Christmas Time

The Christmas tree is decorated and lit. It sits on the top of our bookshelf so that all can see from the front window. The presents sit nearby around a decorative fireplace. The Christmas crackers sit on the mantle with a picture of all the volunteers. The stockings are hung on the mantle with care. The heat is on to keep us warm. There is even tinsel hanging on our hallway mirror. I certainly have all the material things that I would have every other year at Christmas, except that the Christmas crackers are new. What makes this year different? Family. This year I will be spending Christmas with new families. I will be going to multiple houses which should be fun to see how they celebrate Christmas. The second family I am visiting has two boys 6 and11 yrs. old, 3 dogs and a big fat bunny. That is sure to be mayhem but lots of fun.

While living in Belfast, I have been amazed at how much of life here now just feels so second nature. It has been a running theme between the volunteers that we need to remind ourselves that we are in Belfast. That this is new and different. There are a lot of traditions that are the same here but others that

are quite different. One that I have noticed particularly here at Strand Presbyterian Church is that they don't do the advent wreath or candles. Now the other church that I work with East Belfast Missi

on, which is Methodist, does do the advent wreath along with a lot of other Presbyterian and Methodist churches around Belfast. Many protestant churches would also not do a Christmas Eve service but they would do a New Year's Eve service called a watch service. Now Catholic churches will have a Christmas Eve service and I will be going to a monastery for Christmas Eve and will certainly document the event.

Another tradition around December is pantomimes. I went to a Cinderella pantomime

and it was fantastic. It is for all ages but most families go because it is a big treat for the kids. The fairy god mother and the evil stepmother were both in

drag and that is the mark of a pantomime. There is a lot of audience interaction. For instance when the evil stepmother, Ms. Lush, said "mark my words" the audience was asked to respond with "aye, dead on". I love that they teach sarcasm at such a young age. I was sitting with one of the moms from mums & tots and her husband and son. Her son, Thomas, is two years old and is absolutely adorable, and he just learned the word boo and was probably the cutest thing trying to say boo. He really enjoyed it when you said it back to him. I think it was the facial expression that it created that he liked so much.

Snow has come to Belfast. It has allowed for some beautiful but cold sights! The mountains you see behind the houses are the Mournes where are C.S. Lewis got his idea for the world of Narnia.

PS. yes, you do see two boxed sets of twilight under EBM's christmas tree for gifts for those who are in need this year.

He Wore His Religion Well

As Christmas is quickly approaching, the cold has definitely set in. So grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy a little bit of the story that continues for me in Belfast.

On one particular afternoon a week, I get to help lead an after school program for kids in inner east Belfast. It is one of the many times I work with kids that age but it specifically makes me anxious. I remember feeling so glad the first time it finished. The kids didn't listen and were generally were insane that day. I love working with kids but that group surely tested me. I have been a camp counselor for two years along with babysitting for over ten years. I thought I knew how to deal with any kid. HA! How wrong I was. I began to dread going a couple of hours before it would start. I just couldn't understand what I was doing wrong, but I knew that it was somewhere that I needed to be. This past week, I had a brief meditation with some of the leaders before we left along with a game plan. I felt a lot more calm going into the school that day for the after school program. Two of the boys actually listened to me that day and did what I said, right after I asked them. It felt like the sun came out and was shining upon me right at that moment. Note: it was already dark outside because it was 4pm.

Now don't let me mislead you, there were plenty of slurs that were uttered, huffiness, and cheeky behavior. The kids had been testing us for weeks and that day I believe they realized we weren't going to leave them even if they were being really cheeky. That particular school has been fighting to stay there because all the kids are right from that area and walk to school. It only has 58 students, which would range from kindergarten to sixth grade. They would refer to it as p1 to p7. I know I will still struggle sometimes with that group but they seem to accept me. That is a truly comforting thought knowing I have put so much work into trying to get to know them.

I heard a visiting minister recently talk about a man "wearing his religion well". That after school program for me, kicks out the complacency that assumes I have it all right. I think without that and some of the other challenges I face during the week and the rest of year here in Belfast, I certainly well could become that person who just wears his religion for everyone to see but does not put it into practice. Its easy to work with people that you are comfortable with. I urge you now though to seek out those places that need some attention. It won't be that easy instant gratification that makes you feel good after doing it. The hard work though will show. It might not be that week or month and it might not look like what you thought it would. It will though cause you to see the world a bit differently even if it just a 20-minute walk from your door.

Word of the Week: Cheeky-mouthing off or being rude or disrespectful, there are different levels of cheekiness of course

Running in Some Direction

It's foreign on this side,
But it feels like I'm home again.
There's no place to hide
But I don't think I'm scared.

As Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I find like many others, that I think of family. Now this isn't the first Thanksgiving I have spent away from family but it is the first away from the US. The lyrics above come from a Nickel Creek song called This Side. It fits how I feel here with the people. I know that I am so blessed to be here.

In the US, the rain would taunt me. Now here in Belfast, the rain is a part of life that I have come to enjoy for the most part. It is a common occurrence, when I run in the morning or walk down the road to work, the rain tends to greet me. Now remember this is the person who loves humidity and enjoys getting in a car that has been baking in the South Carolina sun all day. So this rain I believe is just a trade for me. Of course, I keep my anorak (raincoat) with me most of the time so that I can enjoy the rain. Side note: no peripheral vision when wearing said anorak because of the hood. It becomes quite funny when trying to talk to the person beside you.

As I mentioned in the last post, I started training for the Belfast Marathon. This will definitely get harder to do as it gets dark now at 4pm and stays dark in the morning. I have unfortunately had to give up running on the greenway and have switched to the city running because it is so dark in the morning (aka path covered by foliage on both sides=really creepy when its dark). People keep saying its going to get colder here and that kind of scares me because I just wore my winter coat the other day and it just kept me warm enough. I don't know if I can wear anymore layers!

Word of the Week: manky, the US equivalent would be funky but I really love the way the word manky sounds. Apparently it comes from Scotland/ Northern England but is a common word over here.

Item I Miss From Home: New England Clam Chowder

ps. thanks Andy for the video idea

Where I am supposed to be

I think the question I still get the most often is, "are you settling in well"? It has been more than two months now and I seem to think that this is part of their extremely welcoming personality that they keep asking. I have been settling in well and have been witnessing/accomplishing some firsts this week.

I went to my first Remembrance Day service today. They brought in the flags at the start of the service. I believe the flags were military flags since the day was about remembering those who served in the armed forces. We also had the Boys Brigade enrollment during the service. BB as many like to call it here is like the scouts but with marching and teaching from the Bible every week. They also sang the National Anthem (God Save the Queen) twice. I had the privilege of being able to listen to a packed church singing it because I didn't know the words. People in the UK have also been wearing poppies (paper) to raise money for the British Legion. During part of the service this morning, a few in uniform circled the congregation to come to the front and lay their poppies down on the table. It was a very symbolic gesture for me, like the laying down of lives. It was something so simple but yet powerful in one right.

Another large first for me this coming week is that I will be teaching the parable of the five thousand at one of the primary schools that I work at. I am quite nervous at how it will go over but am excited to spend more time with the children. I only work with that school for two and a half hours on thursdays. I have realized that I enjoy working as a classroom assistant. The last two thursdays, I have worked with a P5 (approximately 4th grade) class and had them read stories to me. That gives them a chance to read in a smaller group and they get more attention. I love doing this and it gives me a sense of achievement knowing that this will help them in the classroom and outside of it. I am an avid reader, so by having the kids read to me and improve, I hope that they will be encouraged to read more.

The last and probably biggest first for those who know me is that I have started training for the Belfast City Marathon. I still can't believe I agreed to do it. I had previously been running off and on in the morning within the city or on the greenway. Now it has had to become more regimented so that I will keep up with it. Feel free to give me tips!

Blooper of the Week: not getting laundry done in time because I forgot we didn't have a dryer here. Things hanging up to dry tend to take much longer, I have realized and have hopefully somewhat cured me of a bit of my procrastination.

Word of the Week: Gherkins, they are pickles in the United States. I gave the woman behind the counter making a sandwich, quite an odd face when she asked me if I wanted any. Thankfully, one of my friends that I work with at Playgroup let me know that she was asking me if I wanted any pickles.

Picture of the Week: Me on the top of Slieve League (a mountain) in Donegal. As you can tell from the hair it was quite galey and mizzly.

A few pictures of my time in Donegal

Yeat's Grave in County Sligo, I recited one of his poems while staring at his grave and basically stood in awe. His grave is among others and is not encased by itself like a shrine. One of the other gravestones cited the person's name and that he fell asleep, rather than saying he died on such date. I thought it quite interesting and unusual, mind you I haven't visited too many cemeteries.
Wool! And a spinning wheel of course.
One of the few places left that does this by hand
Donegal's crest

Its Just an Ordinary Day

As I have been settling in Belfast, it has come to my attention on how much I rely on routine. It came up because of the lack of routine I can now rely on. I think that I have needed that though. We all can have trouble reacting to change. I was ready for change of atmosphere but then was not prepared for the constant change within my environment. I will also experiencing with both congregations that I work with, the tearing down of their churches and facilities. This will happen right after Christmas. I will discuss later the magnitude of this for both congregations as they will have times to celebrate and remember the times shared in those buildings. It will always keep me guessing and never complacent hopefully. Well, since I work with two very different places, I thought to show 2 days in the life of a YAV in East Belfast. This post will be one of those days.

Tuesday

7:00-745am run around East Belfast normally running part of the greenway which is a 7-mile pathway of greenery lined with tons of blackberry bushes. I tend to smell the local bakery on the way back to my house on one of the large roads that I run through.

7:45-845am get ready for the day, which normally means making breakfast, turning on the water heater for the shower and dishes from breakfast, and of course getting dressed

9am I arrive at the offices of East Belfast Mission, where I sign in and then go to a weekly prayer meeting where most of the office meets for reflection and prayers

9:30-11:30am Pastoral Meeting- where the pastors meet and discuss the life of the church and the programs that go on, its kind of the behind-the-scenes for me and is a crash course for me in some ways of how the church functions through another angle.

11:30-1pm Office work, that constantly changes depending on what programs need some administrative work. Soon that time will be used to work on Christmas projects!

1pm-1:30pm Lunch at the Mission Cafe, a place within the East Belfast Mission family to provide people a place to eat at an affordable price and also supports a program called Meals on Wheels

1:30-3:00pm more office work of various sorts

3-4:30pm football (soccer) at Orangefield High School, a club just started by East Belfast Mission. Orangefield is a high school located in inner East Belfast. It doesn't get much funding so hopefully this will bring more attention and help to the school. I am not sure what my role will be there as I won't start that until the middle of November.

5:15-6:45pm go back to the house to make dinner and have a little time to relax by watching some tv or reading the local paper. It is a 20-minute walk back to my place and I am normally surrounded by the hustle and bustle of people trying to get home. I pass by my local library, my GP's office (doctor's office), the local butcher's shop and the smell of the fish and chips shop. Chips in Northern Ireland would be a french fries but thicker. If you want chips, you would ask for crisps. And if asking for a fry, you will get breakfast fare. I love everything being so local, the feel of the community is fantastic.

7pm chaperone two girls from inner East Belfast up to Dundonald on the metro bus to Re:act, a youth group that meets at one of EBM's member's houses

7:45-9:30pm Re:act, which I help facilitate with a couple from that live in Dundonald and are a part of East Belfast Mission (the church, rather than specifically the organization).

10pm I usually have a cup of tea and talk with my roommate Patricia about the day before going to bed not too much later, as I have to get up even earlier for the chance to run on Wednesdays.

Blooper of the Week: I remembered and set my clock back today but then still was late 5 minutes for church. The doors were closed and I had to go to the side entrance, which was locked but I had a key. I was forced either to wait where later I would do creche (nursery) or go through the door from creche to the door at the front of the sanctuary. Naturally, I waited in the creche room, rather than making a grand entrance in the front for all to see I was late (no one comes in through that door, only leaves).

Word of the Week: Chuffed, means happy and since its been a while I will give a couple more words common around here:

Pram is a stroller (which a lot more guys push around here, no matter the age, which I think is fantastic), Hob is the stovetop, Plaster is a band-aid, and Pavement is the sidewalk

Photo of the Week: they have many sayings and stories about the Titanic being built but my favorite that I have heard recently is, "The Irish built it but an Englishman sunk it."

With that I bid you a good week and it might be a while before I can write again as I will be away for the next two weeks in Donegal.

Work at East Belfast Mission

I now have been settling in for over a month. It does not feel like a very odd vacation or tour anymore. I am making friends and truly connecting with the congregations and the other people that I work with. When you feel out of place, it is truly disconcerting when someone expects you to cope like you have been there for ages. Thankfully, the pastoral team at East Belfast Mission has been extremely accommodating and understood that I would be out of sorts and slowly brought me up to speed. They invited me to join in their weekly meetings so that I could get an understanding of how the church worked from their viewpoint and how they help move the life of the church forward. 

The first Sunday of the month, I spend at EBM. They of course have already thrown me in the morning service by asking me to sing in the praise band. Sunday was my first time singing in a praise band and I quite enjoyed it. I had been worried as I had woken up with a sore throat that morning but all was well by the time the service started with the help of some ibuprofen. This was also their Harvest Sunday. Harvest Sunday is a day that they celebrate the harvest and what has been done for them. Churches normally pick one of the Sundays in October to celebrate this. The decorations around the church reminded me of Thanksgiving at home and made me realize how quickly that is approaching. Since I have been here, I have noticed that time has passed me by so quickly and many times I have worried that a year is too short for me. I know that probably sounds pretty crazy. Anyhow, to get back to the thoughts at hand I will explain what else happens at EBM that I work with. Note: there are many other programs that EBM does, that I do not work with because of time but they are extremely important and quite interesting. I would encourage you to check them out by clicking on the link if you are interested. 

Ok, well back on topic now. I used to think that Mondays were a big drag but now I truly enjoy them. That might have to do with the fact that I help out with Dance Nation on Monday nights. Dance Nation is a hip-hop/breakdancing class. The first hour is for 8 to 11 yr. olds while the second hour is for the older kids. The teacher is a freelance dancer/choreographer/teacher and while not working with Dance Nation, she works with bbc, films and tons of other stuff. She is fantastic at what she does. I never thought I would be over here learning to breakdance or dabble in hip-hop but I would not trade it for anything. I love seeing the guys and girls in the class so engaged and truly appreciative. This class is also free and open to the community, which is fantastic. That is something that a lot of churches here in Belfast are concerned about. They understand that the community needs outlets and they try to accommodate and cater to the concerns of the community.  While Tuesday nights, I hang out with some Form 1 girls which means they are around 12 years old. They help show me what is cool for their age and have helped me understand the schooling system here. Yes, there are prefects here. 

Blooper of the Week: On Sunday I made baked potatoes for dinner and had to quickly eat one before I had to be back at the church that night. As I tried to swallow one of the last bites of the potato, I realized that the particular section that I was eating hadn't been cooked through and was a little hard. This wouldn't have meant too much to me except that it got stuck in my throat and my flat-mate Patricia was out of the house. Well, thankfully I was able to swallow it after a little bit. As I walked to Strand Presbyterian that night, I thought how ridiculous the headline would have read had I not lived through it. It would have said something like American Volunteer dies by choking on a POTATO in Northern Ireland. I mentioned this to some of the church members that night and they found it just as funny as I did, if not more. The irony was just too much.

Word of the Week: trainers, this would be tennis shoes or sneakers in the US. I have used these most mornings to run because it has been beautiful!

A wee bit of this and a wee bit of that

The statue is of C. S. Lewis and the wardrobe that he writes about in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I will write more about him because he will get his own post seeing as this is where he grew up! Oh and if you didn't know this already I am a huge fan of his work, particularly his Narnia series.
On Thursday afternoon, I get the opportunity to go to Victoria Primary, which is what we would call an elementary school with sixth graders, included depending on their age. I help with homework club, which allows them to get homework done with other kids around, so they don't feel like they are the only ones that have to do it. It also gives them the opportunity to ask questions to people whose main concern is helping them finish and understand it and don't have other tasks right at that moment. That relieves the stress of the parents and gives them less headaches hopefully. Last Thursday, one of the kids told me that he has visited America on holiday. I asked where in the US and he asked me if I knew where Walmart was. I told him after I stopped giggling, that giving me Walmart as a location was like telling me he visited TESCO (a local supermarket chain). The kids thought that was pretty funny. I then assumed he went to Florida, which I have found that is where a good amount of  people from Northern Ireland go when they go on holiday to the US. He had gone to Florida, I found out later.

Drop-in is a Friday night activity where local youth can come to the church hall and play ping-pong, play Wii, use the laptops, grab a soda and sweets, and just talk. Correction: our drop-in is on a Friday night but they can be held any night. I was anxious my first Friday and felt really awkward adding myself to the mix and trying to start conversations when they were playing a game so intensely. This past Friday though I was much more comfortable and really enjoyed it. The highlight of the night though was when I saw one of the girls from the homework club. She is a P7 which basically means that she has this year and then she enters secondary school. So she was the youngest one there and did not know anyone there except me. She reminded me of myself the previous week, so I invited her to play wii bowling with me and then I had her come with me and sit where some other girls were sitting. I didn't know the other girls but because I was from the US and generally interested in what they had to say they were very interested in talking to me and equally included the girl in our conversations. I thought about it later how my insecurities were later used to help identify another girl who was new and helped her make friends. That moment was another reminder of why I am here and certainly will remind me when I don't feel up to something, that what I do can have an impact on others whether good or bad.

Word of the Week: Bap is what people in the US would call a hamburger or sandwich bun

The little things that I love

Since there is so much to discuss about Belfast and what I am doing here, I will keep the next couple of posts dedicated to the different parts of my week.  So it is only fair that I give each type of group I work with, their own post.

On Wednesday and Friday mornings, I work with Strand Playgroup. Playgroup is for children age 2 1/2 to 4 years old. They meet from 9:15am to 12pm. I work with two other ladies there and have an absolute blast. When they first come in, they get an hour of free time which includes playing with sand or water, painting, coloring, jigsaw puzzles, playdough or reading. They then have snack time which consists of toast with fruit and either milk or water. They get singing time next and then race around a gym-like room that is called a hall. They have trikes and cars and a slide so they can be a little more active. Story-time is the last thing that they do before they leave. I have absolutely loved being a part of this group of 16 children. I have been able to learn a little Polish because one of the children is Polish. The children are so attentive and ready to play and learn. It has been a highlight for my mornings and seems to keep me energized.

On a totally different note, I was able to go to Ballymena on Saturday with the Presbyterian Women (PW). By the way, most things in Belfast seem to get an acronym and I might start to do that also in this blog because I think its somewhat contagious. So just comment on an acronym if I don't explain it. Anyway, I took a coach (really nice bus) with the women involved in PW to do what I found out would be shopping. It turned out to be a beautiful day, though while we were waiting for the coach it was raining. The women were fantastic and extremely funny. I felt as if I was on a bus with the Golden Girls and some of the women off of the British sitcoms. They provided entertainment on the 45 minute ride back to Belfast by doing a fashion show down the aisle of the coach, with the items that they bought that day. One woman read a couple of funny sayings that had been on church signs.

The picture is an example of some of the newer murals that have been put up and it is my favorite of the murals that I have seen. The mural stands on the outside wall of the post office and directly adjacent to that post office is a local bakery. After the bakery is Strand Presbyterian Church, where playgroup is held. It is the brick building behind the mural in the picture. Oh and the bakery is quite amazing. I have to make a somewhat large breakfast after I run in the mornings that I go to playgroup because I might tend to gorge myself on their delicious scones.

Blooper of the Week: People in Belfast refer to time differently than in the US and very rarely say the actually numbers. They say half-nine or quarter past three and now I fully understand and don't have to translate in my head what that means. The first time I heard it though, I just assumed that I knew what time they meant and had to wait an extra 25 minutes because I was early.

Word of the Week: Mizzly which is a hybrid of drizzling and misty and has become one of my favorite words. That's good too because it is often mizzly in Northern Ireland and I had the benefit to experience it today.

P.S. I like mail... so feel free to send some, I can definitely give you my address friends!!!

Settling In

I have been in Belfast for more than a week now and have really enjoyed it. We just finished orientation on Tuesday and I started work on Wednesday. I am working at two great places. They are Strand Presbyterian Church and East Belfast Mission. Both places are dedicated to reaching out and being a vital presence in the community of East Belfast. The only major obstacle at this point is scheduling, mostly because I want to be at both places at once and they wouldn't mind that either. I have noticed both sites changing and growing to accommodate the community at-large. I will give you a better idea of what is going on each site (AKA what I will be doing) when I have a more "concrete" schedule. I put that in quotes because from what I can tell, my job will be changing also, to accommodate the needs of the sites and the community.

I am living with a girl named Patricia, who is from Jacksonville, Florida. She is working at Garnerville Presbyterian Church. She and I have gotten along quite well and seem to be quickly becoming good friends. The other Young Adult Volunteers are scattered throughout Belfast.

BLOOPER of the week: Pants are called trousers in Northern Ireland and when you mention pants, you are referring to underwear. I mentioned at one point last week that I wasn't going to change my pants when I meant to say trousers, naturally laughter ensued. 

WORD of the week: Braces- what people in the US call suspenders (to hold up trousers)

From across the pond

Well,
I'm here, more on that later.

Orientation

I was so proud of myself today for getting all of my bills paid and everything situated before I leave for Northern Ireland on monday. I have had such an amazing week and will be sad to see everyone depart, but I know that I will have so much fun with my Belfast crew. We have had such an amazing worship experience and if we ever made a recording of it, I would definitely buy it. 

What am I nervous about?

Integrating into a new surrounding with subtle and sometimes obvious differences

Making Irish friends and having a chance to hang out with them

Well, I can't wait to go but I will miss everyone at home!

It's Almost Here!

As I sit in Hilton Head, I realize how much I have been given. I was loved and still am by so many people. They have given me so much support and I am sure I will rely on this while in Northern Ireland. While I get ready to pack and think of everything I need, I get more excited. As a college graduate now, I can't wait to see what will unfold. While some of you have asked, "Are you nervous about being there for a year?" I think what we sometimes forget is that this is our first foray into the "real world". While we are doing things a bit different, I can't help but remind myself that I will not be joining many other friends or people back to college. This is the landmark that defines that I am a student no longer and means me shouldering me a whole different responsibility. I am hopeful that this time in Northern Ireland will allow me to grow into this grand step in my life.  I can't wait to see where this takes me! The international volunteers will be meeting for orientation, starting on Monday and it makes me realize how such little time I have to pack! 

June is almost half over!

As I sit here today I realize that this summer is somewhat half over. This is an exhilarating and yet scary thought! I decided my last class of college would be Harry Potter. No lie, my college offers this as a humanities credit through the English department. While I love the class, I worry about still not being able to find a job for the summer to help fundraise for this crazy adventure of a year to Northern Ireland. I miss having that sense of security that I knew somewhat what was happening. With the huge task of fundraising looming, I begin to see that not only do I need to ask for help more often but I need to rely on others, so that I can focus on what is truly important. 

Graduation Day

Today, is graduation day for the College of Charleston, unfortunately I have one extra credit that I need to take so I did not qualify to graduate. In retrospect, I am glad it gives me an opportunity to take some classes that I have always wanted to take! I get to take sailing and sculpture this summer and I can't wait. I start sailing on tuesday. I also am moving this weekend which will be interesting with all the traffic. Oh and Nina is coming to visit this week! I can't wait. I love that I will be in Charleston this summer before heading off to New Mexico and then Belfast for a year! Maybe, I can store up the warmth of this summer for Northern Ireland. This summer should be fun!

End of My Last Spring Semester

I have one final class on monday for this spring semester. Then I will take a few summer classes and graduate this summer! I can't believe it; it is still so surreal.