oh boy, so much to write and I can't think of it all...

oh, yes!! FS's 10th Anniversary Celebration was last weekend. We kicked off the weeked with a Funday, for which the police blocked of one lane of the mainroad and opened the gates in the wall (which are never open, except for the pedestrian door). It was a great day, warm, somewhat sunny, and everything ran so smoothly. We had two bouncy castles, a mechanical bull, sumo wrestling, jousting, face painting, a dj and a bbq. Kids from both sides of the wall mixed and mingled and walked confidently through the open gates.

Sunday was the 60km cycle, which I had absolutely no part in. But I did work!! Those of us not cycling set up the building for Monday's ceremony, which was a huge success. There were, probably, over 100 people who came out. Lots of speakers (former board members, the director, several community folks), but the best two bits were the video that a team from Orlando put together as a documentary-ish video of FS (several yp gave interviews for it) and the dance that a group of girls performed.

As an added bonus, the BVS European coordinator came in town for the celebration, and took all of the current BVSers out for Indian food. The next night, we met with all of the ex-BVSers who are still in Northern Ireland. Of the nine of us there, two are current BVSers, one just moved in with her boyfriend, two are married to each other, one is engaged and two others are married. Northern Ireland must do something to people....

In other FS news, three of our full time staff members are leaving the last week in October. I think that leaves about five staff members, part time and full, so it should be a bit exciting around the organization for awhile. It's good that no one is leaving with any angry or disillusioned feelings, it just so happens that it's all at the same time, I suppose. And on the same sad leaving note, one of the other BVSers here in Belfast just got denied her visa renewal...which makes me want to cry...and then selfishly, makes me wonder what I need to be realistically considering for next year (all suggestions welcome).

Programs are pretty much up and running now. Afterschools is in full swing, and, ok, I'll admit that they are growing on me. I love them one on one, it's just a bit nuts when there's 17 in the room at once. It makes it so much better than it could be, though, thanks to the number of volunteers. It actually makes it pretty low key, and allows for a lot of individual or small group attention.

Youth club started last week with a trip to an outdoor activity center. We took a second group tonight and both were fabulous. We did team building games, a traverse wall, a few caving activities. The yp were completely engaged and the staff there was great with them. This week we had an open club night, that also came off pretty well. At least there was no rioting, like the last time FS tried an open club awhile back.

Life outside of work is a bit less exciting...America's Next Top Model starts here next Monday. If I'm not totally psyched to watch skinny girls make drama out of nothing, at least it's a set social evening. I'm treating myself to a play at the Waterfront tomorrow night, and possibly going by myself...liberating? pathetic? (maybe it won't come to that). And I responded to an online ad regarding a local book club. Is that sketchy? I have no idea who these people are or how old they are or even what the book is about that they're reading, but I'm getting nearer to desperate...how's that for a positive ending note?

Apparently Ireland played Namibia on Sunday, not Portugal. Like I said, I slept through most of it. :)

Just wanted to write again today because it was a great day. I read Colossians this morning and got a good dose of (well needed) attitude adjustment. We've been looking a various parts of Colossians at church and talking about our standards in our lives, our work, our church. Everytime I start reading my Bible on a daily basis life seems to go a bit better, so you'd think I'd get it by now and just take some time every morning, but no, of course not. Today I did though, so it was good.

Afterschools was sweet. It was the first day for the older ones, and we only had three show up. It was a bit overwhelming with three kids and nine staff/volunteers, but it was really wonderful, too. We got to talk and play a lot with them, give them tons of attention. And the ones who wind them all up either weren't there or were missing their buddies, so it was all rather calm.

Afterward we had the kick off youth trip. Again, our numbers were small, most of the yp who signed up didn't show up, so it was 11 yp and seven staff/volunteers. We went to Belfast Activity Center and worked with some great people who lead us in team building games. We did a bit of climbing, one or two activities on/in the caves (claustrophia at its best) and the yp specificially asked to be paired up in this group for the rest of the year.

Plus, two of our yp made the front page of The Irish News for the photo launch yesterday. If you check out the website (www.irishnews.com) tonight you can click on the front page to see the photo.

Highlights

It's been a full week again, bear with me as I figure out what I've done this past week.

Saturday was the final night of Proms in the Park 2007. My friends have been told that if you don't know what that it, you are uncultured. Needless to say, we all fell under that description. However, we got the chance to experience it first hand when their coworker (boss?) gave them a handfull of extra (free) tickets. So after my nine hour child protection training (split over Friday and Saturday. I know it really should get its own paragraph as a highlight...) I hopped on a train to Carrickfergus. Well known for its fabulous castle that sits right on the water, the town immediately hooked me. I didn't have much time to explore, but the narrow streets and brick roads had that little village feel, you know the one you get watching the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, or walking through Sterling, Scotland. I did get a very brief look in the castle, and then met up with the rest of the group to queue for the Proms.

We got in quickly because of our lack of "furniture" (ie: lawn chairs), and B picked out a fantastic spot for us to spread out our blankets on the tarmac. We settled in as people filled in around us (apparently, lawn chairs are the norm) and delved into our picnic dinners, our books (I was desperately trying to finish Eragon) and a game of Uno.

The program was the Ulster Orchestra, playing a wide variety of songs, with various soloists and others in to spice things up. There was a fantastic group that played (which I have no idea how to describe. But they were good. And fun.) traditional-ish Irish Music, and an Irish dancer for a bit. Then a soprano, a tenor, a trumpeter, and a concert accordian player. A children's choir of all the schools in Carrickfergus (catholic, protestant and integrated) sang Danny Boy, and throughout the whole concert there were live feeds between the other venues in England, Scotland and Wales. It's one of those rare opportunities to feel like a normal adult, living, working and taking part in community events. Thanks M and B for the invite.

Rugby World Cup began this week. Who knew the US had a team? They play tomorrow, I'll let you know if they're any good...Northern Ireland plays with Ireland in rugby, so I watched the Ireland- Portugal game on Sunday (ok, so I slept through most of it) and Ireland won easily, but not as easily or as well as expected.

Yesterday was the launch of the photo project. It was held at a nearby conference center, and several folks from the housing executive (the funders) attended. There was a camera crew for the local news (which I have yet to find on tv), a teacher from a local school, several other well dressed people I couldn't place, and all of the young people involved in the project. Their photos were displayed all around the room, a few gave little talks and even interviews for the news. It was great to see them amazed think at people were there because of them and their work. Even though they acted tough, I think they were pretty pleased. I walked out of the event thinking, again, of just how much I enjoy the young people.

And Afterschools started up yesterday. There are still two groups (wee ones are 4-8ish, older ones 8-11ish). The wee ones come for 2 hours on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays and the older ones come for 2 hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. A real schedule is setting in.

With no extravagent or nature-y trips this week, I had to wait to gather some exciting adventures for your reading pleasure. So to back track...spent the end of last week cleaning. We cleaned chairs, we mopped the big hall floor, cleaned out two closets, mopped another room, put together new sofas (well, mostly, except for the few screws that didn't really fit...), you get the idea.

Saturday night I went out with two other volunteers and a guy we met at youth work training and his girlfriend. We went to the opening of a GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) Club. It was right in the middle of the Falls, a very Catholic neighborhood, which is a change for us. When we've gone out before, it's been in city center, which is fairly neutral ground. There was music, a gorgeous view, a new scene...

Sunday was low key, and fabulous. Church, to the botanic gardens to hear B and S playing with their band, out for coffee at Clements. I love that part of town, it has a completely different feel from North and West Belfast.

This week we've been organizing old papers in the youth office, addressing envelopes for the big 10th anniversary celebration next week, helping to plan out youth sessions. It's been the most consistent work yet. And we had a staff meeting today, which was pretty much amazing. I finally feel like I have some sort of handle on my schedule and what's going on over the next four months. Four months, then Christmas- that's crazy.

This evening F and I went for a walk on the towpath by the Lagan. It's so beautiful, following the river all the way into the next town.

It finally feels like the calm before the storm, and I am so ready for it.

I spent today in the most beautiful place. I was attending a training course called "Away From Violence" at Correymeela, a residential center on the coast. The grass was so green, the sea so deep blue, the sky so bright blue. The clouds still left room in the sky for the sun to shine, and the fushia and hydranga are still in bloom. There were rabbits everywhere. It was this little haven of peace, which makes the rest of today's events even more difficult to grasp.

First thing, in the taxi this morning, we were listening to a BBC newscaster asking Belfast callers how they felt about the taring and feathering of a man in a loyalist estate. Taring and Feathering. They tied him to a post, hooded, and covered him in tar and feathers and made him hold a sign that said "I am a drug dealing scumbag." The debate is over whether or not community should take the law into their own hands when they don't feel like they get enough support from the police. The frighteningly overwhelming response was yes, if the police won't do anything, we will.

Just after dinner tonight, we were called together, and the training drawn to a close due to another tragedy. A youth worker involved with the organization running the training was found dead in his home alongside his wife. Inital thoughts are that he killed his wife and then shot himself. The folks we were with just kept saying what a loss it was, how he was so great with the youth he worked with.

And then, our taxi driver home tonight had to take alternate roads because of rioting. Over football. The (Glasgow) Rangers qualified for the group stages of the Champions League, which apparently is cause for the local Catholic community to riot. As we drove through our roundabout there were at least seven of the big armored police trucks, crowds of people, calm and talking to police, and debris all over the road.

And that's just in Belfast.

Belfast Mela

I've been feeling a bit nostaligic this weekend, for all things pre-Belfast (meaning all things settled and comfortable), so this afternoon was a good bit of medicine. B, M and I went to the Belfast Mela in the Botanic Garden and I felt like I was at a festival back in the San Francisco Bay area. It's an annual festival for all things Indian (and a few things Chinese, Thai, Japanese). I ate AMAZING Indian food, saw a Bollywood dance team, some sort of wannabe Indian street band from Edinburgh (with two Indian looking drums, two snares, a trumpet, trombone, sax and bagpipes...). I was a bit dissapointed by the lack of crafters or artisans, but there were lots of community organizations seemingly looking to provide info to a minority population. The longest lines were at the tarot readers and henna painters, and a big old crowd gathered to watch the dog show done by the PSNI of agility, obedience and attack (right, I know, this isn't very Indian). It's just always good to be in a large crowd, feeling involved in the community.







We tried to get coffee afterward. The sign said to sit and relax and someone would be to take our order. We left after a long time and lots of people sitting way after us and ordering way before us and asking someone to take our order and still nothing. I don't think I've actually walked out of a place before...customer service is not the focus over here. So we found a Starbucks.

***
I went back to the neighborhood church this morning. I remembered that I did really like it when I went with L. I love the worship (and there's a possibility of singing with a worship team), and I love the effort they're putting into focusing on the local community, Ireland and the world. It's so refreshing to be in a church that's not forgotten that there's a big world outside of its door.

Giant's Causeway

Another road trip today. BI, a gentleman I met at church awhile back, set up and hosted a fantastic day for myself and three other international folks living or volunteering in Belfast. He drove us up the North Antrim Coastal Road, stopping at a hotel overlooking the Atlantic for a Cream Tea (coffee, tea, scones, jam, cream). Continued on through the Glens of Antrim, stopping often for photos (check out the link on the left) until we got to Ballycastle. The plan was to picnic at the harbour, but we got into town at the same time as the rain... The next stop was Carrick-a-rede rope bridge, one of the main tourist attractions in NI. It's this bridge that has been tossed across from the mainland to a wee island for over 350 years by salmon fishermen. And now it's a bit like disney world, with lines and lots of tourists and we all take pictures as we cross the bridge. It's an absolutely awesome location, though, with crystal-like water, and when we got there the mist was still sitting low on the hills. Thankfully, the rain cleared out and we moved onto Giant's Causeway. Wild. It's thousands (millions?) of these hexagonal posts created by volcanic activity. I was walking all over these rocks, trying to comprehend how they were created, and how they line the bottom of the ocean and appear again on the coast of Scotland...it makes my head hurt and makes me apprecate God's creativity in his creation of nature and its formations. From there we drove into Bushmills (home of the whiskey and old distillary) for tea at a chippy: traditional fish and chips. While eating we were treated to a local parade of the "Bushmills Protestant Boys" playing their fifes and banging their drums in all of their red, white and blue regala. And then home. So good. Thanks BI.