Some random advice about living in Dublin that I haven't seen anywhere else

No worries, this is not going to become another "A whatever-country-you're-from in Ireland" blog. But today I would like to share just a few tips that I found very helpful and that I never saw in any blog or list or guide about arriving to Dublin.

Get a copy of the Find Your Way in Dublin directory: They give this book for free at the Citizen's Information office, and you can also download it in many languages. This book has numbers and addresses of anything important like hospitals, places to look for jobs, cultural groups and many other things. Having it around made life easier for me.

Get a Leap Card: If you use the bus frequently, this will save you a lot of money. I've found that the 30-days unlimited is the best value if you use it for at least two trips a day. This way you never need cash, and even with the simpler plans, you still pay less and don't have to wait in line, just go inside the bus and scan your card (saving two seconds under heavy rain makes a difference).

Free loo in City Centre: I love how the word "loo" allows you to say bathroom and not sound so tacky. Well, many times you have to pay in shopping centres just to enter, and it's frustrating. Go to the Ilac Centre, Eason and Clerys for free instead.

Learn HACCP (for free): In case you're wondering, it means Hazard Analisys and Critical Control Point. Basically, higiene y manipulación de alimentos. This is something that will be needed for you to work in any restaurant/cafe/deli or food related business. At the FSAI they will give you all the information you need, it's free and it's in City Centre.

Be wary of job adds in the lines of "No experience? No problem?": I'm not gonna go as far as suggesting that you might end up in a plot similar to the Taken movie (which is always a possibility but not the one I'm warning you about now). When you are looking for jobs, you'll find quite often adds that say stuff like "New in Ireland? Want a career on Marketing?" or "Do you have a great personality? Are you good at sales?" if you say yes to any of these questions, and really need a job; you can apply to those adds, just take into consideration that you are probably not going to be hired to work in a Mad Men style office, but most likely in some type of kicking-the-street-to-sale-stuff-while-people-avoid-making-eye-contact-with-you type of job. It's not as bad as ending up in a container, but I'd rather pay for a barista class and work indoors. The same goes for job hunting in pages like Gumtree or Craigslist Ireland.

Check the Dublin Event Guide (for free events): If you are looking for things to do and don't want to spend money, this is the place to see. You'll find a lot of exhibitions, concerts, cultural plans, markets and some quirky stuff to see and do.

Get an Irish reference
Whether you need it for a job, for renting a flat or simply to babysit. A reference written by a local person gives you credibility with, well, local people. Maybe a teacher, a member of your host family or a friend's friend. It really helps.

Well, if you have any advice feel free to add it in the comments. Remember, always be constructive, and when possible, funny.