem with a childhood friend and her roommates. Then there was a room available in Clinton Hill, which gave me the space to leave the bed unmade and come home whenever I wanted. Brooklyn was nothing like Manhattan, but it was home. The city's rhythm matched mine.

Fresh, unpredictable, and bursting with potential. Adapting happened almost overnight. My pace had doubled. My speech is well. The first few months I carried around a subway map like it was a form of ID.

But soon after that, I was given directions. I had everyone convinced I belonged here. Even the natives try to guess in which borough I was from. Houston. I made a Rolodex of friends rather quickly and it seemed like everyone could smell the fresh meat in the city.

My modeling career lasted all of five minutes but the card I was dealt had showed me more ups than downs. Late nights and early mornings were a recurring thing But it was a price I was willing to pay to avoid going back to the simple life. In one year, I'd managed to land a deal with a top cosmetics retailer, go on a few dates with a professional footballer, and shake my rear end in some of the swankiest clubs. Darwin's theory of adaptation felt more valid than ever. My energy reflected the city spirit, alive and free.

Of course, it wasn't all glamorous. I still remember the moment I found a utility bill I wasn't supposed to see. One that should have been split evenly among my roommates. My eyes nearly popped out the socket as I skimmed through what I had been unknowingly paying for months. I guess this was my welcome to New York.

The truth is New York tested me. Time and money were in short supply but I learned to make them work. My dreams of becoming a big time model faded but new aspirations took root. I lived in a city where misfits, innovators, dreamers, and risk takers mixed together so seamlessly like import ingredients in an overpriced cocktail. Where else would you spot an older gentleman in pink panties racing down 20 Third Street on a bicycle complete with a white basket and shimmering tassels.

The city wasn't just a backdrop. It was a catalyst. Each failure and success pushed me closer to understanding who I was and what I wanted. My dreams may have shifted, but they were still mine and in New York I felt like anything was possible. Fast forward nine years and the thing I said I'd never do I did God had finally answered my mom's prayers that one way ticket had turned into a round trip flight Moving back home didn't mean starting over again, but it also wasn't picking up where I had left off.

A place that had once been so familiar became foreign territory and some of the old friendships felt forced, like wearing a pair of jeans that was one size too small. But then there were new friendships made, and just when I started settling back in, a night out had only jerked me back into a reality that was waiting to unfold. I was only in Houston for eighteen months when I met a stranger with an Irish accent who would sweep me off my feet. It took fate and a bar napkin with my phone number to set everything in motion. That moment would change the course of my life.

A year and a half later that same Irishman who had come to Houston for a conference was down on one knee asking me to marry him. If New York taught me anything it was to listen to your gut. So when he asked me about move to Ireland it was a heck yeah. Now no offense to Houston but returning home was a hot sticky reminder of why I had left. It was all mosquitoes, would not need disguised as routine and a belonging that felt more like obligation.

Outside of family and friends it was just a memory book to a life that I had once known. Landing in Galway was like stepping into a fairy tale, one with a lot more sheep than I was prepared for. The simplicity of countryside life was like refreshing, a mindfulness retreat after the chaos of big cities. I traded in skyscrapers for castle ruins, blaring car horns for bird songs, and twenty four hour diners where cozy little cottages tucked away on winding lanes. Here, life moved at a slow, dreamy pace.

It was all about saving the moments and figuring out how to navigate a world that felt completely new. But even with all its allure of a quieter life, I'd be lying if I said everything went to plan. My journey to Galway took off like a rocket. A week before our wedding, I found out I was pregnant. And no, it wasn't a shotgun wedding.

We had already planned a small ceremony with my husband's family. COVID kept our guest list tight, just 10 including ourselves. However, we managed to have 11 keeping our plus one a secret between us. Well, all the play pieces of my life are starting to come together. Our happily ever after, was starting to fade.

Our baby was dying. One moment we were building our future and the next we were burying our son. The excitement of a new beginning was suddenly masked by fear, bridging us into a place we never saw coming. Strangers have become some of our greatest allies and hold our hands for as long as we need it. And yet life kept moving.

Adjusting to a new culture wasn't hard for me, but it also wasn't as simple as switching to a new face cream. The results would take time. Many sleepless nights I wondered if I would ever fit in here being a black woman in a predominantly white environment. Would I miss the hustle and bustle and conveniences of things I once knew? The idea of moving farther away from my family, friends, and comfort foods was as daunting as it was exciting.

There was also the fear of standing out in this internal battle of grappling with my own identity in a place where everyone seemed to know everyone. Would I ever truly feel at home, or would I always be the yank trying to carve out a space that felt like mine? Even with those worries, there was a glimmer of hope. Like spawn a rainbow breaking through Galway's ever present clouds. This was a chance to slow down, reconnect with myself and my family in a way that big city life rarely allowed.

I imagine my children growing up with the freedom of wide open fields and fresh air, learning how to embrace a culture so different from my own. I hope for new friendships, for moments of discovery and for memories that I one day laugh about. Because sometimes you have to give a stranger your number on a bar napkin, trusting that there's a good story waiting at the end of the journey. And that's a wrap on this episode of the Galway Gal. I hope today's story sparked some inspiration, a few laughs, and maybe even a new perspective on what it means to call somewhere else home.

If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, Leave a review and share it with a fellow traveler or dreamer. And hey, I'd love to hear from you. Got a question? A wild expat story? Or just wanna say hi?

Connect with me on Instagram at the Galway Gal. Until next time. Keep exploring, keep evolving, and most importantly, stay true to yourself. No matter where in the world you are.