holidays

We may not get days off at Thanksgiving, but we do everything we can to make sure we get to eat turkey! On Sunday, L and I cooked a full Thanksgiving meal for 13 of our American, Northern Irish and German friends. It's a lot of work to cook that much food!! But we were very lucky to have an industrial kitchen with FOUR ovens, which meant everything could still come out hot and at the same time. It was good eating, good company and good laughs. Link to photos is at the left.

This city is so beautiful at Christmas. City centre is decked out in lights, the Christmas Market has taken up residence on the front lawn of city hall, and Black Mountain has even seen a few dustings of snow. I went to a charity event at my favorite coffee shop last week (raising money for World AIDS Day) and alongside several super bands, they sang Christmas carols and served mulled wine and mince pies. Yea, I love this time of year. It's a miracle in itself that year in and year out hearts soften and people get a little nicer for one month of the year.

confessions

I've just started catching up on the speeches, forums, and media appearances of McCain and Obama. I would never in a million years consider myself politically minded, rather, I'm really, really trying to raise above my innate apathy toward politics. Living internationally during the most- hyped American presidential election of my lifetime has made me feel like I need to know my stuff. My European friends know more about it, and have stronger opinions, than I have. And, I've actually sometimes wondered... America has SUCH an influence around the world, maybe the international community should have some sort of wee small percentage vote. Hum. That's probably not a patriotic thing to say.... (confession #1)

Confession #2: I've been caught up in the hype. It's exciting to me that we have two historic tickets. I love that when I was in college my social worker classmates were dreaming of a time when Obama would run, and here it is. And, regardless of her qualifications, it's pretty exciting to me to see an "every woman" on a ticket- I mean, that's the embodiment of the American Dream isn't it? Ever since Mr. Malo's eighth grade civics class I have LOVED "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington" and while Jimmy Stewart wasn't in line to be President, the idea of a normal person, someone outside of the system getting involved makes me smile a little (Matt Damon does make an interesting case, though, for the "really bad Disney Movie" side of the coin).

Confession #3: I watched both acceptance speeches... and got a little teary eyed at both. Obama is good. He's inspiring, he's intriguing, he makes me feel like it's a real possibility that he could get into office and make everything wonderful. (That's the problem with a good orator, I suppose. There's more to government than pretty words.) But McCain. Ah. It killed me. There are things I like McCain for. I respect him for his story (although, I'd kinda like to hear the post-Vietnam chapters, too), and I think he, too, could be a breath of fresh air for America. But his closing words made me really sad, and I wondered if they made God sad, too.

Here's what he said (from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94302894):
"I'm going to fight for my cause every day as your president. I'm going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank him: that I'm an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on Earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.
Fight for what's right for our country.
Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.
Fight for our children's future.
Fight for justice and opportunity for all.
Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.
Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.
Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.
Thank you, and God bless you."

I wish he could have exchanged every "fight" with "love." How much more power could we have in the world if we loved together. If we loved for what's right for our country. If we loved for ideals and character of a free people. If we loved for our children's future. If we loved for justice and opportunity for all. If we stood up to love our enemies. If we stood up to love each other; to love beautiful, blessed, bountiful America. If we stood up, stood up, stood up and loved. Nothing is inevitable here. We're Americans, and we never give up loving. We never quit loving. We never hide from a history that lacked loved, but we make history by loving our fellow man. Thank you, and may America bless God.

That's a candidate I would vote for, hands down.

catch up ...again.

*Camping was excellent. The weather wasn't great, but clear enough for some lovely walks and damp enough to not feel guilty for a 4 hour Saturday afternoon nap. Our tent neighbors, however, were not so great, and spent the better part of Sunday wee hours screaming and yelling and cursing at each other. It was a bit frightening, and really sad, because I am certain that it's exactly what a lot of our kids and yp are exposed to at home. But. Aside from those 3 hours, it was a wonderfully refreshing weekend.

*This past weekend I spent in Belfast and it felt so good to not go anywhere. A free Saturday afternoon was golden!! Our friends at QC had us up for a traditional Sunday Dinner (on Saturday). It was Thanksgiving in September- AMAZING. H took the lead on that and treated us to one of the best English traditions.

*A German vol from several years back and his friend were in Ireland for a holiday last week. They were the best possible guests, cooking for us and with us, helping with dishes, good conversations, and, best of all, led several jam sessions. They had been hitchhiking around the country, busking with a guitar and violin, so we made them play for us and with us. We rocked out on lots of worship music, and it felt so Irish to be sitting in a house session.

*Finally got to take a tour of the Crumlin Road Gaol last Sunday. It only lasted about an hour, but it was interesting to see the jail behind the big wall that I pass at least a few times a week. And, morbidly enough, I think jails are fascinating. The whole idea of prison reform and punishment verses rehabilitation (is that even possible?), and an entire population of people living in an alternative society just baffles me. It was a bit uncomfortable to be one of the token Americans in the group, though, as our tour guide was talking of the 17 hangings that took there. The presentation was very much skewed toward the archaic nature of the death penalty, and it felt so true. And then I had to remember that the country that I am from STILL kills people like that. And, even worse, the state I am from is second in the country in terms of how many people get the death penalty. It turns my stomach and makes me sad for our country. So much of the world can't comprehend killing one of their own, why can we?

*My housemates and I hosted dinner for our guests and some FS workers who knew them. J and cooked 3 types of quiche, which all turned out really well. It's so nice to have people over and to be able to host a nice evening. I think we'll probably do a lot of that this year. (It also makes me really happy about the rearranging of the room. We use our dining table daily. It's amazing how furniture arrangement can so drastically change a space.)

*And then began birthday week. Three German vols had birthdays three days in a row. The first was on Tuesday, and he decided we all needed to go clubbing at the Limelight. Clubbing is a stretch for me and on a Tuesday even more so. I wasn't excited, but it turned out ok. It wasn't a bad night, although I did have to laugh at the situation: a club in Belfast, on a Tuesday, in a group of one NI guy, TWELVE Germans, and me. Who'd have thought?

*Afterschools has been nuts lately. Moments of goodness surrounded by TONS of chaos. I got whooped in Memory by a boy who has the foulest language, and generally rowdy behavior, but LOVES beating adults at the game. And I opened the door yesterday for another boy who I haven't seen since I've been back and he, literally, jumped up into my arms. Still makes me smile to think of it, which is good, because lots of the other things he does make me cringe. One girl set out to organize a craft a few days ago, and spent 15 minutes getting out ALL of the craft supplies, but she had all of the girls sitting at the table, excited for an art project. Those moments make the rest worth it- getting hit in the back by a boot throw from across the room and sitting with kids during a 10 minute time out are a little easier when the redeeming qualities of our kids are obvious, too. (I am fully aware of the ridiculousness of a 10 minute time out, but frustration won out and I needed the break as much as they did!! :) )

*So those "recreational riots" a few weeks back?? Well, the neighbors got angry enough to halt youth clubs at FS. They've made attempts at organizing themselves, although, they're still not settled on what kind of outcome they are hoping for. Half of them want the club closed for good. The other half want equal provision for Catholics and Protestants. And we can't do both. So for now, we can't have any youth into the building, which stinks. However, I think there's a major blessing in the midst of the mess: we get lots of time to focus on detached outreach. We've had several great nights out on the street. The weather's been crap- detached in lashing rain isn't so nice- but we've consistently seen several groups of yp and had really great conversation and football games.
The whole situation is intriguing. It's understandable that the neighbors are upset. It's lots of pensioners (who the heck thinks it's smart to put pensioners in government housing on the peace line? There's a reason the wall is up...) and other people who have had windows put out and houses bricked. But my first reaction is "why should these people have so much control over what we do?" And then I remember that it's a community centre, and I believe they should have a say in their community. It would be helpful if they had a good community organizer (and, in my biased opinion, one on the side of the club!!) who had good mediation and communication skills. Their feelings are justifiable, but I think their solutions avoid the problems. And meanwhile, our work has to change. The yp that we work with seem to be starting to understand that their actions led to the club's current closure, and they keep telling us how they haven't been rioting (although none are willing say they'd stop for good), but it's out of our hands now.

*Got tickets for the Swell Season!! It's Glen Hansard and Marketa Irgova from the movie Once and I AM SUPER EXCITED. Show isn't until November, but it'll be good.

*This weekend should be another good one. Shopping with K, volunteer lunch in town and the proms tomorrow (proms= big BBC orchestra concert on city hall lawn). Hope yours is good, too.

30 foot walls, stones, and bricks = Belfast "fun."

Ok, so it's not fun for youth workers, neighbors and young people who just want to get home safely, but apparently, for a lot of the young people we work with, it's all the rage. The past few nights have seen yp hanging out at the "peace line", waiting for yp to show up on the other side, and even calling each other on their mobiles to set up a confrontation. The frustration is that these really are good kids, young people looking for some excitement and this is what they've seen. Two years ago it was their older brothers, so now it's their turn, right? I think successful community work in Belfast should consist of exporting all of the stones, bricks and anything else detachable...

Meanwhile, I spent the past two days confirming my lack of desire to continue on in social work education. It was a roomful of social workers (there are reason for someone only working with one social worker at a time!) discussing, rehashing, arguing over the best course of action for working with hypothetical young people engaging in risk taking behavior. I don't enjoy pulling apart case studies, I don't like arguing theories, and I don't like attempting to work on these things with 15 social workers who think they know it all that because of their degrees. Actually, we could all use a bit of humility and realization of our ignorance, I think. In NI there's this unspoken (but sometimes spoken, too) rift between youth workers and social workers. The social workers think they're better qualified, the youth workers think social workers don't have a clue as to how to work with yp and that they work in terms that are too formal and stuffy. And then, everyone gets on the mental health workers and how inefficient and unreachable they are. Come on now, folks, we're all working toward the same goals and everyone in this field is overworked and underpaid. Why can't we all just get along? (Or maybe we should all just have it out at the peace wall with stones...)

Camping this weekend with (most) fellow NI BVSers. Glad to get out of dodge.

oh man. I've really had much better intentions than actual actions on this blog lately. Seriously, there have been so many times when I've thought, "I should write about this" and then the moment passes. There's not really a lot of sense to catching up... especially since I've forgotten most of those deep, insightful thoughts. In recent news, though, I have just returned from a wonderful and relaxing retreat week in Berlin. I met up with all of the other 13 BVSers plus our coordinator for our annual week of catching up, meeting newer volunteers, a tiny bit of sightseeing, lots of reminiscing and reflecting, learning and lots of relaxing. The centre we stayed at is on this beautiful river, and we had rowboats, lots of green grass and huge trees. We had history sessions on NI and the Balkans, project sharing sessions with cultural food tasting, 2 guest speakers, a movie night to watch Amazing Grace, yoga, reflection times... the best part though is meeting the volunteers who are also working all over Europe. I am unceasingly amazed at the courage these people have, and the passion for the people they work with and the countries they live in. I am inspired to be a better person, and to live life with the passion that so easily wears off over time. Hearing their experiences, sharing their joys and understanding their challenges reminds me that there are people around me with a similar outlook, a common goal, and experiences to learn from. I think that storytelling is one of our most powerful means of connecting to each to other, and I am thankful for any opportunity to hear someone's story. (And a shameless plug: if you want to read their stories and to be encouraged, check out the blog links on the left. And if you want a platform for sharing your own story, I'm a willing audience!)

So yes, Berlin was good. And then I came back and jumped right back into life in Belfast. It's a tricky transition, going from a community where people, although unique, share so much in common, to a place where surface relationships are the norm. It's made me very thankful for the small community that I do have here. I went to church first thing on Sunday and it's always such encouragement. I feel like this church is on a direct line with God (I know we all can be, but it really feels true there). Then to the Belfast Mela (Indian festival) and then, tonight, H, H, L and I got cheap train tix to Jordanstown and went to the free Opera in the Park event, in a park right on the water. It cleared up into a fantastic night and we chatted through the whole thing like we hadn't seen each other in years (it had been about 24 hours :) ). In between it all I read a book written by a BVS alum who moved her family to Egypt for 3 years in 2003. Her goal was to become a bridge for American Christians and Egyptian Muslims and Christians and her stories challenge the stereotypes and ideas we seem to have in the "West." Actually, I started reading the book in Berlin, and felt more like I was transported to Egypt than sitting on the banks of the Spree. I should have chosen more appropriately!

A few pics from this weekend and that's me away to bed. Good night, friends.
1: Berlin Wall (looks a lot like Belfast walls...)
2. All of us

Catch Up Blog

Settle in for a collection of random and outdated thoughts from the past week and some more...

*I saw Lisa Hannigan in concert a week back. Fabulous. You may know her from her backup vocals on Damien Rice's last two albums, but she puts on a great show when she's on the lead mic, too.

*One week of Summer Scheme down, two to go. It's been nice working 9:30-4:30 and it's been a really great group of kids. They're trying out some childcare spots (the only difference is that they stay a little longer and pay A LOT more) and those kids are really enjoyable. We play lots of games and have lots of laughs. We still live in Belfast though, and that keeps things interesting. Today we took 14 kids to the park, aged 6-11 and on the way out. the whole lot of us were followed and cursed at and sang political songs to by a boy on a bike and his mates. It amazed me that these kids would follow us the entire way back to the gate (out the other side of the park, down the street and around the corner to the wall that separates the neighborhoods), continuously bullying a group of 14 kids and 6 adults. It kinda broke my heart. But it made it even sweeter to see how our kids responded. They didn't say a word back, they didn't touch the boys, they didn't counter their attack at all and I was so unbelievably proud of them. They stuck together and showed so much strength. I think it proved that what we do can work in little bits, and those little bits grow.

*I've been spending some time with some of the boys in my neighborhood lately as well. I saw them hanging out on our garden wall and figured I should meet them and learn their names... I should have realized that I was jumping into a deep end! I've meet a of them recently, and hung out in the front year with three today. I'm hoping that if they get some positive attention from us, they'll quit throwing water balloons at us mid-BBQ and at our windows all day long. So we sang Green Day and talked about funny words that people use in the States, like "sidewalk," "popsicle," and "trunk," and they asked me if I like George Bush and why there are soldiers in Iraq. The oldest said they just need to all come home, and they youngest said "but then the other side would win" and the oldest said, "it doesn't matter, it just needs to end." I brought up that idea a few minutes later when we were talking about the riots in NI, but apparently it's different here. It's good, though, to feel a bit more connected to the neighborhood.

*I've just finished reading Jesus for President, by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. It's really challenging, and has lots of good substance to work though. But it presents a lifestyle that makes sense, that resembles the lifestyle that Jesus lived verses the lifestyle of typical "American Christian." And it makes all that stuff about Jesus changing your life and calling you to a new life and living as Christ and death as gain make sense. It also encourages me to continue to shop at the local market on Saturdays (L does this too!), ponder learning to garden (Abby, come visit and let's make a veggie garden in my yard! The fact that I am even thinking these thoughts is definitely God!!), and really compels me to spend time in the front garden with the boys who use my house as target practice when I usually feel like checking out in front of the tv. I'd love to talk more about this- get in touch...

*I've also been taking advantage of evenings off to hang out with people at church. I'd really like to make connections there and it's been a painfully slow process, but I think it's getting better. Some nights are brilliant and I feel like a part of things there and other nights feel like complete failure, but that's life I suppose.

I love days when I unexpected fall a little more in love with Belfast. I got a late start this am (later than I wanted, but still did two loads of laundry before leaving the house) and bused into town. It was lovely and sunny and I got off at a different stop than usual because I had to drop by the library. As I meandered my way to the post office I walked down an unfamiliar street and found THE MOST EXCELLENT used book shop. It's huge. It's overflowing with books. Every turn led to more books, on shelves, in boxes, high above my head, heaven. I feel a little sad about demoting the new OxFam bookshop from the top of the favorites list, but seriously, it can't be helped. And then, still on the way to the post office, on the same street, I past ANOTHER used bookshop, and another OxFam used book shop, with videos for 50p(!! a whole lot less than renting a dvd) and records (which I really want to buy to play on the freshly dusted record player here at the house, but which cost more than I was hoping). How did I miss this street for so long?

Enroute to the market I strolled through Victoria Square and passed this dude who looked familiar. I realized once we passed that we had shared a taxi home from a volunteer thing once, and as I turned to look again to affirm this, he turned and looked back at me. The timing was so perfect, straight out of a screenplay, only it wasn't love at first sight (or second sight) and we both kept walking...still, it was one of those funny moments that doesn't happen often.

I was so distracted with other errands that I got to St. G's market a whole lot later than planned. Which was super, because the first person I passed inside the front doors was a BVS alum who I've had several lovely coffee dates and drinks with. She's just a superb person and it was good to stop and chat with a friend. The other bonus to going to the market late are the mark downs. Since people are starting to pack up for the day, they lower their prices. And I'm all about that.

PS. Listen to Mates of State. Their latest album "Re-Arrange Us" is obsession-worthy, although it may take a listen or two to get there.

Mozart in the Rain

After two gorgeous days, tonight was the outdoor showing of The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, and in true Belfast fashion, it rained. The weather pretty much hit miserable, but the company was good and the show was excellent. It was a live video feed from the Royal Opera House in London and I wasn't sure how I'd feel about my first opera. However, it was hilarious and any excuse for a picnic makes my day. Check out the show sometime, it was really enjoyable (and I'd imagine even more so if you're not sitting on the grass in the rain).

Bummer of the day? Missing my bus (and the last of the night) by ONE minute. So much for an inexpensive evening... AND. F's last night in town. I kind of want to cry.

The rest of the day and last night were super productive- cleaned out bedrooms, vacuumed all sorts of nooks and crannies, cleaned out under the stairs, organized the linen closet (a well organized linen closet makes me pathetically happy), mowed the front garden and... completely flipped the dining room and living room. There was absolutely no reason for the switch, except a late night brainstorm, extra energy and a compulsion for change.

Before I returned to Belfast I had been mildly concerned about staying busy this first week back. Thankfully, any concern was unnecessary. Here's the last few busy days in photos (thanks, Ben, for the suggestion).

Friday, July 11th- Bonfire night. Some trippy pics, but I love them. And these kids are super. Some of the bright spots are the bonfires, I think we counted up to 19 from our vantage point.




Saturday, July 12th- Loyalist Parades




Monday, July 14th- Rose Week (if these look familiar, it may be because I took Rose Week pics last year. Lots of them.)

OK, I have too many rose pics. Check for a link at the left.

Still Monday, July 14th- indie concert at the Waterfront: Los Campesinos, Kowalski, Two Door Cinema Club, Cat Malojian. LC is an indie punk rock band from Cardiff- one of their tracks was played on the latest All Songs Considered podcast. Kowalski is a local band that's been making it big lately. Two Door Cinema Club was featured on another podcast that I love, which covers local music. And they all played together tonight. It was a fun gig, totally different from a Josh Groban concert...it would have been better if I had known their music and not just their names, but it kept my interest and made for a good night. (these photos aren't so hot, but they prove that I was there!!)

Cat Malojian

Kowalski (in Bastille Day garb)

Los Campesinos

Back in Belfast

After a lovely four week holiday at home, I am back in Belfast, with a shiny new visa in my passport granting me 12 more months in "Norn Iron." It is cold here.

It's always so easy to acclimate to life at home: warm weather, food that I'm used to, Bravo marathons of Top Chef and Style marathons of What Not To Wear, always people around. And it's not as easy to settle in back here while I'm waiting on new roommates and holiday weekends to pass. Plus, it's really really cold (for July).

I intentionally came back for the cultural experience of the 12th of July. The 12th is a Protestant commemoration of the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The celebration actually starts on the night of the 11th with major bonfires all through the city. I had heard the best ways to watch the bonfires is from above, with a view of the whole city. This was a great suggestion and meant that I could experience the celebration without worrying about toppling fires or burning effigies and flags. And then today there was the parade. Orange lodge after orange lodge, drums and flute bands each with their own banner paraded through the streets of Belfast. Spectators came decked out in red, white and blue with the Union Jack wrapped around them, painted in glitter on cowboy hats and flying Ulster flags. People were in good form at our part of the parade route, considering the tradition of drinking from the start of the bonfires straight through the parade the next day. If you're interested in more info, the wikipedia article on 12th of July is a decent overview. Stay tuned for pics.

It's been a good time back so far. I've caught up with lots of friends, and met several new volunteers around the city. It also helped to see two familiar faces, randomly about town, within my first three hours back in the city. This week is a holiday week at FS, but it's F's last week in town (sad). So there's lots of hanging out to do, Rose Week to attend, a Lisa Hannigan concert on Thursday (!!), and a house to get in shape for two new roommates. And a blog to keep updated...we will see!

Girls Group

The last six months have been an exciting time. Since January, I’ve co-led two girls’ groups with another international volunteer, and I’ve been surprised at how rewarding they were. A year ago I would have told you I preferred to work with boys; I’ve never been much for the catty way that girls get on. But these groups have shown me how important it is to girls a space where they run the show. We’ve had our share of challenges in each group. In the first group it was in the form of hardboiled egg smeared all over the front windows of our building, and more recently, an old-fashioned hair pulling, earring ripping fistfight, but the rewards far outweigh those nights. I’m getting a bit reflective as I wrap up my first year and lots my favorite memories are with the girls. They taught me how to make chicken curry (although, I taught them how to make the rice…it needs to be cooked before its fried) and we sat at a table shuffled up sitting next to Catholic girls, Protestant girls, a German and an American. We talked our way into a free ride on the big wheel in town. We made s’mores over a disposable grill. We walked and chatted down the street for Chinese. The girls were sad that it didn’t work out for them to meet my parents when they visited and they’re annoyed at the way international volunteers come, become friends and then have to go. It’s been so great to have a place where girls can come and know that they are wanted, their opinions are asked, and listened to. And while I still often wish for earplugs when they get into their amplified giggling and squealing fits, I’m looking forward to the next group.

A Story (written 28/3/08)

Today I broke a mirror. Not just any 'ole mirror. A HUGE mirror. You may recall it from the virtual tours of my home, or from my account of trying to move it out of my bedroom last summer. I'm not good with estimating, but this mirror was taller than my door frame, nearly floor to ceiling (so perhaps about 8 feet tall?) and wide enough to be seriously cumbersome, nearly the length of my wingspan (1. maybe 4-5 feet wide? 2. do humans have a wingspan?).

So I'm packing this morning for my weekend trip, plugged into my ipod- Radiohead- and I think I must have bumped the drying rack that has been located in front of the mirror for ages. With that, there is a tremendous crash, followed by the soft twinkling sound of shattering glass. All I can do is listen (I can't even recall if I watched). And then I assess the damage. Yes, the mirror is so very far beyond repair. Yes, there are a few small gouges in the hallway wall, since the mirror is taller than the hallway is wide. Yes, those are my just-dry socks on the rack that is wedged under the mirror and the shower of glass shreds.

All I can do is slowly retreat and drink my tea with honey.

The story has a happy ending (simply because I am not superstitious, although, I believe that staring at a mirror broken into so many large and small bits has the capacity to make one doubt her lack of superstitiousness). I slowly and carefully removed the large pieces, praying constantly that I would not trip down the steps (God is good, I did not slip and fall and scrap my hand until the very last trip, when I was not carrying glass, but only a tall, not so dangerous segment of the plastic framing) and as I opened my front door with the intent to ask my neighbor if such large pieces of glass were acceptable for our black rubbish bin, who drove up but Belfast City Council Waste Removal! I chatted with a bin man and he said, sure, no problem as long as the glass is IN the bin. And I said, well, mostly, it is, let me go get my bin.

And the bin was dumped into the truck, which will be dumped into the landfill, and therefore we have no large, treacherous glass pieces in our garden and I can learn to stop being so vain!

These weeks fly by when I am away every weekend. One more to go, and then a bit of rest perhaps!! Last weekend, though, was amazing. I have decided that Scotland is my Disney World- the best place on earth. It was freezing and windy (located on the same latitude lines as Moscow!) but unbelievably beautiful. I spent most of the weekend in Edinburgh with H. It's great to be frugal, because we picked the biggest and best of the tourist attractions and then just spent the rest of the time walking. and walking. and walking. I saw so much of "the other side of Edinburgh" that I could almost...just almost...pretend like it was my city. We walked the several miles out to Leith (Edinburgh's port) and we walked up Arthur's Seat (the hill that overlooks the city) and then I walked down to the Meadows and the University of Edinburgh area and through the Grassmarket. Everything was just perfect (well, ok, a few degrees warmer would have been okay). It was nice to spend Easter weekend away, and still get to focus on Easter. I went to a very cool Good Friday service at St. John's in the Prinices Street Gardens (and was really impressed with their church. They have a fair trade shop, a Peace and Justice Centre, socially relevant Easter murals each year) and then on Sunday H and I went to a service in the church on the Royal Mile, St. Giles, where the Church of Scotland broke from the Church of England for refusing to let the King (or anyone other than God) be the head of their Church. We sang all of the great Easter hymns. Then on Monday I wandered around Stirling. I was worried that maybe I had created this romanticized memory and that, in reality, it would just be another little town. But no, nine years later it was still breathtakingly beautiful. The view from the castle is unreal- fields of green and sheep, snow capped mountains, the William Wallace monument on the horizon, hills and mountains for miles, and clouds of snow moving across the landscape. I'm working on getting the photos up, check the links on the left.

This week is the women's retreat with church. I'm glad for the chance to get to know people better, but I'm sad to be so far away from home on a weekend that so many people from my past will be gathering.

F and I are finishing up our first girls' group this coming Tuesday. After that we'll jump right into another that's meant to be more issues based, action, group work-ish.

I suppose that's life- not much going on in Belfast when I've spent so much time away,

Working with young people is an experience in emotional extremes. Our girls' group last night went bad halfway through, after about eight weeks of quality and class. We were painting canvases for a second week in a row and to keep things interesting, we decided to also have hard boiled eggs to paint since this Sunday is Easter. And after awhile they started flying. I think only one was smashed in the room, but of course, D and I get overly excited to get the girls out of the building, and I follow them a bit down the street- but not far enough. A few minutes later they came back and left rude messages on the glass of our front doors...in boiled egg yolk. In case you've never cleaned squashed hard boiled egg off of two big windows, let me assure that it's gross. So we're angry and frustrated and the other three girls who are left offered to clean up. And they wash the window and they brush the step and then they bring out soapy water and WASH the step. They were amazing.

The minor egg disaster was not enough to dissuade us from our own little egg dying party after work. Our QC friends came down with another friend or two and, thanks to the egg kit from mom and dad, dyed lots and lots of fantastic eggs. I can't wait for deviled eggs...

Currently reading: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. Translated from the Czech by Michael Henry Heim.

My two month hiatus was a failure. I have written, maybe, one journal entry, and while I started off strong with the emails, they've faded quickly. So I'm back at blogging. Letting the whole world know what I've done day in and day out. But this time it's completely for selfish reasons (those who debate the ethics of blogs may think blogging is always selfish...). At least if I blog regularly I'll have a record of my life in Belfast, and that's worth my time. So read and comment and don't read at all- I won't be bothered.

It's an appropriate day to restart. It's a good parallel to the first time- another (partially) diabolical weekend residential. I think that overall and "officially" it would classify as "good," but a day later and most of the good parts have filtered themselves out. The good news is that it wasn't a FS residential, and, in all fairness, all of the kids have serious family issues happening in their lives and some were completely dead on. It's just that the few who weren't were really good at being disrespectful, crude, headstrong and unruly. I wish I had had a tape recorder, because I don't think that most of you can imagine the strings of cursing and insults that these kids come up with (occasionally, I do have to give them inner applause for their creativity.) We did get to do lots of archery, I attempted a climbing wall for the first time, watched some banana boating (but couldn't handle the thought of wading into the icy water), played some pool, ran about a HUGE ball pit with a free fall slide... I'm also still musing over our "performance" as youth workers. I don't think I've ever worked with people who were so communicative and reflective DURING an actual event. It was kinda cool to "talk strategy" as were trying to figure out how best to encourage the young people to sleep at 4 am, and it was definitely beneficial since I was unfamiliar with the policies and preferences of the organization. So yes. That was my weekend- I came home cold, sick and knackered, and decided that hot showers are God's gift to youth workers.

Today, though, is a new day. And it happens to be St. Patrick's Day. I feel like a bit of a slacker for not pubbing and drinking lots of Guinness on St. Paddy's Day in N. Ireland, but I did go to the "carnival parade" and free concert in city centre. The parade was good- a bit silly and small, but it's only the third year there's even been city council sponsored events in the city. The concert was also really good (3/4 of it). There were two traditional Irish bands, an Irish dance troop and then the headliner. Lots of people left when the headliner came on, and I did too when she restarted her first song after coming in at the wrong part of the karaoke-type track. But the weather was absolutely gorgeous today, so C and I took a walk through town just enjoying the sun.

Check to the left for some random pics from the past few months.

And a new feature (to keep me accountable and to assure Heather that I am trying my best not be a failure in life:
Most recent read: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (great book, but still didn't motivate me enough to get very high on my first climbing wall attempt...)

I'm taking a break from blogging, or at least, from this blog. It's an intentional decision, and I'm hoping that through it, I will rejuvenate my forgotten journal and the semi-personal, electronic interaction with family and friends, otherwise known as email. I want to keep you posted, I want you to know what's up with me, but I want to know what's up with you too. So, please, send an email, let's schedule a coffee date, I'd love to hear how life's going for you and to share whatever ruminations I'm dwelling on this week.

And, presumptuously assuming that this page took up enough of your time as to require a replacement, allow me a few suggestions:

The unofficial blog of BVS Europe
last stop in the district
Heather's Mission Year blog
Free Rice (bet you can't beat my vocab score...)