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Settle in for a collection of random and outdated thoughts from the past week and some more...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