Dear Northern Ireland, can I pack you in my suitcase?

To state it simply, I'm not ready to leave this island yet. Sure I knew it was coming all along, an end to the my 14 weeks here...but it crept up too fast. I leave N.I. and this entire experience in less than two days and it feels as though I just got here. With possibly being even more confused than ever about the history, conflict, and future of this place I somehow feel I've learned what I came here to learn. Although the focus of the study abroad experience was 'Democracy and Social Change in Northern Ireland" I think I have learned more about myself than I thought I would. I am excited to go back to the States and start a brand new journey with the knowledge I've gained here about peace building and myself. I am very thankful for all that I have encountered here and I look forward to the next couple months when I hopefully can recognize how this trip has impacted me. I don't think I can fully understand just yet how powerful it has actually been.

After the past 10 days of research and work I finally finished my individual and group study projects. With the GSP presentation today and a final farewell lunch, we closed the chapter of the 'academic work' we came here to do. I look forward to the next 2 days which will be filled with relaxing, reflection, and simply enjoying our last couple hours as a group together on the North Coast---a perfect place to end.

Then on Friday, I head to Spain for a week of sun with Erin and Maddie. I am thrilled to being going and looking forward to having a great time and practice a bit of my rusty Spanish!

For those that have checked this blog regularly, I say a big thank you! I haven't done justice to the entire experience but I hope I have given a glimpse into my past 3 1/2 month adventures!

Looking forward to being back in the 612 and hope warm and sunny days meet me upon my return!

I leave you with a quote that some important people have shared with me on the trip....I think its fitting to some of the ideas I will take away with me.

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
---Jimi Hendrix

Love from Norn Iron,
Sara

I am more confused than when I landed here...

As my title may give you a hint, I am much more confused about this place called The North or Northern Ireland than some of my first couple of days. It has been quite awhile since my last post and as you can expect, so much has happened. I finished my internship at The Junction, I moved away from Derry, I had a fun, long week trip to Dublin, and I am currently living back in Coleraine. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that I arrived on this campus almost three months ago. I don’t know where my time, money (hint..hint..dad!) and heart have gone.

Saying goodbye to Derry, was a tough thing to do. (to the left is a picture of Kelly and I....we cooked lasagna when we treated all 13 group members, Nigel, and two visiting HECUA staff to dinner at flat #6...luckily everyone was alive the next day!)

Although I am glad to leave the rainy weather and many hills behind, I will greatly miss The Junction and the people there that I spent a lot of time with. Looking back on the past 7 weeks of my internship, I realized I gained invaluable skills. Something I will take away from that experience was the importance of relationships. Trying to work with people to create social change can only happen if you give the time and energy to get to know them. I appreciate the hard work and patience that goes into making a non-profit working for peace actually work!

After packing up my ever expanding suitcase, the whole group was reunited and we set out for a week in Dublin. (to the left is a picture of some of the girls outside our trusty van...we of course had to decorate it!) I did all sorts of activities such as seeing a couple of very old stones at New Grange, visiting the Book of Kells, meeting with politicians at Leinster House, visiting a Peace and Reconciliation center located in the Wicklow Mountains, and last but not least downing a pint of Guinness at the famous and highly tourist populated Guinness Storehouse. I soaked up a great amount of sunshine walking the streets of Dublin. The weather was beautiful and I think that is the reason why I have a changed opinion of the very big city!

I am now back safe and sound at the University of Ulster at Coleraine. Compared to the bigger city of Derry and especially Dublin, I have deemed this town a bit boring. I will be spending the majority of my time in the library with my nose in the books and therefore, however unfortunate it may sound, it is really a positive thing! I have two huge papers to write, one in a group that is focusing on Integrated Education and the second an individual paper focusing on dealing with the past and the power of acknowledgement. Send your positive learning thoughts…I need all the help I can get.

This is all for now. I hope everything back home is well and that the warmer weather is coming your way!

Love and hugs from Norn Iron,

Sara

I have to do this for work.....

Don't pay attention to this post really. I have to try and convert these images to another format and I'm trying this method. If interested these are the flyers that I am working with to help advertise for an Amnesty International youth group!

The Ketterings Do Ireland....

Have you ever seen National Lampoon’s European Vacation? You know when Chevy Chase and family get stuck in a roundabout in London? Well I think that is a good description/image of the Kettering’s in Ireland this past week. If you need a refresher of that hysterically funny film, you can youtube “European Vacation Chevy Chase” and the roundabout scene should appear. It’s worth a look in my opinion. All jokes aside, we (mom, dad and I) had a great week in Northern Ireland and the Republic. I will try my best to recap the events and adventures of last week, however, I can only write so much. Here it goes!

Our trip started in the capital city of Belfast. There I reunited with mom and dad after a month and a half’s worth time! After an informative hop-on, hop-off bus tour of the city we dined at Barbara Kennedy’s small and cozy restaurant. It was probably one of the best meals of the trip in my opinion; however, I have been cooking for myself for the past 6 weeks so I would say I am easily impressed. After viewing Belfast for a day and for Mom and Dad two days, we bravely departed in our OWN trusty Kia vehicle to see what the island had to offer us. I will not try to hide my reservations regarding my father’s capabilities of driving on the opposite side of the road, on very narrow paths, and at times in rainy whether, however, I will say loud and clear that I was wrong! Dad did a very good job, with the help of a couple well meaning back seat drivers, and we are all safe today. (Below are two pictures....one of the road ahead we so often saw and then a picture of my reaction to the chaos that is driving in Ireland) So on the roads we went and managed to get out of Belfast alive and headed to Newcastle. Newcastle is on the eastern most part of Northern Ireland and although small, has a very nice feeling. There we visited with a friend of a friend who is a Catholic priest. We learned some new stories, new opinions, and filled up on tea and scones. After that we headed down to Dublin. We stayed just on the outskirts of Dublin, which was a perfect option because of having our own car. I would NOT have wanted to drive into Dublin. YIKES! Dublin is an interesting city. I was not too impressed to say the least. With tourists flocking in every direction I felt as though I was in another world from where I have recently spent my time. The weather was cold and a bit rainy, however, we managed to scope out a good location for a beer and some chips. (Below is a picture of mom and I sharing my first legal drink! wahhoo!) I am willing to give Dublin another chance and hopefully with nicer weather I might change my mind. I will be back there for about a week in a month or so. (Below is Mom and Dad by the River Liffy in Dublin)

Our next stop was Galway for a two night stay. The drive cross-country took us no more than 3 hours and we landed safe and sound at our hotel in a prime location right on the fast flowing river in Galway. That evening we dined at a fish and chips spot. After a week later I think I am still digesting all that grease, however, I think it was well worth it. We had beautiful weather the first day, not so great the second, however, still suitable for a little sight seeing. We decided to tag along on a bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher. Slap a fanny-pack on me and put a big map in my hands I was a tourist! Although it was not my ideal way to see various historical sights and breathtaking views, I am glad we did the tour. Within about 7 hours we saw about 8 different sights and all of us got to enjoy the view. It was a nice break for our captain and he could appreciate the green scenery as well! Our tour guide Desmond might have been the highlight of the day. The man in his late 60's was full of jokes (some a little crude and inappropriate) and was not one to be shy of his accomplishments. All in all it was a good day and the beautiful view from the Cliffs of Moher was well worth it.

After Galway, we packed up the car, said a little prayer and headed to Westport just straight to the North of Galway and on the coast. This was a great little town. Although we had rain and sunshine every other half hour, we got in a little walking and checked out what the town had to offer: small shops, more pubs than restaurants, and plenty of hotels. The Clew Bay Hotel offered a great nights sleep (with my grand own room!) and after another Irish breakfast of fried eggs, toast, bacon (really fatty stuff…not like in the states), sausage, and tea, we were ready to hit the narrow roads yet again!

Thursday was our longest drive of the trip from Westport to Londonderry/Derry about a total of 5 hours. We drove straight North and got to enjoy some views of crazy Donegal that are somehow so different than the rest of the Republic in the South. After a couple of busy roundabouts we parked the car at the City Hotel in my base city of Derry. It was a lot of fun to show the folks around the area that I call home for the moment. I brought them all over, to my flat (which was praised with “being not as bad as I expected”…by Dad), to The Junction where we visited with the soon to be 74 year old caretaker Davey, and then for a quick walk along the walls of the ‘Walled City.” I got to show a little of what I learned to the rentals and hoped they were impressed. Being back in Derry was a little bit of a shock. Coming from spending multiple days in beautiful green areas with fresh air to a city with trash, cigarette smoke, and busy traffic hit me a little hard. I guess that is what a vacation is for right?

After a single night in Derry back in the trusty Kia we went to take the northern coastal route back to Belfast. The trip took us a little longer than we expected and although the views were breathtaking, we encountered VERY narrow roads, with twists and turns that would make anyone a little dizzy. And of course, we made it to the last and final day with pretty decent driving weather and we encountered a bit of rainfall. At times the open water of the ocean was immediately to our left with only a small stone wall stopping us from falling over the edge! Yikes! Again, Dad did a superb job navigating the windy roads and fearless Northern Ireland drivers.

Our evening ended in Belfast right in front of the Budget Car Rental shop. It was as if we saw the pearly gates of heaven as we landed in the parking spot. With a hard downpour coming into the city, it was a tricky navigation. But non-the-less we were happy to be there and I was glad to see the keys leave the hands of anyone in our party! (Below you find a picture of Dad and the car...weird how he is supposed to be on the other side....that was a common occurrence during the trip.)

With a not-so-great sleep because of a loud ‘hen party’ aka bachelorette party next store, Mom and Dad got up at the crack of dawn to leave for their flight back home. I was lucky to continue sleeping and enjoyed a ‘Me Day’ in Belfast. I walked, shopped, and stopped in at the World Irish Dancing Championships. It was quite the event, lots of legs flailing about. Both boys and girls participated and to my surprise there were about 7-8 U.S. participants in every group of about 20. So, if anyone back home is looking for a new activity, I’m sure you can find an Irish dancing school somewhere near you.

After this long blog entry, I hope I have done the weeks worth of adventures, laughs, and experiences justice. No doubt we have some new family jokes and funny stories to tell. I am off to get a good nights sleep, I'm headed back to Belfast tomorrow for an internship seminar. Oh the traveling!

Love, hugs, and laughter from across the pond,

Sara

P.S. I ran out of time to blog about St. Patrick's Day weekend. It was a great experience to be in Northern Ireland for the festivties but nothing like those in the states. The highlight was my climb to the top of Mt. Errigal in Donegal. About 2500 feet! With the encouragement of a coworker, coworker's friend, and fellow student Anne, I made it to the top. I was exhausted at the end but it was well worth the view. Check it out!

Crossing the Border and the Politician Puzzle

Greetings!

I’ve had a couple of great experiences over the last couple of days. Saturday was definitely a highlight of the trip. Along with eight other students and Nigel, I got to cross the border to Donegal. Donegal is strange because it is still a part of the Republic and yet it is much closer to Northern Ireland. However, you make no mistake of where you are because all the road signs immediately change from English to predominantly Gaelic. Our first experience over the border was stopping at the ATM to get Euro. We visited Glenveagh National Park which is a beautiful stretch of preserved land. This is not the high season to visit the park so there weren’t too many other visitors there which created a nice atmosphere. Within the national park is the Glenveagh Castle which was donated from the last owner who happened to be an Irish-American in the early 1980’s. The castle is a beautiful place; however, it was only built in the 1800’s so it is not that old. I would say the exterior is breathtaking but the interior is nothing to brag about. We had quite the experience with the tour guide who was very thorough and seemed to take her job very seriously! I liked it when she would comment on a room and say “this is where the dressing closet would have been” and there still was a dressing closet there. Actually the last guest only used it about 20 years ago! She was very entertaining! The best part of the castle was the great gardens scattered through out the lot. Walking around looking at the beautiful view of the glen with the sun shining down was spectacular and I really felt like I was in Ireland. (I found my Irish man in the Gardens to the right.)

After the castle we drove on through Donegal stopping in an obscure little town right on the water for a bite to eat. I am ashamed to say I have not been brave enough to purchase my first fish and chips. That is my next goal, and I hope to report back next week whether the experience was worth all the hype!

Our van weaved in and out of narrow roads, steep hills, and lots of green. I can now say I have driven through the hometown of the famous and talented Enya. No sight of her, yet we played a little of her music just to make the mood appropriate.

The most memorable moment was standing at a remote west coast beach were I gave a big shout back to Boston. Did you hear me Louis?

Quite a feeling standing at the edge of the island!

Yesterday morning started with a visit to the United States Consulate in Belfast. It is confusing because the consulate is not an embassy because that is located in London, however, I don’t know what they do any differently. Regardless of what they do I felt reassured that the Triumvirate Three were strategically placed on the wall of the greeting area. Even Cheney’s picture makes him look like he’s up to no good! We were briefly met by the public relations officer (a native of the island) and then a deputy officer (native of California.) The best thing about the afternoon was the impressive powerpoint presentation created by a former student intern. I cannot say I was impressed with the responses of the deputy officer. Maybe he was having a bad day, however, George Bush isn’t the only one given the U.S. a bad name. Now, that will be all my liberal ranting and raving for this blog post. Promise!

Then it was on to the home of the best and brightest (take it for sarcasm if you like) at Stormont. The drive up the ‘capital building’ of Northern Ireland is exactly one mile. The building is interesting and yet I greatly prefer what’s in Washington D.C. We attended a brief assembly session. While waiting in the lobby some group members said hello to Gerry Adams, I was utterly disappointed, however I did get to see 82 year old Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness on the floor of the assembly. Although I need to do more research on the voting process in Northern Ireland, what we saw and heard was bunch of “aye’s” and “no’s.” Its all a bit foreign to me! After our viewing period we met with a representative from all eight elected parties included. Some were Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA’s) (mainly those from the parties that have around 20 to 30 members) and some were advisors (mainly form the parties that only have 1 member!) Here is something to chew on, out of the 108 MLA’s only 18 are female. However, my favorite politician happened to be the only woman we met with. She was a former nurse and never thought she would be in politics. I thought she was the only one who answered the questions and was truly interested in who we were and what we were doing here. Although it can be confusing and frustrating working with so many different parties, the N.I. Assembly represents a strong democracy. I’m still deciding what I think of the politicians here and whether or not they are ‘leading by example’ and serving their people well into a brighter future.

After a long day like that the Derry crew sat down to a delicious meal of Mac and Cheese – the REAL kind. No Kraft exists here!

I am off to bed. I get to head back to Donegal tomorrow to shadow a meeting with a co-worker of mine. Happy early St. Patrick’s Day! Not sure of my plans yet but I don’t think they will include any green beer like back in the states!

Sending a little bit of Irish luck across the pond,

Sara

(I couldn't get a full picture in the van but this was a FULL rainbow!)

What's going on in Norn Iron!

I apologize for my tardy blog! My time here on this island seems to just fly by. I have been here for 5 whole weeks this coming Thursday. I continue to acclimate into the culture that is the ‘Norn Iron’ (aka Northern Ireland – what the locals call is for short) way. I will boast that my tea drinking capabilities are superb! I know it has been about a week and a half since I last posted so I am going to try and give a brief overview of all I have neglected to share!

I am quite content in our living conditions. The bed is pretty comfortable, the bathrooms are clean, and the heat works. There is very little that I can justifiably complain about. Unfortunately for my 6 colleagues who are doing their internship in Belfast the accommodations are not so pleasant, so we Derry folk are trying our best to hide our excitement of our pleasant life style. The seven of us in Derry eat dinners together every night which have been one of the many highlights while here. We each take a night to prepare and cook the meal. We continue to have an unofficial cooking contest. We have enjoyed everything from fajitas to freshly made scones! Hailey is the very talented baker and because of that we all agree it’s a good thing we have about a mile walk to work each day. (This photo below is of the River Foyle, which I get to see and walk near daily) The supermarkets are quite similar to home. I do have two complaints about them though. 1. They do not have good Mac and Cheese. 2. They package EVERYTHING. I am astounded at the waste that comes out of packaging fresh vegetables and other foods. I know that is done in the U.S. but I have seen it a lot more while here.

On to work! I continue to settle into my internship at The Junction. It is a very busy place with many different projects going on all at once. There is a huge meeting room that is used by many people in the community for meetings and events. So there are constantly people moving around the building and lots going on. What is quite interesting is that there are only 2 full time staff members at The Junction. My supervisor and her son the manager/technical/financial guru who practically runs the place! Other than that there are about 4 to 5 other people who are housed at The Junction but receive financial support through other grants and funding. It is all very confusing to sort out but I continue to learn something new every day! In addition to myself there are 2 other Americans working there, as well as a part-time intern. Sometimes I think the Americans outnumber the Northern Irish in the building! I continue to sort out finding my ‘spot’ in the internship. Jumping into such a small organization for only 7 weeks is an interesting task. I know I have learned a lot and will continue to view every day as a learning experience regardless of what I am doing. I just learned today that I will be planning and working on organizing 2 different events for community members. One I am really excited about because basically my supervisor asked ‘what are you interested in?’ and that was what the workshop would be based on. I will hopefully create a lunchtime event that focuses on the power of forgiveness and truth in the current future and society of Northern Ireland. This is really exciting because I think this theme can be implemented into so many different cultures and countries dealing with a post conflict environment. I will keep you updated on my progress with the rest of my work as it flows on!

Once a week the entire group, both students in Belfast and Derry meet with our program director Nigel to have internship seminars and usually to meet with another important figure in the Northern Ireland history. We have had two sessions. In those sessions I have meet and discussed themes of peace, justice, and politics with Alan McBride, a widower who’s wife died in a bomb on the Shankhill road in the nineties, staff members from the Alternatives organization that focuses its efforts on restorative justice in areas where otherwise paramilitaries would continue to do the ‘police work’, and Richard Moore, who was blinded at the age of 10 because he was shot by a British Solider. Richard has since started a worldwide organization ‘Children in Crossfire’ to promote peace and as of last year calls the British solider who shot him his friend. ALL of these figures have impacted the way I think about the conflict immensely. Their sides, their stories are so different and yet to some degree they have all suffered because of ‘the troubles.’ (This photo is of the gang at Alternatives with the staff member on the far left)

The current sharing government is such a fragile structure. Some people think it will last and some don’t. A very frightening thing that I heard the other day was when our group was in a meeting with one of the figures and the computer guy in the background piped up to give his opinion. He was a strong loyalist who came from a paramilitary background we later learned, and he did not think the peace would last. If the common people don’t have trust in the current shared government then will it really last?? To have faith in one’s government is so important and I just hope that someday soon the people here will be able to find theirs.

Now after those deep and profound thoughts, I know you have all been dying for the most important topic of them all! THE WEATHER! Well have no fear it DOES rain in Ireland. I think I have yet to see a dry full day. However unpleasant the thirty minute walk in the rain might be I think I will indeed survive. I guess there are many things worse in the world.

If you have gotten to this part, congrats! That was quite a long entry. I hope everyone is doing splendid and for those in classes keep going…..spring break is almost here!

Lots of love and hugs,
Sara

P.S. I just learned the news of Tuesday's happenings in the primaries and caucuses in the respective states. Although I am very thankful I don't have to watch Anderson Cooper on CNN repeat the same information over and over again on TV, I am missing a bit of the national excitement of the election process!

Also, here are some photos of my room and flat. Its a regular palace eh?!?

A Fieldtrip to Belfast and moving to Derry!

Greetings!

I am now writing my blog entry from my very own room! Yesterday, 7 of the 13 group members packed up all of our belongings and moved to the city of Londonderry (also referred to as Derry for both political and convenience sake.) I again have a great living accommodation. My own bedroom, shared kitchen and bathroom, and most importantly internet! The only complaint I have so far are the various ‘alarms’ that go off in the middle of the night/early morning. Fire alarms, security alarms, and maybe even a car alarm. It seemed to be a reoccurring theme in the past 24 hours but I hope that soon will stop. The flat is located within the student accommodations at the University of Ulster Magee campus. We are about a block away from the main campus that is filled with older buildings and beautiful architecture.

Today we set off to explore the city. My flat is about a 20 minute walk away from the city center. My internship is located there so I am pleased with the short distance. There are plenty of cafes and great shopping that I’m guessing will be testing my self-control! There was rain today but nothing unbearable. I cannot even count how many times I was asked where I was from. To the many people I talked with none of them could understand the -30 degree weather and snow that Minnesotans deal with. I think they would prefer their rain any day. I’m looking forward to more exploring tomorrow but for the time being my legs are exhausted.

Although ‘the big move’ has been the highlight of my week, I want to quickly recap my experiences from the last couple of days.

We finished up our 3 week intensive classroom sessions last week. The days were long and the material was grueling but some of the speakers were quite fascinating. On Monday we were invited to lunch at the Coleraine Council Borough. We meet with a head politician and three ‘Good Relations Workers’ from various cities. It was interesting to listen and see first hand how city politics can function with many different parties represented.

Then on Wednesday morning we left bright and early for Belfast. The trip took us all over the very big city. To start the morning off right a couple group members and I enjoyed a delicious ‘Ulster Fry.’ My friend Anne called it ‘cardiac arrest on a plate’ but it was delicious. (the picture to the right is couple of the girls and where we dined!) Mom and Dad you will have to try one when you come and visit! The first part of the morning we had a walking tour given by a Nationalist. We walked up and down a Nationalist/Republican/Catholic area. The community seemed functioning and for the most part vibrant with business. After the tour we meet with a City Council member and party member of Sinn Fein. It was very
interesting to compare his ideas about politics with those of the council member that we meet on Monday, who was a Loyalist. I felt very privileged to meet with a man of such importance and history with the conflicts, and also very proud of our group for asking tough questions. I cannot say I was satisfied with his answers, however, that has sparked new questions that I seek to find answers! (the picture to the right is some of the group and the speaker outside of a Sinn Fein office) After lunch it was like we ‘crossed the border.’ We met with a former Unionist paramilitary for a tour in our van. We visited various Loyalists spots around Belfast. Within the Unionist paramilitaries and communities there is a lot of inter conflict. Our tour guide who was a former UVF member would not get out of the van in the predominantly UDA territory. This experience gave me a real sense for how much the tension still exists today. So now I have a better understanding that the conflict is by no means just between the Catholics and the Protestants but between each other. Our time with this man made me really think about forgiveness and reconciliation. He told our group first thing that he had killed 4 people and that he went to prison for it. Today he is working in an organization that promotes cross community action. It got me thinking that maybe people can change. (the picture down below is a frightening image and yet these are murals that are painted on houses in regular neighborhoods, this is one found in a loyalist neighborhood.) After that last tour we left the city in comparable traffic to Minneapolis and headed back to Coleraine.

Thursday, our last day all together flew by! We were a very lucky group of college students and were invited to the house of our program director for dinner. Nigel’s wife Janice made a delicious lasagna and exceptional apple crisp. The best part of the evening was visiting with their 1 ½ year old daughter Lydia. She is adorable. It was a really nice gesture for inviting all 13 of us and I know I appreciated the great home cooked meal while away from home! That evening was spent packing and saying goodbyes at a local pub with live traditional music. I only wish I could master that dancing before I come home. It looks like a blast!

That is about it for me as of now. I am continuing to have a great time and the next time I write will be after I start my internship with The Junction on Monday. I am very excited, nervous, and anxious all in one!

Sending love across the pond,

Sara