Good Craic

Hiya! What about ye? Come 'ere, I had a wee chat with me mummy and daddy day past, so I did. We thought a blog on speaking Norn Irish would be class like. I've thought up all the words I can and put em down here for yous.  

'about ye? Hi, how are you? (This may or may not actually be meant to elicit a response)

alright (insert name here) often used as a greeting - it is still questionable as to whether you are expected to respond Ex: Alright Johnny?

amintah Am I not? Ex: I'm right, amintah?

aye yes, to show agreement Ex: Aye, so it did.

baltic cold Ex: It's baltic out there.

banjaxed ruined

bap bun or roll used for sandwiches (come in brown, floury, and other varieties)

bickie biscuit (actually a cookie)

bun/wee bun any pastry

butty sandwich

cheerio good-bye

chip s french fries

chippy fish and chips shop

class, flash, grand, smashing, brilliant, cracker all words meaning great or good Ex: He just got himself this flash computer...This scone is brilliant.

come 'ere listen up (I want to tell you something) Ex: Come 'ere, he just told me that he's seen your woman.

craic good time/fun Ex: The John Hewitt is great craic.

crisps potato chips (usually in flavors like Roast Dinner, Chicken and Thyme, Prawn Cocktail, or Cajun Squirrel - I'm not kidding - they think it's brilliant)

cuppa cup of tea or coffee Ex: I'll have another cuppa.

diary appointment book Ex: Let me just put you in my diary.

do my head in drive me crazy Ex: I was readin' it last night. Nearly did my head in.

Eejit pronunciation of the word idiot

fags/fegs cigarettes Ex: Can I bum a fag?

fillum film/movie Ex: I just saw that fillum!

foundered cold

fringe hair bangs

good craic A great time Ex: The John Hewitt is good craic.

happy enough Pleased Ex: Were you happy enough with today's meeting?

here's me often used to indicate to others that you are doing something Ex: Here's me done with my lunch.

hob stove

hole in the wall ATM

I'll do you! I'll kill you.

I'm away. I'm leaving Ex: I'm away at half three (3:30).

jumper sweater

lollipop man crossing guard Ex: The lollipop man was in a mood today.

lolly popsicle or lollipop

mingin, stinkin, mankin Stinking, rotten Ex: The chips were mingin.

Norn Iron Northern Ireland Ex: I just come from Norn Iron.

Peelers Cops Ex: The peelers are coming!

poke ice cream cone

scundered embarrassed Ex: I can't believe I did that. I'm right scundered.

shaaaap shop - never referred to as a store Ex: I'm heading up to the shaaap, need anything?

slagging making fun of Ex: They were slagging him of, like.

soda soda bread, not the drink (If you order a soda, they just might bring you bread.)

sure he isn't sure is often added to the beginning of a short phrase Ex: He's never been there, sure he hasn't.

sweeties any desserts

Ta, Cheers Thank you.

the black stuff Guinness Ex: Give me a pint of the black stuff there.

thingy what's his/her name Ex: I just talked to...thingy...this morning.

wee actually does mean small, but is attributed to pretty much anything Ex: I'll just grab a wee sandwich.

wick, naff stupid or useless Ex: That kettle's wick.

yer man/yer woman That man/that woman Ex: Yer man, William, gave me a lift.

This is all I can come up with for now. I'll do another one if I think of more. Look for an update on what I've been doing coming very soon. Miss you all and see you SOON!

Spring break pictures!

I know, two blog posts in one night...pretty lucky. I put up new pictures on Flickr. Take a look!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36308618@N05/

Easter Parade!

Hello and Happy Easter! (A bit late, but I was thinking of you on the day just the same.)

It's time for my latest novel so I hope you're all ready. Grab yourself a cuppa and a bickie and let's get going!

This week has really been lived in the shadow of Easter. All the schools are out for two weeks, most businesses were closed on Monday and Tuesday, and some have been closed all week. They take their time off here whenever they can it seems. Not a bad outlook if you ask me... but I'll start back a bit further than this. 

The first topic of interest is that last Tuesday I went to see Evita at the Belfast Grand Opera House, and I LOVED it. I had never really seen the musical before other than snippets from the Madonna version, which just does not compare. The singing was phenomenal, particularly on the part of the woman who played Eva Peron, and the dancing was spectacular as well. The whole production was very well put together and I am so glad that I didn't miss it. Really, if you have never seen Evita, do when you get a chance. It was excellent. The building itself was gorgeous as well. The opera house was opened in 1895 in a distinctly Indian style with carvings of elephants adorning columns and ceiling. The building served as a cinema at one time, for which it was very ill-suited. It was also at risk of being demolished or being turned into a bowling alley before it was saved and refurbished for live theatre once more. It is a three-tiered auditorium, a little on the small side, but with not really a bad seat in the house. I was able to rush tickets with another girl from our flat.

Wednesday brought work on the streets of East Belfast once again. Ben, one of my flatmates, came by the East office in the late afternoon to talk to Andy a little bit about policing for his individual project. Andy led Ben and I around a tour of East Belfast before Ben went out on the streets with us. And look what we found...

This mural was painted over an older militaristic and violent paramilitary mural as an effort to better the community. C.S. Lewis was born and raised in East Belfast, a fact that I didn't know before. I was so excited to see my favorite author and my favorite book painted on a gable wall in Belfast!

Thursday was a day of training for me. I was able to receive the formal Restorative Justice training that every member of staff at Alternatives receives shortly after beginning employment. I learned a lot that I didn't already know and reinforced many of the things that I had already learned about restorative justice. It also helped me to begin shaping how I think things should look for the website that I am working on. 

We didn't have to work on Good Friday and it was a good thing because the weather was beautiful. We were able to spend some time outside. We walked to the store along the river to do some grocery shopping. However, we were surprised when we tried to leave the college to find that we were locked in. The big front gates were closed and locked and we had to hop over them in order to get out. They remained this way all through Easter, up until Tuesday. Stranmillis isn't the most convenient of places to live. They have strange hours and strange rules. That night Jordan, Iain, and I went down the road to Fisherwick Presbyterian Church for their Good Friday service. I think that was when the homesickness really started to kick in. We all missed our churches and our services at home...and we especially missed the people with which we attend those services. 

Saturday brought a day to sleep in for all of us. We woke up to beautiful sunshine and warm weather. Jordan and I made a trip into town to do some shopping and just to get out in the sunshine. We weren't very successful, but it was still a good time. When we got back we dyed Easter eggs! They don't dye eggs here. In fact, if you mention it to most people they will have no idea what you're talking about. I mentioned it at work today and they looked at me like I was crazy when I said that we boil eggs, dye them colors, and then hide them. When you sit down to think about it, it's probably not the most brilliant idea. But, like I said, they don't dye eggs here. Instead, they buy big bags of foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. These are the eggs the Easter Bunny hides on Easter morning. We're talking Cadbury Creme eggs or Cadbury Flake or Caramel. Or a Toblerone or KitKat GIANT egg. They take chocolate seriously. BUT, because we were missing home and because we wanted some semblance of a normal Easter and because who doesn't like to feel like they are five years old again?, we dyed eggs. There were only a couple of problems with our plan. One, we had to search long and hard to find dye (finally found it at a party supply store...it's probably only there for Americans like ourselves) and two, the eggs here are all brown, a fact we didn't think of until after we had purchased the dye. Thus, the eggs were really only dyed two colors - pink and kind of blue. They were probably one of the ugliest batches of Easter eggs you will ever see, but we had a great time making them. 

Sunday morning we all kind of split up to head to different churches for Easter. Jordan and I were looking for something traditional and lively. We decided to try St. Patrick's for 10:00 mass. It was a very traditional mass and none too lively. It really made me miss home. The church was beautiful, but the enthusiasm was greatly lacking. However, they did pass out candy at the end. It was actually a very weird feeling on both our walks into and out of town. We didn't see many people and those that we did see were not exactly in the Easter spirit. We saw very few Easter dresses and it felt like something was missing. I expected the city to be alive in celebration, but we found it rather deserted and almost dismal. Still, it was a beautiful day and I was rejoicing! Jordan and I stopped at the store on the way back to the flat to pick up some pan au chocolat to go with our Easter eggs. The afternoon was pretty laid back. We all rested and relaxed and I cooked the ham...

In trying to keep with more Easter traditions, we decided to have an Easter dinner on Sunday and pull from everyone's Easter meals. Thus, we decided to have ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. I had never made ham before, but we decided to do a honey-glazed ham. It actually turned out quite tasty and our dinner was a success! After dinner there were strawberry shortcakes with delicious fresh berries. These are the simple things that I have missed so much while we've been here. We finished off the day with a movie altogether. It was a good day and it was fun to share it with good friends, but we were all left with pretty strong feelings of homesickness and I don't think it's really left yet, and likely it won't.

Today was the first day that I worked this week. It's been a good week to relax. We've been shopping, enjoying the weather while it was here, and just hanging out. I went for a run along the river the other day and it was beautiful. We went to a movie on Tuesday night that was about an IRA informant from Belfast. I'm not sure where it will be released in the states, but it should be coming sometime in mid-May. It's called 50 Dead Men Walking and stars Jim Sturgess and Ben Kingsley. It's quite graphic and would definitely not be recommended for anyone under the age of 17, but it shows a little bit about what life was like and still is to some degree in Northern Ireland. It's a little bit controversial because it really only gives one side and it has been changed from the original story, but I still think it is worth seeing. I also went to get my haircut and had a mini girls' day with Karen yesterday. 

In one exciting piece of news, Jordan and I found an Orange Order parade on Tuesday. This will mean nothing probably to just about anyone who's reading this, but it was a significant experience for me. I will try to explain as best I can. The Orange Order is the oldest and largest Protestant organization in Northern Ireland. The name is in tribute to William of Orange - an important figurehead in Irish Protestant history. To learn more visit the wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Institution. Anyway, they hold marches at various points throughout the year that are made up of local drum and flute bands. Sometimes these marches incite discontent and anger among members of the Catholic republican community and riots and conflicts can break out. This is especially the case around the 12th of July - which is a major Protestant holiday. We were told that we might be able to find some parades on Easter and I was sad when we didn't. So, imagine our surprise when Jordan and I were wandering around looking for somewhere to eat dinner when we heard drums and flutes. We followed the sound and found the tail end of the parade. We ended up following it a ways so that we could get to the front. We followed it all the way up the Shankill Road - the heart of Protestant territory. The streets were lined with people of all ages watching the mostly men and children march up the street with their instruments, flags, and uniforms. The picture at the top of this post is taken from the parade. 

Today was a day at the office, but we were closed to the public so that we could organize and clean. We got so much done that I have the day off again tomorrow. The weather will largely determine how I will spend my time off. 

Well, it's getting late and I should probably get to my homework, so that's all for now. Wishing you all well at home!

Pastries and Paella

I am currently sitting outside writing this blog. I am in Northern Ireland and the sun is shining and the ground is dry and I am watching the sunset and sharing it with all of you. The weather here has been gorgeous the last week. It's been sunny and warmish and green, of course. I'm hoping it will hold up, but the forecast next week says otherwise. Regardless, I'm glad I got to experience some springtime sunshine in the land of perpetual rain. 

So it's been quite awhile since I've updated this blog. For a few days there was really nothing interesting to report and then everything got very busy very quickly. I will try to keep up better in the future. I promise.

Last week was our spring break and none of us took the opportunity to really relax and catch up. Instead, we all jetted off around Europe and most of us got back the night before class started again. Jordan and I chose to head to Paris and Barcelona and take advantage of the crazy-cheap budget airlines they have in Europe and should probably have in the United States. We flew into Paris on Tuesday night and navigated our way to our hotel on first the RER train and then the metro. The directions that the hotel gave us didn't work so Jordan used his problem solving skills and got us to where we needed to be. The hotel was very nice. It was only a two-star hotel so it wasn't lavish and luxurious or anything, but it served our purposes. It was clean and it was tidy, in an excellent location and we got it for an excellent price for Paris. We were only five minutes walking distance from the Eiffel Tower, as we found on the first night. Because we got in so late we really spent our first night trying to find anywhere that would sell us food for less than 50 euro a piece. At one point in our ramblings we stumbled upon the Eiffel Tower during the light show. I know, you wouldn't think you could stumble upon the Eiffel Tower, but I was surprised at how much smaller it was than I'd expected. Still gorgeous, yes, but not the giant landmark that the movies make it out to be. We eventually found a place on a side street near our hotel that served us a pizza for 6 euro at about 12:30am. We were so pleased we went back the next night. 

I won't go into the long details of everything that we did in Paris. I'll save that for one on one time with pictures...don't think it's not coming. However, I'll give a short summary of the things we did and saw. We visited Notre Dame and the Louvre and the gardens outside the Louvre - don't ask me to write their name in French. (I will probably butcher the spelling of all these landmarks.) We went to the Arc de Triomph and the Champs de Elysees. We also visited the Pantheon and the American Cathedral and the Latin Quarter and the Trocadero. We walked along the Seine and through various shopping districts for really expensive window shopping. We were really trying to do Paris on a budget so we ate small things throughout the day...and REALLY overloaded on the carbs. We grabbed a crepe here and a baguette there. We tried croque monsieur and pan au chocolat. The croque monsieur is like an inside out grilled cheese sandwich with ham in the middle and the cheese on top. They were delicious. Jordan has been trying to replicate them ever since we got back. And the pan au chocolat is a croissant with a chocolate filling. SO GOOD. On our last night we bought chocolate and fresh bread and camembert and had a picnic. We splurged on one meal at a nice restaurant because you have to try French cuisine if you're there. We had a three-course lunch at Alsace on Champs de Elysees. That is definitely the way to go while in Europe because the lunch plate is sometimes half the price of the same meal at dinner. I think the creme brulee had to be my favorite part. I absolutely loved Paris. We were able to walk everywhere. The only times we took any transportation was to and from the hotel to the airport. It was a beautiful city and it didn't feel completely overrun by tourists. 

We had to get up dark and early on Friday morning around 3:30 AM so we could take a taxi to the airport at 4:20. I about died as I watched the meter on the taxi go up about 10 cents every few seconds. The taxi ride cost about as much as a night at a hotel, but there was no other way to get to the airport that early - not really one of those things that you think about. We flew out for Barcelona around 8:00 and got in around 9:45. We made our way to the hotel with only a couple of minor hangups with the transportation system and we were pleasantly surprised. The sun was shining and our hotel was adorable. It was decorated very traditionally and had a very homey feel. It was off a side street of La Rambla (the main tourist destination in Barcelona). We checked in and headed out again before we could even think about being too tired. We made our way down La Rambla to the market. The market is CRAZY. There are stalls EVERYWHERE with fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, bread, candy---all surrounded by mobs and mobs of people buying, selling, bartering, taking pictures, hacking up fish. I amazed myself by LOVING it. We bought some fresh coconut and pineapple and some fresh squeezed coconut mango juice. We also picked up a loaf of fresh bread and a chocolate croissant and made our way to the harbor. It was beautiful - though crowded with tourists. We sat on the dock and ate our lunch in short-sleeved t-shirts and sunglasses, looking out over sailboats and palm trees. Not bad at all. Barcelona was a lot less mapped out than Paris for us so we did a lot of rambling around. We made our way to the beach...and saw the 6 others from our group that had also traveled to Barcelona! Later that night we all went out for tapas and gelato and we called it an early night. We visited the Seu Cathedral, the Chocolate Museum (where the ticket was a chocolate bar - the perfect museum for me!), the Arc de Triomph (yes, they have one too), the Santa Maria del Mar, the Olympic Port, the Parc de la Ciutad (I think that's what it was called) and whatever else we felt like seeing along the way. Oh, and did I mention it poured the whole day on our second day there? Leave it to us to bring rain to one of the sunniest places in Spain. Regardless, we had a good time. We went to the Magic Fountain that night with the rest of the group and Jordan and I went out for our last tapas and sangria afterwards. We approached Barcelona with a similar attitude as that toward Paris. We snacked on things from the market and local bakeries throughout the day and saved our money for tapas at night. I will say that Barcelona had AMAZING sweets. I really tried not to eat them, but how often are you there, right? Their pastries were amazing and their gelato was to die for. I did my fair share of sampling...but I did couple it with fruit from the market. Jordan and I both decided that we should probably try some fish or seafood for tapas one night even though neither of us like it. We thought we'd be safe with some cod on toast. Not safe at all. The cod was cooked so that it was slimy and jello-y. I took one bite and thought, "Wonderful, I actually have to swallow this." So, I'm sorry, I tried again to like seafood, but it's still not happening. Maybe later...or prepared in a very different way. 

After getting home Jordan and I both agreed that Paris seemed a better fit. Paris is definitely touristy, but not at all like Barcelona where the whole city seems centered around the industry. It didn't feel very authentic and it wasn't that comfortable jostling the crowds and fighting off shopkeepers all day long. Still, I enjoyed our time there and I was happy with our choice. 

The first week back was fairly uneventful, but I enjoyed being back in the East Belfast Alternatives office. They are really a very fun and caring group of people to work with...and they spoil me. I was able to go out on the streets to do youth work with them again on Wednesday night and I was able to actually talk to some of the kids. I really enjoyed hearing about their lives and what's really important to them right now. Their lives are so similar and yet so different from the lives of kids that I've worked with or know from home, or even from my own life at their age. I love being able to see that.

It's been a pretty quiet weekend. Two people are out of our flat doing work this weekend and we've all kind of been doing our own thing. Last night Jordan and Ben and I went to the Ulster Rugby game. They put up a valiant effort, but they lost. We still had an amazing time watching -- even if we had to stand in the rain to do it. I think we're going to go back when they play at home again in a couple of weeks. Jordan and I went to the St. George's Market again this morning to have some pig roast pulled pork sandwiches and spent the rest of the afternoon shopping. We're going to have a big feast and watch the Final Four tournament tonight...at 12:00. We'll see if we make it to the end. Tomorrow we're going to head to the big cathedral in Belfast for Palm Sunday services and hopefully take another relaxing day outside. Next week is when the push really starts to get to work on our individual, group, and internship projects. I'll probably write a little more about that later. The time is flying and none of us can believe how little of it we have left. We only have 3 weekends left in Belfast, a week in Dublin, and two in Coleraine before we head for home. I'm sure it will be here before we know it. Well, the weather is actually starting to get a bit nippy out here so I think I'll head in for the night. I'll write again soon! Hope all is well!

pictures, pictures, pictures!

I decided that rather than battling with the blog site and patchy internet to put up my pictures I would just go the Flickr route. You can see some of my pictures at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36308618@N05/

Enjoy!

Working 9 to 5

It's been awhile since I've posted on here. Really it's been awhile since I've had time to post on here. Working everyday tires you out pretty  quickly. I now sympathize with all the 9-to-5ers. I now get the exhaustion. Despite the exhaustion the internship really has been pretty great so far. I've had the chance to get around to a lot of the different Alternatives sites. I have been out in the schools and out working with the youth on the streets. I had the opportunity to attend the District Policing Partnership Forum that brought people together from all areas of work in the community, the police, the government, residents and youth to discuss various issues. The main topic of discussion was underage drinking and antisocial activity. I was actually able to give input in the discussion, which was kind of a new thing. I have also been able to sit in on a board meeting for the organization. This allowed me to see the direction that the organization is heading in and also where they have come from. On Friday afternoon my supervisor took me out for lunch at one of the local pubs that all the community workers and artists gather at for political discussion. We had a great time eating good food (real meat that wasn't chicken!), having a glass of wine, and just generally getting to know one another better and also discussing more ways that I might be able to help out at Alternatives. I had a great time. 

On Saturday I attended the first meeting of a new youth program run out of East Belfast Alternatives. It brings together youth from the Protestant community, the Catholic community, and youth from Dublin. They participate in a 15 week long program that looks at living healthy, creating relationships across communities and borders, and teaches the children how to play ice hockey. Yes, a very few people do play ice hockey in Northern Ireland. The kids participate in a week-long residential hockey clinic at the end of the program. Volunteers come in from Canada and they work with the Coors Belfast Giants hockey team to teach the kids how to play. They piloted the program last year and had reasonable success. They are looking to change a few things and hope for more success this year. Yesterday was all about getting to know one another and the program. We spend the afternoon at a youth center playing ice breaker games and listening to a presentation about the program. Then we took all the kids to a Belfast Giants hockey game. They had extra tickets so Jordan and Drea tagged along for the game as well. It was quite the interesting experience. Within the first five minutes Jordan described the games as being similar to watching the team play their first game in Mighty Ducks. It was quite a different level of play than we are used to in Minnesota, but it was fun to watch and an experience I am glad that I got to take part in. The kids definitely enjoyed themselves.

Outside of work I haven't really been up to a whole lot. I'm exhausted when I get home and usually stay in after dinner. We did have the chance to see some live music last Thursday. One of our flatmate's supervisors was playing with his band at a performance venue. Really it is a townhouse that has been converted into a performance space/art gallery type of thing. They were promoting the Botanic Arts Festival that will be taking place next weekend. There was free wine and good music. We didn't stay very late, but we had a good time. Today we got out and walked along the river a little bit and went grocery shopping for the week. I have to work on a paper proposal tonight and then probably call it an early night. We are going to visit the U.S. Consulate and Stormont (the building that houses the Northern Ireland assemble) tomorrow. It's our study day so we will get to see everyone from Derry and Nigel too. Now that I'm more settled in at Alternatives I should be able to keep up with this a little bit better.

Before I sign off I should probably write a little bit about the events that have been happening in Belfast recently. I'm sure most of you have probably seen news about the shootings in Northern Ireland on the news by now. Last weekend two soldiers were killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a military base north of Belfast. Two days later a policeman was shot and killed just south of Belfast. These shootings were carried out by two different splinter groups of the IRA - the Real IRA (RIRA) and the Continuity IRA (CIRA). These are two very small splinter groups that split from the IRA awhile ago. The IRA no longer remains active, but these two, much smaller groups still do. The people in these groups are trying to ignite the Republican quest for a united Ireland once again. They are doing so by targeting security forces, like the British Army and the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI). They have said that they will continue to commit such acts until Britain leaves Northern Ireland. Political leaders and officials from all sides have said that they will not stand for this behavior and that they will not allow the actions of radicals to bring this country back into conflict. The vast majority of the Irish people condemn these acts and want the peace process to continue. The heads of the Loyalist paramilitary groups have promised that there is no talk of retaliation on the part of the paramilitaries. It was a very interesting time to be in the country because we were able to see on people's faces and in their voices the terror that these shootings brought back for those who have already lived through any part of the conflict. It brought people back to the days when they would hear of a shooting and have to wait to find out if it was a family member or someone they knew. Because of this terror, no one we have encountered wants to enter into that sort of dispute again. They are all very much committed to peace. So, in summary, I am safe, we are all safe, and we will wait with the rest of the country to see what happens next. The political leaders are all working to make sure that peace is maintained and that the process can continue to move forward. In fact, many of  Northern Ireland's political leaders are in the United States right now. St. Patrick's Day is one of the few times when they are able to step into the spotlight and use it to advance their cause and their goals for the future. 

I am being called to go make dinner now so I had better get to it. Miss you all tons and wish you all well!

Belfiesta!

I'm a working girl now! I officially started my internship on Monday and I am loving it! I have worked two days now (we had class/seminar today). On Monday morning I took a taxi to the East Belfast Alternatives office where I was met by one of the workers there. She was the only one in the office at the time (there are only two staff who work in the EBA office full-time). She showed me around the office. It is small, but comfortable and got me situated in my desk...yes, I have a desk complete with computer and stapler. Her first task of the day was to meet with one of the young girls that she is working with and I was allowed to tag along. I don't think I have explained yet how Alternatives works so I will give a quick overview. 

Alternatives is an organization that utilizes a community-based restorative justice approach to anti-social behaviour (which here means throwing rocks at homes, petty theft, vandalism, bullying, etc.). There has been a rise in Northern Ireland of the informal justice system. People are still vary wary of the police and other statutory agencies and find that the response time is not good if there is a response at all. Thus, people head down to the local pub when they have a grievance against youth in the community. People know which pubs are still frequented by local paramilitary members. They present their case and request that the paramilitaries take care of it. This can result in a warning, a beating, a shooting (to injure and teach a lesson, not to kill), or exclusion of the offender and their family from the community. Alternatives works through referrals to intervene in this process and offer an alternative to paramilitary violence. Victim, offender, and community are all involved in restoring justice to a situation. Victim and offender both receive separate counseling and mediation until they come together to work out an arrangement that will benefit the victim, offender, and community. The victim is able to receive closure and repayment, the offender is able to see firsthand the way that their actions hurt themselves, the community and others, and the community is bettered. This, in a nutshell, is why Alternatives was formed. Since the 1990s Alternatives has branched out to include prevention programs, mediation training in schools and the Northern Ireland parole office and various other programs and services, including dealing directly with paramilitaries as I will be soon.

So...on Monday I was able to accompany one of the case workers to work with a little girl. This little girl had been kicked out of school for possession. She has also stolen from local shops. She is only 12 years old. We took her to play pool at a local community center and then out for McDonalds. One of the things that Alternatives looks at is the circumstances in the offender's lives that may have led them to commit the crimes that they have taken part in. This girl is in the early stages of her restorative justice program and the emphasis is really on building a relationship of trust and support. It was quite the interesting experience. She is really a sweet girl who just comes from a bad home situation. That is the experience of a lot of the youth who work with Alternatives. After returning from that outing I had a meeting with the three people that I will be working closely with and they kind of "called" which days they wanted me to work with them. It sounds like I will be able to get around to most of the Alternatives offices (they have 5) and will be able to experience a wide variety of their programs. Later in the day on Monday I was able to attend a meeting with the more formal branch of restorative justice in Belfast. They operate under more of a statutory protocol than does Alternatives. Until recently the two groups did not work together, but because of government recognition of Alternatives they are now working together on joint projects. They were very welcoming and informative and I was invited back to visit and learn more anytime. This was pretty much the extent of my first day. I read some literature about the organization and really oriented myself with the office. That is really what the first week is about. I am fairly free to choose my own projects and to work in the directions and the capacities that I choose. I have, however, been delegated the task of designing their website (they don't have one at the moment). I will be compiling the information needed for their website and deciding how it can best be laid out.

On Tuesday I got to work on a little bit of research needed to formulate a layout for the website. I don't have a real strong idea of what to go on so I decided to orient myself more with the organization. I read reports and pamphlets and I also looked at other restorative justice organizations' websites to get an idea about what might be included in an Alternatives website. In the process I found an internship dealing with restorative justice in Minneapolis for the summer that I am going to apply for. I think I should have a pretty good shot at it. Keep your fingers crossed for me! Later in the morning I went out on a home visit with one of the case workers to talk with a parent of a child that might participate in one of our programs. The day was pretty slow for the most part and I filled it with research. However, in the afternoon I had the chance to attend a meeting. This meeting was made up of various organizations in the neighborhood. There were community groups and the housing executive and the Belfast City Council all represented. Basically the group meets to update one another on the various projects that they are working on. They ensure that there is no overlap and they work together to accomplish what the neighborhood needs. I was told that this is fairly rare in Belfast so I was glad to experience the cooperation of the Woodstock neighborhood.

Oh! In other interesting news I experienced the public transportation of Belfast for the first time on Tuesday. In order to get to my internship I have to take a bus into the city center and then another bus into East Belfast. The website is not particularly helpful in planning your routes, but I found out which buses to take from my co-workers. Thus, I knew the bus numbers that I had to take and I found those buses just fine. What I did not know, however, was where to get off of them. It was a big guessing game, but I did alright. I think I should be ok to do it again. I didn't particularly love standing at the bus stop in the cold and the rain, but such is Belfast (I could have it much worse; some people have to walk). It did rain the first two days of our internships, but today was nice and sunny.

Today, as I said before, was our seminar day. We were joined in Belfast by our classmates in Derry. We went first to WAVE Trauma Centre. This is a center that deals with victims of the Troubles. This means that anyone who feels that their life was affected by the Troubles can get whatever help they might need from the center. After that we made our way to the Shankill office of Alternatives. The rest of my group was able to learn a little bit about what we do at Alternatives. It was an interesting day and it was SO GOOD to see the Derry people again! We've really missed them. It always feels like some of our group is missing. I think some of them might be coming to stay and visit with us this weekend. 

It's getting late so I should probably wrap this up. Tomorrow I will be heading out into the schools to work with Alternatives' Peer Mediation program. It should be interesting. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you at home. Talk to you soon.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end...

Hello from Belfast!

We moved in on Friday and have officially been residents of Belfast for 4 days now. It has been a very full 4 days and doesn't show any signs of slowing. There is a lot to tell from our last night in Coleraine to our first day at our internship sites so I had better type fast so that I can finish this before I have to write papers and do work and stuff. Who knew that we had to do any of that while we are here?

Thursday was our last night as a big group for awhile. Eight of us are living in Belfast and the other five are living in Derry. I was really sad to split into two groups. It felt like after three weeks we were well connected as a group and we were getting more comfortable all the time and then we had to move and go and change things. I'm hoping the separate living and experiences won't change the group dynamic too much. I guess time will tell. We went out one last time to the Anchor on Thursday night to hear some traditional Irish music. It was my favorite night here so far! Like the stupid Americans in a foreign country that we are we danced...and we were the only ones who danced...and we didn't know how to dance correctly. At first it was just 4 of the girls dancing. Then Jordan and Justin came and joined us and we polkaed. Later in the night Justin danced with me. Justin has taken a ballroom class so he knew more what he was doing. All I had to do was point my toes, pick up my feet and follow. We were both dressed in red on top and black on bottom. We looked like we were entering a dance contest. We had all eyes in the pub on us and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! A few songs later the band played a well-known folk song and I danced with an Irish guy named Kevin who taught me the actual dance. Brie and I got to know the band a little bit and I think we made quite the lasting impression on the Anchor. We will be missed...at least until we return in May.

We left for Belfast bright and early on Friday morning and checked into our flat at Stranmillis College. We got an 8-person flat that comprises an entire floor of the building we live in. Each room has its own bathroom complete with a good-sized shower. We share a kitchen and a bathtub. The flat has recently been renovated and they are very nice. We were very excited when we arrived and we finally have internet in our rooms!!! It's a little spotty, but we don't have to walk a couple of blocks to get it.  This makes life so much easier for the spoiled Americans who can't live without their wireless ; )

We spent the rest of Friday settling in and doing some grocery shopping and unpacking. We decided to throw a fiesta for our first night in Belfast so we cooked fajitas and had rice and chips and salsa. It was delicious and an excellent start to our time here. I passed on going out Friday night. I was still exhausted from Thursday and I'm always trying to save money when I can. 

We spent Saturday exploring the city and generally wandering around. We were lucky to have such nice weather. The impression that Belfast has left on us might not be nearly as nice if we were battling the wind and rain (like we were today incidentally). We spent most of the afternoon shopping and mingling with the crowds and crowds of people. My one goal on Saturday was to watch the big rugby match in a pub with all the local Irish people. Ireland played England and expectations were high. After a quick stop at McDonald's for a snack (I know, I know, I didn't want to go there, but we needed something quick and cheap and not crowded) we managed to snag a much coveted table at The Kitchen Bar in Belfast city center. We watched the rugby match with some chips and a Guinness and I cannot imagine a much better way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Belfast. Rugby is so much more entertaining to watch than American football and the fans say much funnier things here when they have had a bit to drink. They are much more original than your typical NFL drunks. It is somehow charming. We walked home from the pub after the match and that about did it for me for the night. I had a grilled cheese - or cheese toastie - and relaxed. We determined that the walk into the city center took about 30 minutes. However, once we made it to the center all the entertainment and shopping was pretty centralized. It wasn't too bad and the walking doesn't hurt any of us (at least on Saturday it didn't).

Sunday was a big day. None of you probably knows who Ian Paisley is, but I need to give you a very simple summary to impress upon you the importance of the day. Reverend Ian Paisley has been the most prominent political figure in Northern Ireland for probably the last 40 years and he is the most outspoken Unionist commentator. He is the former First Minister of the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland. This is the highest office and he has only recently stepped down. He is the founder of the Free Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland. This is a quasi-Presbyterian sect of Protestantism that has gained quite the reputation here. They are a very fundamentalist religion that has managed to mix politics and religion quite effectively. Ian Paisley was one of the foremost advocators for Unionism throughout the Troubles and there is great controversy surrounding his views regarding the Catholic and Nationalist movement. Though he never advocated violence, many paramilitaries claim to be inspired by Ian Paisley to join the various Loyalist organizations. In recent years his views have moderated quite substantially. Once thought never to waver in his belief in a Unionist Northern Ireland, Paisley became the first head of a power-sharing government. He served with former enemy Martin McGuinness and preaches a message of peace and efforts toward agreement today. It is amazing to see what circumstances and prolonged violence can do to people. Apart from his history Ian Paisley is still seen as very radical today because of his views toward Catholicism, homosexuality, abortion, and the like. Many more liberal minded people in Northern Ireland (including many Republicans) still harbor great hatred toward him and many of his own side have begun to see him as too moderate and as yielding to the demands of the other side. Despite the ill feelings toward him Ian Paisley is still highly respected by many and those in his church remain his devoted followers. Regardless of all feelings whether good or bad he remains a celebrity and one of the most well-known names throughout the British isles.

So the short biography got a little long. Everything is so complicated here; it becomes very difficult to condense any information into a bloggable format for a general audience. Anyway, what you need to know is that Ian Paisley is a big, big deal. He has come up time and again in our lectures. His church, the building that he founded, is located in Belfast and he still preaches most of the time. We decided to check it out on Sunday and we walked into East Belfast for the 11:30 service. We got lost and ended up arriving about ten minutes late. We were welcomed enthusiastically by an elder sitting outside the door. However, we had to wait in the entry until the prayer was over so that we could find a seat without disrupting the service. When we were able to enter I expected to see a sanctuary filled with people...and I didn't. There were far fewer people than I would have expected, but they were much more interesting than I expected. All of the women were wearing amazing hats, Kentucky Derby quality hats with flowers and lace and big brims that matched their perfectly coordinated dresses. It was a scene right out of the movies. And there was Ian Paisley atop a giant platform at the front of the church. We entered during the sharing of the peace and were promptly greeted by an elderly man from the congregation. We were seated about 7 rows back from the pulpit, but we were the closest to the front. During the announcements Ian Paisley looked right at us and welcomed all the visitors (we were the only ones). The service was really very beautiful. The hymns were unfamiliar, but the congregation knew how to sing and we caught on easily. The sermon was preached on Malachi chapter 3 and it was not at all what I was expecting. I was listening for a political agenda or undertones, but I found none. The focus was on the text and the worship. This was not the Ian Paisley I had read and heard so much about. After the service was over Ian made his way up the aisle and made a beeline straight toward us. He shook all our hands and welcomed us to his congregation. He wished us a happy stay here in Belfast and welcomed us back any time. I wish I could convey what a big deal this was. It was crazy. This is one of the most hated men in Northern Ireland (by some at least) and certainly one of the most powerful and he was so accessible. There was no security and there were no precautions made for his safety during this service. We were very surprised. He continued on his way after greeting us to catch up with other members of his congregation, but we talked to him again on our way out. We got a picture and some autographs. On an interesting side note he always signs a verse when he signs his name. He gave us the verses Ephesians 6:19-20. They read as follows "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should." It was so exciting and he was so nice and welcoming. It really changes your perception of a person to hear about all that they have done and all that people believe they are and then to juxtapose that impression with your actual encounter with that person. It's all part of making everything more confusing here day by day. I don't know if I have said this yet, but they told us time and again over the first few days that we were here: If you aren't confused, then you aren't understanding the conflict...or something to that effect.

I was really hoping that I would have time tonight to talk about my first day at my internship, but it's getting late and I have to work in the morning so that will have to wait until tomorrow perhaps. I just got too caught up with talking about Ian Paisley. I know you're all on the edge of your seats. Hope all is well! More soon!

Belfast and Before

There is a lot to tell. I haven't written in awhile because I didn't think there was really anything all that exciting to report. Then a lot happened at once and I didn't have time. Then it was rainy and I didn't feel like heading over to the library to wage war with the very patchy wireless. All of these factors combine to make what will likely be a very long post. I suggest you go grab yourself a cup of tea (or coffee if you must), maybe a snack. Change out of your work clothes and throw on some sweats...and enjoy (hopefully).

I'll start with today and go backwards I think. This was our last official day of class. We had our final day of preparation for our internships and a few closing remarks from Nigel and Derick (who pops in from time to time and is kind of like another informal leader of our group). Then we headed to Nigel's house for lunch. He called it Glenny House and we all kind of laughed. In the states we  might say the Glennys' house or the Glenny household, but not so much Glenny House. I don't often invite my friends over to Cassada House for a movie. Just one of those fun Irish phrases that are so charming. Nigel lives about 20 minutes away from the university. He and his wife and two kids are renting a house right now while they work on selling their old one. That process has been going on for quite some time now. The housing market is even worse here than it is in the states. No one can sell. All the same, the house they are in now is beautiful. You can see the ocean down a big hill from their front door and Nigel said that on a clear day they can see Scotland. Nigel's wife and children were there to greet us when we arrived. He has a little daughter who is two and a son who is only a few months old. They were adorable. It was so nice to see little kids! They made us a wonderful lunch. We had soup and all kinds of breads and sweets. Nigel's wife made us Irish soda bread and scones from scratch. The Irish quite like their carbs. There are always scones and bread to be found. We were also treated to tea and sweets as usual. It was a really pleasant afternoon and it was so much fun to meet Nigel's family and to see him interact with his children. He's a great dad. After lunch he drove us to this huge expanse of sandy beach and let us out to run around. It was raining and pretty cold, but it was beautiful. We will return there later in the semester when the weather is hopefully a little bit nicer.

Tonight is our last night in Coleraine for the time being. We leave to move to our internship cities bright and early tomorrow morning. I will officially be living in Belfast by this time tomorrow afternoon and I'm so excited. We visited Belfast for the first time yesterday and I loved being in a city. We didn't see a whole lot of it because we had a pretty specific agenda, but I think my flatmates (haha) and I will use the weekend to explore a little bit before starting our internships on Monday. Speaking of the internships, we were able to meet our internship supervisors for the first time yesterday. That was a much needed visit for many of us I think. We were all getting a bit nervous about the internships as they get closer and closer and many of us as of yesterday still had very few ideas about the nature of the work we will be doing. I know I mentioned before what my internship is, but I don't remember how much I said about it. I knew that I would possibly working with ex-paramilitaries and I thought that I would be working in an area of Belfast called the Shankill. Belfast is still very much a divided city and Shankill is one of the places that is still very separated. During lectures it was described as eerie and unsettling. Thus, I was getting increasingly more nervous about working there. My meeting with my supervisor, however, has put my mind at ease.

The woman I met with is a small, blonde, very stylish woman, not at all what I was expecting for a supervisor working with big ex-paramilitary men. She explained to me more about what I will be doing and informed me that I will no longer be working in the Shankill, but in a different Loyalist area in East Belfast. I will be working on a number of projects while I am with Northern Ireland Alternatives. One of them is a project that I spoke about a little bit before about bringing together ex-paramilitaries and helping them to find alternatives to the violent lifestyles they once led. This includes sharing their stories and in transforming their work in their own lives and in their communities. I will also be working with youth in Loyalist communities and in the schools and training them to become peer mediators for one another. Other projects will crop up along the way and I am fairly free to pick and choose what it is I want to work on based on where my interests lie. The atmosphere of the organization is very close and very open and I feel as though I will be able to learn a lot from everyone who is a part of it. She said that I should have no concerns about my safety. It is a very safe place to work and everyone is always looking out for one another. This calmed my fears considerably and I am really excited to learn more about the organization and to begin working on Monday. This sounds like an experience that will really play into the rest of my life.

After coffee with our internship advisors we jumped on the bus and headed to an area of Belfast known as Falls Road. This is primarily a Republican/Catholic area and we were led on a tour of the area by a previous member of the IRA. He showed us some of the murals (I hope to put up pictures of these when I have a better internet connection) and other various sites along the road. We stopped at a memorial garden commemorating those people of the Falls Road area that lost their lives during the conflict.  Our guide explained to us that this has become a very popular way of remembering the victims of the Troubles and of honoring the sacrifices that so many men and women made. We also visited one of the cemeteries in Belfast. It was an exclusively Catholic cemetery and it was enormous and full to capacity. There were three different monuments commemorating IRA men who had given their lives to the Troubles. We stopped at the Sinn Fein headquarters as well, though we didn't go inside. Sinn Fein is the largest Republican political party in the whole island of Ireland and is one of two major parties in Northern Ireland. About a block away from the Sinn Fein headquarters is a community organized Irish Republican museum. It is a collection of artifacts from various members of the IRA throughout the conflict. There are artifacts crafted by Republicans during internment and weapons typical of IRA gunmen. There are also posters and photographs and the military paraphernalia of the IRA. It was a very powerful display of the Republican cause and you could see the pride and the passion that Republicans still exhibit today. 

We ate lunch at a local community club with two former IRA prisoners. Both men were imprisoned during the Troubles because of IRA activities and we were able to ask them questions and receive honest answers about their time in the Troubles, their time after the Troubles, and their views on the conflict then and now. This was a very unique opportunity because ex-paramilitaries are not often open to speaking about their experiences and the crimes that they have committed. This was an opportunity that most people living here will never experience. The whole encounter was very interesting and their stories were very moving. We were able to see the passion for their cause still alive in each of them. However, they have both made the commitment to relating their stories and striving for peace and understanding. One of the men was a member of the Blanket Strike that occurred in prisons during the early 1980s. The Republican prisoners refused to wear the prison uniforms because they were not criminals, but political prisoners. They wore nothing but blankets for over two years and because they would not put on a uniform they were not allowed to leave their cells for anything. There were no visitations, no showers, no toilets, no recreation, no shaving and yet they persisted. The Blanket Strike was followed by a series of Hunger Strikes in which prisoners lost their lives until the British finally met their demands of treatment.

Following lunch we made our way over to the Shankill for a completely different point of view. As I mentioned earlier the Shankill is a strong Loyalist community and it is separated from Republican communities in close proximity by a peace wall. There are a number of peace walls that still stand throughout Northern Ireland, but there are more in Belfast than in any other city. The peace walls are physical barriers separating sectarian communities from one another. They serve as a divide to dissuade violence and fear. The problem is, however, that they perpetuate the separation. Many people hope that they will come down in the coming years, but many are still afraid and cannot imagine life without the barriers in place. In the Shankill we were met by a former member of the Ulster Volunteer Force - a Loyalist paramilitary group. He too is an ex-prisoner sent to jail for murder and conspiracy for murder among other acts. This sounds extreme to people from the United States who are not used to war and conflict on the home front. We cannot imagine murderers and those attached to violence walking among us and serving in posts of power and influence. However, this is the reality of life in Northern Ireland. These were not murders for the sake of taking another life, but they were murders in the sense of war. This was a war for the people involved and the paramilitaries were soldiers defending their "nation" and protecting their families. This has been a difficult concept to wrap our heads around for many of us and one that I'm sure will continue to plague us with questions and contradictions.

Our guide brought us to three different areas of the Shankill: the lower Shankill, middle Shankill, and upper Shankill. The level of poverty increases the lower down the Shankill you venture. We began in the lower Shankill looking at the murals that are painted at the ends of row houses there. They depict all sorts of images from Unionist and British history and evoke icons of unionism and pride in the British background that Unionists share. While we were there we caught the attention of several schoolboys who took the opportunity to harass us a bit. One boy told us to be sure to "see that mural up there - that's me uncle." Whether the masked Ulster Freedom Fighter was his uncle or not was difficult to say. He very well could have been or the boy very well could have been looking to deceive us as many of the Irish are apt to do. (I don't know if I mentioned that. We were told in our first days here to keep alert because the Irish like to see how long they can string you along. You can have an entire conversation with an Irish man or woman and they will not have been serious about a bit of it.) Another of the boys decided to get some practice in for the driving range and began driving golf balls over our heads. We got back on the bus pretty quickly. Many of our group found the area to be eerie, but I understood where the kids were coming from. It must be annoying for people to be stopping in all the time to look at where you live and to analyze your background and lifestyle. 

The middle Shankill was quite different and we stopped at several other murals before heading to the upper Shankill. We got off the bus again to visit a memorial garden. This garden, though it held similar intent, was very different from the Republican garden on Falls Road. It was rather sparse but for a monument at the end of it paying honor to those Shankill men who served in the two World Wars. This is an area of immense pride for Unionists. Many, many men from the Ulster Volunteer Force fought with the British army during World War I in particular. The 36th Ulster division is at the forefront of Unionist heroic history. The men in the 36th Ulster division were present on July 1 at the Battle of the Somme and they charged the German lines when all others fell back. They were decimated in the open land by the German troops, yet they persisted on and managed to push the German line back nearly 3 miles with little help from other divisions. The Battle of the Somme was the biggest defeat in British combat history, yet the Unionists of Northern Ireland are hugely proud of the bravery of their own men and feel that the British should feel eternally grateful for this huge sacrifice. The highest honor given out in the British Army is the Victoria Cross. There were five Victoria Crosses given out for the Battle of the Somme and four of them were awarded to Ulster men. Our tour guide was more passionate and expressive at this point of the tour than at any other. It was easy to see that he was British, that he felt himself to be British, and that he saw the lives of these men as given in sacrifice for their identity and for their nation.

I don't know how much you know about the conflict in Northern Ireland. I know I've given little rundowns before and they are probably confusing and hardly helpful. However, the main divide is between Unionists who feel allegiance to Britain and wish to remain part of the United Kingdom and Republicans who wish to separate from Britain and to become united with the southern Republic of Ireland in one unified island. According to the terms of the peace agreement, the Good Friday Agreement signed in 1998, Northern Ireland will remain a part of the United Kingdom unless a majority of people in a referendum, deem that Northern Ireland should be united with the Republic. Should this occur the British have agreed that they will withdraw all claims. Unionists today fear that a growing Catholic population in Northern Ireland might make this majority consensus a reality someday. The Republicans believe that if Britain would just withdraw from Northern Ireland the Unionists would see the light and recognize that they are Irish. However, our tour guide yesterday said that whether they are forced to unite with the Republic or not he and his people will be British. They have always been British and they will never stop being British. We were able to see pretty clearly yesterday that though there is peace in Northern Ireland the arguments and the convictions that existed throughout the Troubles are still very much alive in the hearts of the Northern Irish today. They have not changed their identities, nor will they regardless of the politics that take place in the coming years. The problem is thus much more complex than simply achieving peace. There is much more work to be done and I'm not sure anyone even knows exactly what that work is.

After our time in the Shankill we started on the drive home to Coleraine and stopped for dinner at "For Cod and Ulster" for some delicious fish and chips. I love going to fish and chips places. It's probably really pathetic and American, but receiving my dinner wrapped up in brown paper makes me feel like I'm in an entirely different time. We came home and were exhausted once again. 

There wasn't a whole lot of excitement before our Wednesday field trip. We had lectures and long days on Monday and Tuesday this week. As Nigel keeps saying, they were frontloading us with all the information we needed to know to begin our own searching and questioning. The weekend was fairly low key as well, apart from Friday. Friday was Sarah's birthday and we threw her a big party. We started with a potluck dinner at the guys' flat. Each flat brought something to share. The guys made sloppy joes, our flat brought a chicken caesar salad, and the other flat brought garlic bread and chocolate cake. We all ate at a long, cleverly constructed table family-style. After dinner we made our way into Portstewart for a night of dancing and craic (the word they use here to indicate having a good time - pronounced crack) at the pub.

We are going to go out one last time as a big group tonight to hear some traditional Irish music. We'll be splitting up tomorrow and it's a little bit sad, but I think everyone is excited to get out there and do something new. We found out that we will all be living in the same flat in Belfast, all 8 of us, which will be quite the change. We've already started discussing dinners and desserts and everything that we want to do as a group when we get there. We have to pack up everything tonight and try and eat all the food that we can't bring with us. I suppose I should probably get started on that. I'll write again from Belfast!

(Hope your tea and snack was good.)

You are now entering Free Derry

We made our trip to Derry today bright and early this morning. We made it into the city by about 10:00 am and those of our group who will be working there had time to meet with their internship supervisors over coffee or tea. The rest of us grabbed a bite to eat while we waited. The city was not exactly what I was expecting, though I guess I wasn't really sure what to expect. It was very cosmopolitan, but had an old world charm at the same time. It was much hillier than I expected it to be. We got a pretty good workout just walking around the city. I'll add pictures of this excursion soon as well, but I'll need a good chunk of time to tackle the internet. (The internet is really patchy here and trying to upload anything takes about 15 tries. I lose patience pretty quickly.) I have a lot of information that I find very interesting to report in the next paragraphs. So...if you like history and culture read on.

Yesterday afternoon we watched two very moving films about the Bogside region of Derry. Derry is one of the last remaining walled cities in Europe. The walls went up about 400 years ago to protect Protestant settlers inside from foreign attack or attacks from the "natives" (meaning the Irish). The Protestants, though in the minority, held the power and many Catholics settled outside the walls in the Bogside neighborhood. This neighborhood is still Catholic to this day, though there are now Catholics within the walls of the city as well. The Bogside was the site of a great deal of violence throughout the period of the Troubles. We looked at two events in particular that are very well known. The first film that we watched was about the Battle of the Bogside in August of 1969. Rioting on the part of nationalist Catholics in the Bogside in response to celebrations of Protestants on an annual march resulted in a three-day battle between the Bogside residents and the Protestant police, the RUC. The people of the Bogside erected barriers to stop the RUC from entering their neighborhood. When we visited the Bogside today one of our tour guides remembered the fighting and the gas and the bombs. He recalls bringing supplies to a shed full of women making an assembly line of petrol bombs to be brought to the front lines. It was amazing to meet someone who grew up in constant fear of conflict and who was actually there in the fighting itself.

The other major event that happened in the Bogside was Bloody Sunday, which tends to be much more familiar in international minds. We watched a film re-enactment of the disaster yesterday. It was very upsetting, and was made all the more real when we visited the actual site of the massacre today. 

We went down from the walls to the Bogside this morning and were led on a tour of the area. We learned a great deal about the history of the place and then we returned to walk on the walls once more. From the top of the walls you can look down upon the Bogside and you see murals on the sides of many of the housing complexes. Murals are a long-standing method of expression in Northern Ireland. They can be found throughout the country, but Belfast and Derry are best known for them. I'll explain a little bit more about them later. As we continued along the wall we came to a point overlooking a fenced in community. The fence is called a peace wall and it separates a Protestant community from the larger Catholic one. The Protestant community is called The Fountain District. It was strange to still see guards posted along the fence. They weren't heavily armed and didn't look very imposing, yet they were still there. Even though Northern Ireland has come to peaceful terms in the last decade the high degree of sectarianism still exists and the communities have yet to truly come together, especially in the working class areas.

After seeing this community we left the wall through one of the gates and headed down into the Bogside. We stopped at Free Derry corner - which you have probably seen before. It is a big white sign that reads "You are now entering Free Derry." This has become a rallying point for the Bogside area for any cause or protest that they might be taking part in. This was also the ending point of the peaceful civil rights march on Bloody Sunday. Interestingly, today the sign read "You are now entering Free Gaza." The sign had been covered with wallpaper to represent the latest protest agenda. There were also flags on the hill behind the sign spelling out the word "Gaza." We were told that demonstrations like this are not uncommon. From Free Derry corner we set out to look at the murals. There are many murals that have been painted by the Bogside Artists as part of the People's Gallery movement. Three artists who grew up in the Bogside worked together to create murals depicting the people's history. They paint murals with the financial and moral support of the people. Their hope is that peace might emerge out of their art. The murals depict scenes from the Battle of the Bogside, Bloody Sunday, and Civil Rights marches. They depict victims of violence and scenes from the hunger strike. There was also one representing unity and peace. They are beautiful murals and we were able to speak with one of the artists about what they all mean and what their hope is for the community. 

After lunch we returned to the Bogside again. We walked through the Free Derry Museum. This was created by the community and by the families of the victims of the Troubles to tell their story. The museum follows events in the Bogside from 1969 through 1972. They are continually working on expanding the museum and their educational aims. Though small right now, the museum was amazing. They had artifacts from every person killed on Bloody Sunday and we saw the banner that was carried in the march, the banner that covered two of the dead and is still stained by their blood. There was video footage taken by one of the victims who was an amateur photographer up until the moments before he was killed. It all came together to really recreate the sadness and the gravity of that day. However, there was one artifact that really affected me. After seeing it I felt physically sick. There was a letter written by one of the British soldiers who had killed one of the young boys. He wrote to the mother of the boy and said some horrible, horrible things that I will not repeat here. He was not sorry that the boy was killed, he ridiculed the boy's life, and he poked fun at the boy's death. It was the worst thing I could imagine receiving as a mother in grief.

Following our time in the museum we had the opportunity to speak with a man who had been present at the time of the Bloody Sunday massacre. His brother was shot dead across the street from where he had been hiding from the open fire of the British army. His name was John Kelly and his brother Michael was one of the 13 victims from that day. He showed us the square in which most of the killings took place and told us more personal stories about many of the victims. He then took us to a room in the community center so that he could tell us his story and we could ask him questions. He told us about his mother and how she lost five years of her life when she found out that her son was killed - there are 5 years of her life that she cannot remember. He told us about the difficulties for the families of the victims and their quest for justice. After the events took place it was determined by the British that the soldiers only opened fire after they were fired upon. Yet witnesses at the killings saw no weapons on any of the victims. There is currently a new tribunal taking place to examine the events in a more objective light. John talked openly about the soldier who killed his brother and 3 others and the anger that he still must sort through today. We left the Bogside in a pretty somber mood.

Overall the trip to Derry was very enlightening. I liked the city and the experiences we had were very touching and illuminating. I'll be happy to return for seminars further down the road. My only complaint is the weather. It's cold and rainy, but it's not a cold like it is at home. It isn't a biting cold. The air isn't cold, but it's wet. It brings this kind of bone-chilling cold. I was shaking most of the time we were outside and my fingers and toes went a little numb. There was actually a period of about 30 minutes that I couldn't feel one of the fingers on my left hand...at all. It wasn't the greatest. BUT I was glad to have such a wonderful raincoat (thanks Mom and Dad!) to keep me dry. I was actually complimented on it at lunch and a local women said that it was just the prettiest thing she had ever seen. All in all I'm very tired, but it was a great day.