Why does this have to end?!

It's all gone by so quickly, but as all things begin, they too must end. At this point in time, I'm in exam time, handing in coursework, preparing for exams and enjoying Belfast in all its capacity.  Ruth and I have begun to create a 'to-do' list of things we want to do or try before we leave Belfast, some things on that list include climbing the Mourne Mountains, have a pint in well known pubs that aren't named 'Kelly's', hike the front of the Black Hills then watch the sunset, and try potcheen (Ruth's idea). It's going to be a hard transition back to the States after the life I've begun to make for myself here, I wish I could stay for longer!

The weather has been beautiful here and the Botanic Gardens are in bloom and so fragrant! When the sun is out, I sit outside in the gardens and picnic and do my work..... but then it will begin raining so I always have to go into the library and actually do work there. Boo.

I've done so much, and achieved some dreams I never really ever thought could actually come true, but I never could have done this without the support of my family and friends back home, as well as the friends who I've met here.

I'm sorry to say, but this will most likely be my final entry because I'll be busy with exams and seeing the last of Belfast before I leave, but I hope it hasn't been too boring to read about my mile long stories! Here are some last minute photos from some memorable times I've had here in Belfast. See you all soon, I fly back to the States on June 12th and look forward to seeing or hearing from all of you very soon!
All my love and prayers,
Slán!
t
Ciarán, Ruth, Myself, and Barney

Murals near the Springfield Rd in West Belfast

    
Ruth and I at Kelly's   14 May 2010

Flight Cancelled

The news came on Tuesday 20 April in the afternoon after I returned from an day on the beach in Split.  We left our villa that morning and took the ferry back to Split and checked into our favorite Beach Hostel and went straight to the beach.  After we got news of our cancellation, Andrew and I spent much of the afternoon looking at possible options and prices, and then the decision struck: Should we move North and refund the cheap flight from Croatia? or Should we stay until Saturday, when we could get the next flight, but if that doesn't take off, we'll be stuck in eastern Europe with 3 days to get back to Belfast before class...?

Wednesday morning we caught a 5 hour bus to Zagreb where we found a bus that went to Koln, Germany that left in 3 hours.  After finding a kind hotel concierge, Andrew checked his email and saw no sign of cancellation of his flight on Thursday night so Mary and I caught the 17 hour (which ended up being 19 hours) to Germany from Croatia.  We travelled through northern Croatia, Slovenia, stopped in Austria for dinner, then came through Germany until we arrived in Koln (Cologne) at 11:30am.  Mary and I missed the cheaper 9:30am bus to Brussels, so we caught a 1:30pm train which got us to Brussels at 4:30pm.

It's now Thursday afternoon and Mary and I are shattered from our travels, so we got situated in Leuven, Belgium where Andrew graciously let us stay. Friday morning Mary caught the Eurostar bus to London then a ferry from Liverpool to Belfast.

As Andrew says, "I never actually expected to be back in Leuven with you." And it's true, I didn't realize my return trip to Leuven would be so soon, but I'm glad I got to spend the extra time with Andrew and his friends.  On Friday, I received some unexpected news after referencing my online bank statement.  Seems that at some point over my semester, my debit card information was stolen and roughly $700 USD was stolen over a two day period from an ATM in Bulgaria.  Then having to cancel my debit card, I've never been more thankful for being with a close friend.  Andrew was more than helpful with the situation and we found me a cheap flight to Dublin on Tuesday 27 April.  That evening we met up with friends at a house party then went to a bar, Bloc for some amazing music (as expected)!

Saturday we had a picnic in the park and got some reading done. And in the evening we attempted to have a barbecue but personally I think it was just a sad attempt because we were barbecuing over half hot coals and tin foil... fail. At least we were in good company!

Sunday brought more sun, church in the morning, and another day in the park with friends.  In the later afternoon Andrew showed me around the old Leuven Beguinage where women (mostly widows and religious) stayed and lived quiet religious lives being seamstresses and other traits.  Mostly it was just a beautiful place to walk around with its cobblestone streets, brick buildings, and built along a river, it was beautiful.

Monday, Andrew had class all day so I took some time to get more reading done while I was away, and we enjoyed Amy's favorite Thai for lunch.  That afternoon after Andrew was done with class he and I took some time to go through pictures from the first time we met when we were kids in the Ulster Project in 2004.  We then looked through the pictures from 2005, 2006, and 2007/2008.  We were speechless, but happy to see that we both have grown into better looking 21 year olds, past the awkward teenage years.

Monday night after a brief scare with my boarding pass, we got to the Brussels train station where I would catch a bus to Charleroi Airport.  Andrew came with me to the airport to make sure everything went smoothly. I caught my 6:45am flight to Dublin without a problem and then caught a bus in Dublin at 8:20am to Belfast where I arrived at 11:00am.  Glad to be home, and would never give up any of my experiences for anything in this world!

How to handle unexpected natural disasters when abroad

Dobre Dan (Good Day in Croatian) from the island of Brač just south of the Croatian city, Split.  As I wake up to the sound of small fishing boats and the majestic mountains that line the mainland coast of Croatia's Dalmatian Islands, I can't help but wish that I never had to return to the business of Belfast and exams.... Little did I realize that my wish could become a reality, at least for what I hope now to be as little time as possible. On April 15th there was a volcanic eruption that took place in Iceland which caused a cloud of volcanic ash to follow the winds east over northern Europe and quickly making its way south over all of Europe making flights impossible to move.

I guess this wouldn't be such a problem if I had stayed in Belfast these last two weeks, but I have been exploring southern and eastern europe along the Adriatic Sea.  I arrived in Rome on Friday night, 9 April and after taking a shuttle from the airport to Termini train station I searched for my hostel, which led me to meeting a kind Italian man named Alfredo who left his restaurant to help me find the hostel. The next morning I spent the day touring around all of Rome walking everywhere seeing almost every popular Roman attraction from the Colosseum, Palatino, Campo de Fiori, Vatican City, the Castel Saint Angelo, walked along the Fiume Tevere, the Piazza del Popolo and my favorite, the Gardens that look down on the Piazza! I eventually walked down to the Trinita dei Monti where I enjoyed a gelato on the Spanish steps, and then made my way to the Fontana di Trevi, the Quirinale, the Piazza della Repubblica, and finished my afternoon with a Saturday vigil mass at Santa Maria Maggiore.
That evening I enjoyed pasta, pizza, and a bottle of red wine with my friend Mary, a friend from Queens, who I met up with after her travels in Naples.

I caught a morning train to Florence on Sunday where I met up with some good friends from Stonehill (Anna, Erin, and Laura) where we spent most of the afternoon catching up and talking about Volleyball, Stonehill, and life abroad.  That evening Anna and I made homemade Gnocchi and her boyfriend Mike brought over some chocolate desserts!
The next morning Anna and I woke up and got showers in before walking around Florence.  We planned on seeing the David but was disappointed to see that it was closed on Monday's.  We then walked over the another museum to see if it might be open, but that as well was closed because it was Monday.  We ended up walking through the various markets in Florence, and stopped for one of the nicest iced cappuccino's I've had since coming to Europe at a cafe called the News Cafe.  Eventually we made our way to Anna's favorite Panini place where we got a huge and delicious sandwich for under 4 euro! That afternoon I (first missed my train then) caught a train to Bologna where I waited and walked around for about an hour a half before catching a train to Ancona to catch my ferry to Split, Croatia.
The ferry was slow and took about 12 hours to cross the Adriatic Sea, but Mary (who I met again in Ancona) and I arrived early on Tuesday morning to Split where we first went to our hostel to catch some sleep.  We walked around Split that day with two other girls, one American, one Canadian, who were also studying in Ireland, and traveling around Europe for their break.  That evening we got one of the largest pizza's in Split from 'Nonne's' and shared it between all of us.  We stayed in and watched a film that evening and enjoyed being able to relax.

The next morning I spent a lot of time speaking with the manager of the hostel, a woman by the name of 'Ladybird' who could be one of the most positive people I've ever met in my life.  She is a Norwegian woman who lives in a room the size of a closet with her paintings and knitting, experiencing the world through all those who walk through the doors.  She has so many wonderful stories and such a great outlook on life, she makes life seems so simple.  I stayed in the Beach hostel again that evening and Andrew arrived to Split that evening we caught the early ferry to Brač. The island is only a 45 min ferry ride from Split, but it's seems so peaceful and far from the rest of Croatia.  My favorite thing about Brač would be the view of the mountains from the island.  I've been here for about 4 nights now enjoying the sun and stone beaches of the island.  We walk from our villa in a town called Splitska to the nearby towns of Supetar and Posteria.  
Since the unexpected eruption of the volcano in Iceland, I've found it harder to relax and really enjoy my time here in Croatia because I'm not sure if my flight will be cancelled or not, and if it would be cancelled how we'd be getting home in a timely manner.  I guess there isn't much to do here besides enjoy my time here in Croatia, and plan accordingly.  
More to come as events unfold....

Easter Update, 4 April 2010

    Happy Easter everyone! Thought I should give everyone a brief update on how the first leg of my spring break ended up, and how I've been enjoying myself up until now here in Belfast.  I've now returned to Belfast and will be in Belfast until Friday April 9th  when I will then fly out of Dublin for adventures to Rome, Florence, and around Croatia.

   Friday, 26 March I travelled to London where I didn't actually see London, but slept in the airport for about 8 hours before catching my flight to Copenhagen, Denmark.  In Copenhagen, I first met with some friends from Stonehill, one of whom, Emily, is studying in Copenhagen.  In the afternoon I met up with my long time friend from the Ulster Project, Andrew, who travelled from Leuven, Belgium to travel with me.  We stayed in Copenhagen for two days then took a quick train to Malmo, Sweden for a morning/afternoon trip.  On the 29th of March we caught a 4pm bus that took us from Copenhagen through Germany, the Netherlands, and finally brought us to Brussels, Belgium at 6am the next day! Long trip! That same day, Andrew and I took a train to Brugge, Belgium and saw the 'Venice' of Belgium with their beautiful canals.  My favorite part of Brugge was our stop for coffee and waffles with chocolate! The next day I went into Brussels to visit with my friend Martin who I met during my semester in Washington DC last fall.  Martin showed me around Brussels and it was great to see him and catch up! Finally on Thursday, 1st April (yes, April!) after having a relaxing day in Leuven, Andrew and I caught a flight to Dublin and then took a bus up to Belfast.

    Overall, I have been having the best time of my life, living out a long time dream.  Belfast continues to feel more and more like home, and I can't think of anywhere else (except home in Wisconsin, obviously!) I could imagine being on this Easter Sunday.  I have been blessed with the love from so many families here in Belfast who have shown such hospitality to someone they have really only ever met once or twice, or not at all.  I have a community of friends and flat mates who are coming together tonight to celebrate as a family would.  As much as I wish I could have been with my family today, I know that I will be with them in spirit today and I hope they know that I am with those who I love and show the same love that they taught me to look for in the world. All my love and blessings of peace to my friends and family this Easter season. x

(Photos from top down: (1) Malmo, Sweden; (2) Canals of Brugge, Belgium; (3) Cafe and waffle et chocolat, Brugge, Belgium; (4) Sunset on the Ferry between Denmark and Germany.

Spring Break Part 1

Today marks the beginning of my European Spring Break trip which I have dreamed about for years! For the next week I will be sleeping in airports, taking over night buses, and seeing some of the most incredible cities and country sides in Europe.  Tonight I'm taking a flight to London where I will take in the essence of silence.  I've brought Paulo Coelho's novel 'The Fifth Mountain' to read during my trip, but I will most likely move through it pretty quickly with all the time I will have to relax and read.  I have another flight tomorrow (Saturday) morning to Copenhagen where I will arrive at 10:00am.  In Copenhagen I will get to meet up with friends from Stonehill, as well as Andrew,  dear friend of mine from Belfast who I've known for years! I'll be in Copenhagen until Monday afternoon where Andrew and I will then catch a bus from Copenhagen to Brussels, traveling through some small German cities in the meantime!
Belgium should bring a whole new group of Adventures! My friend Martin, who I met in DC last semester is working in Brussels for the European Commission, so I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing him while I'm in Brussels!

Wish me luck, I'll be sure to try my best and keep everyone updated on my whereabouts!

"Every moment is an act of faith..." -Paulo Coelho 'Brida'

I have been so blessed to have had one of my best friends from home visit me this past week here in Ireland! Michelle arrived last Saturday and this past week has been nothing short of non-stop adventures and amazement.  The first leg of our journey began in Dublin early Saturday morning when both Michelle and I got into Dublin in the wee hours of the morning.  A catch up of life over a coffee was completely overdue, so we planned the activities of what we wanted to see while in Dublin over the two days.  We then did some walking which eventually led us to our first picnic of many in Trinity College Dublin.  The food we ate was more memorable than it is culinarily elite.... by far! We used the hop-on hop-off city site-seeing tour as our main source of transportation around the various districts of Dublin, which gave us the chance to see some great places including St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Guinness Storehouse (where Michelle had her first Guinness...which she pretended to enjoy...) , Temple Bar, the Kilmainham Gaol, Saint Stephen's Green, and so much more! Saturday evening we stayed in the Oliver Saint John Gogarty's Hostel where we met some Swedish and French students who were also visiting Dublin during their break from the American University of Paris.  We stayed around the Temple Bar area and went to The Quay's Bar and the Gogarty's Bar where we got to see some live music playing.

Sunday brought about a painful wake up due to lack of sleep the night before because of the man snoring in the same room as us.... A Continental Breakfast was served from 8am-10am so we got up early and took a walk down past the Dublin Castle, City Hall, and Christ Church Cathedral.  After checking out of our hostel we went to church at St. Teresa's Church right off Grafton Street, where we also met up with my friend Ruth's Aunt Hannah and Uncle Tony who then got Michelle and I into see the Book of Kells for free! Many thanks to Hannah and Tony :) After that we got back on the bus tour and finished the entire tour before getting on a bus to head back to Belfast for the 2nd leg of our Irish Adventure!

Sunday night made for an early night due to the busy Dublin weekend and little sleep we got the previous evening.  Monday morning we woke up and picked up some things for a picnic at the Giant's Causeway! We caught a train from town to Coleraine and then caught a bus from Coleraine to the Causeway... when we arrived at the causeway, it was still before noon so there weren't many tourists out yet, so we had the entire mysterious landmass to ourselves! We did our fair amount of climbing and documenting that we eventually came to the top of the mountain/hills that look over the causeway that we decided to relax and have our picnic.  It was such a lovely day to spend out in the sun, Michelle and I were so lucky to have been blessed with such beautiful weather!  Eventually we caught our bus and train back home to Belfast, where we then met up with my friend Mary for dinner at the The Botanic Inn for Irish Stew.  Later we met with our friend Gary and went to Lavery's for a drink and a couple games of pool.

Tuesday was Michelle's last day in Belfast, but I had two courses in the afternoon so after we woke up and took an early morning run into town then back on the river walk, I gave Michelle a tour of Queen's University.  When I was in class in the afternoon, Michelle and my friend Mary went up to Belfast Castle and took part of the Hop-on Hop-off City Bus tour.  I eventually met them down at the Europa Hotel where I also got a chance to see my Professor from Stonehill and the LC group that is traveling though Ireland during their Spring Break.  Tuesday night after dinner, I took Michelle down to one of my favorite places in Belfast, Kelly's Cellar where I play with a group of musicians normally on Wednesday evenings, but they play on Tuesday evenings as well.  It was a pretty good session, and I was happy to play for both Michelle and my Professor from Stonehill, Richard Finnegan, who also came to see me play for a bit.

Wednesday morning Michelle and I embarked on our third and final stop of our Irish Adventure to Galway in the Connaught Province of Ireland.  Wednesday afternoon we arrived in Galway greeted by our friend Pat and our lovely host, Emily.  After an afternoon of walking around Galway and being shown the NUI Galway Campus and a brief introduction to the pubs of Galway, we made dinner and eventually headed to Taaffe's Pub where we saw some live music.  After we went to Crane Bar where I got the chance to play my bodhran with the group playing there.  That evening, Pat and Emily and their friend Jenny headed off to Liverpool, yet they still graciously allowed us to stay in their apartment.

Thursday we caught a full day bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and the Burren Mountains.  I really couldn't tell you all the different towns we stopped at going through Co. Galway and Co. Clare, but our animated tour guide gave us so much information and fun Irish myths and stories about the area and the people, it was a great day! To see the Cliffs of Moher, it was breath taking! That evening we made dinner for ourselves and then stayed in and relaxing spending time with each other!

Friday was our last day in Galway so we started it off right and went down onto Shop Street and found a tea room to enjoy a scone and coffee and a small place called Griffin's. After our coffee we did some souvenir shopping and found some essential Irish gifts including a tin whistle, Ireland tee-shirts, a new tipper, and some bracelets from Ireland, just to name a few.  After shopping we stopped at the store to pick up some things for lunch and such and then ate lunch in the apartment.  After lunch we were destined to head back to Shop Street to find shoes unlike any other that would make Michelle's Ireland Adventure complete!  To celebrate such a purchase we had an Irish Coffee at Tig Coili.  After we took one last walk down the 'Long Walk' and then headed home to relax and then pack and make dinner.  After dinner we headed out to The Crane Bar hoping for live Irish music, but because it was so crazy, we went to The Kings Head where there was a live band.  It was nice to be at that bar because it stayed open later than most other pubs in Galway (most close at midnight).

Saturday we woke up to catch a 6:30am bus to Dublin for Michelle to catch her noon flight back home, and I later met up with friends from Stonehill for lunch in Dublin.

Overall, it was such a great visit to have Michelle experience Ireland and Northern Ireland with me! As she's on her journey home now, I hope she never forgets the great time she had here on the Emerald Island!

It's March....Already?!

I can't believe it's already March, time is flying! I obviously have some explaining to do, since I haven't updated this blog in awhile, but don't worry I can explain.

This past weekend (26-28 February) I went down to Dublin with a flat mate of mine, Ruth. Ruth is from Toronto, Canada, and is studying drama and economics.  She has an aunt who lives in Dublin finishing a bachelors degree in Philosophy/Religion, so we stayed at her aunt and uncle's home.  Having some 'in's' with the younger crowd in Dublin, Ruth's aunt Hannah spoke with students from her course and they invited to a club where this student was DJ'ing.  Ruth and I arrived down to Dublin and had dinner and caught up with Hannah and her husband, Tony.  After dinner, Tony took Ruth and I down to Temple Bar where we stopped at THE Temple Bar for a drink.  This bar was pretty obviously a popular place for tourists because we were not alone.  Norwegians, French, Germans, Americans, Canadians, etc. it was a nice bar with so much going on.  We did manage to meet some Irish artists (sculptor and carpenter) and some of their friends who were very welcoming and like most Irish, very kind and happy to meet people from around the world.  Eventually, Ruth and I made our way to the club that Hannah's classmate was DJ'ing at and we got to meet Sarah, the DJ, and we stayed there for awhile dancing and enjoying the music.  Coming home, we crashed, but woke up to a hot pot of tea and an Irish fry.

Saturday we wanted to get the most out of our day, so we got up early and Tony had offered to make us bacon, sausage, toast, and eggs, and honestly, how could you refuse!? It was a delicious and filling breakfast which set us off to a great day in the city where we spent hours walking and enjoying the beautiful SUN that actually decided to come out! We spent most of our day just walking around looking at the different parts of the city like Temple Bar, Grafton Street (above right), and Trinity College, but eventually took a rest at a place called Bewley's Oriental Cafe (above left; which actually used to be an old bookstore where the Trinity College students would go and read for hours) which is located right on Grafton Street in a beautiful old building! We had tea and a scone and rested our feet there after our day of strolling through Saint Stephen's Green and checking out the various sculptures and Gazebo's placed throughout the gardens.

Finally making our way home, Ruth and I helped Hannah make some dinner and I got to meet Ruth's cousin Marcus who spoke to us for most of the evening about everything from Lost to Irish Politics.  We stayed in and watch the film, Milk with Marcus and then got up the next morning and went to church then hoped back on the bus to go back up to Belfast.....quite the trip!

Yet Sunday didn't end then, there was a benefit concert for Haiti called Folk for Haiti where 15 bands came together on Sunday and played from 2pm until midnight. I couldn't make it there until later, but even for the portion I saw was incredible. Some of the most talented musicians I have ever seen, it's crazy to believe that most of these musicians really only ever play in pubs during sessions when they're that talented, but I guess in Ireland, it's just tradition.  And that's exactly what the music was, tradition, which has been kept alive through the pub sessions and culture which makes Ireland so unique.

My week has now continued with courses and work and lots and lots of reading, but this week, all my hard work will pay off with the visit from my best friend from home, Michelle visiting! Tomorrow (Saturday) I will catch an early morning bus down to Dublin to meet and show her everything great about Dublin, then we'll come up to Belfast for a couple days before heading down to Galway to visit other friends and see some country side in Ireland!

I really don't like cooking for myself

I guess this is what separates me from the rest of my sisters, I really don't like to cook! Yet, in all honesty, if cooking has been my biggest problem since arriving in Belfast, I think that says something about my experience so far!
Recently I've been finding out why students are so busy, even when only enrolled in three courses each semester.  My courses have been expecting a fair amount of reading from me, but I most enjoy the tutorial discussions that arise from our readings and lectures.  Yesterday I attended my Negotiations and Conflict Resolution course where we discussed the ideas of Conflict Management and Institutional Design.  Both of which brought up great discussions on what degree of tension actually makes something a conflict? Does it have to involve direct fighting, or can is be anything from something as personal as internal struggle? Being an American asked to give my opinion on something like the Troubles in Northern Ireland was very intimidating at first, but by the end of the tutorial, it was interesting the see the atmosphere change from disinterest to curiousness.  I'm also taking a course on the Religious and Secular in Modern Political Thought, so we're covering politics from a philosophical view reading thinkers like Machiavelli, Locke, Paine, Jefferson, Marx, and Nietzsche.  I must admit after my first encounter with Philosophy freshman year at Stonehill, I thought i'd never enjoy or understand philosophy, but I'm really intrigued to find out how my professor relates all of these thinkers with nation-building and international relations.
I've continued with my rock climbing since coming to Belfast and climb almost 3 times a week on the wall we have at our gym.  I've met some really awesome people though the QUB Mountaineering club as well, and they love teaching new climbers new techniques! It's great to be part of something so relaxed, but also something that releases so much adrenaline when you are almost to the top of the Everest Wall!
As far as finding out new places in Belfast, I can't say I've been out looking, but my neighbor has introduced me to a fair trade coffee shop just past our library called Common Grounds that is my new favorite place to relax and read or meet with a friend for, wait for it...... yep, a GOOD cup of coffee in Belfast! I'm still playing at Kelly's Cellar on Wednesday Nights and learning a lot from one of the Bartenders there who plays Bodhran when it's not busy.
I think that's one of the most comforting feelings I've had since I've arrived in Belfast.  Since I've arrived I've been so self conscious about stick out and looking too much like a tourist, but in reality, I am a tourist who is going to be around for another 5 months and it just needs to be accepted that I'm going to stick out, but with people like the Climbing Club, or the group at Kelly's, I've found that once they get to know you, they treat you like a friend immediately and accept you completely as you are.

Well then, I'm off to make something for dinner, which will probably consist of rice and steamed veggies, but I have to say that I'm more than willing to try any simple, easy to follow recipes! Also, I want to thank anyone who is leaving me with kind words of support and love, I appreciate every e-mail and letter that comes, so thank you for you're kindness!

God bless you all this lent season, and may I leave you with this:

A ainguil uasil, a aingil De,
Cobhraigh liom ar feadh an lac;
bi le m'ais go siorai dluth
na lig don diabhal me chur amu.
Amen.

Angel of God, My Guardian Dear,
To whom God's love entrusts me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and to guard,
to rule and to guide.
Amen.




Picture: Queens University Belfast Entrance and Lanyon Building

Slainte!

    Finally, I've got a moment to sit down and write about everything that's been going on here the last week and a half since I've arrived here in Belfast. I'm happy to say that I've already done some things I've always wanted to do when in Ireland. From playing Bodhran in a small Irish Pub to visiting Stormont, the Belfast Parliament Building.  My first week was filled with mostly Orientation activities to introduce the new Erasmus and Study Abroad students to not only Queen's but the city and culture of Belfast as well.  Everything from various University speakers to trips to the Odyssey ( a complex which holds everything from the Ice Hockey Arena, a Cinema, Bowling Lanes, various Dance Clubs, and restaurants!).  The group was taken on a bus tour around part of Belfast where we were able to visit Stormont (but not get an inside tour because Parliament was in session), and even get a tour of City Hall and meet the Mayor of Belfast in the newly refurbished City Hall Building!
    With classes officially beginning on Monday, I could not have felt any more like a Freshman, practically begging someone to show me to my classroom.  Yet, as the week went on, I became more and more comfortable with the idea of living here for the next 5 months.  As I may have mentioned earlier, I'm living in a house about a 10 minute walk from campus (about 12 minutes from the Library, Dad!).  I live in the International House, which holds very true to its name.  On my floor I live with people from all around the world including Europe (the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, and Switzerland) as well as Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, and Mauritania.  I'm the only American on our floor.  We're really getting to know each other much better as time continues because we spend a fair amount of time in the lounge and kitchen together.  I must confess that I find myself watching what others are cooking when in the kitchen to get better ideas, but I'm also glad that I haven't gotten to the point of just cooking frozen dishes in plastic containers.  Just the other day, Kristoffer, one of my Swedish housemates introduced me to a Swedish bread served with butter and cheese.  I used this as a learning experience and took a go at learning some Swedish (Knackbrod), and even though I guess I didn't get it right away, it was still a lot of fun to hear about the Swedish culture and language. Moreover, I'm really enjoying where I'm living, and if you follow the link on this page to my photographs, you'll see more pictures of my room and where I'm living.

    Back to classes, I'm taking a full course load which entitles three modules for about 8 hours of courses a week.  I'm taking two politics courses, the first is Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, and the second is The Religious and Secular in Modern Political Thought.  Both take very interesting approaches to studying Conflicts in our history and modern day.  My third module is a history course on Kings and Saints in Early Ireland, where we will study the lives of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Columba/Collum Cille.  My history course is only seven students at this point and my professor seems really passionate about her knowledge of St. Patrick, so it should be a treat to see how things go with this course.  The major difference between my classes here and the American system I've been used to while at Stonehill, is that Queen's expects the degree of outside research, work, and reading to be five times as much.  To every one hour in class, you should spend 5 hours doing outside work.  This seems understandable with the amount of reading I already have, so I guess this semester will take some adjusting, but should be enriching.

    Due to the start of the new semester though, the work hasn't piled on quite yet, so I've still found the time to see Belfast when it hasn't been raining and visit some pretty cool places.  On Wednesday night, I went with a group of friends from my house to Kelly's Cellar in town where live music was playing for a while.  Kelly's is such a neat place to visit because of all the history and Gaelic you find written on the walls, and the older men who hang around the bar speaking in Irish to themselves and anyone who's willing to listen.   After striking up a conversation with the guy playing Tin Whistle and learning that he now works for a group called Healing Through Remembering, who works with both sides of the past troubles of Northern Ireland, and works to enhance communication and understanding between both sides of the conflict.  After a bit of conversation, I had noticed that the man playing the Bodhran had walked off and I was encouraged to pick up a play a bit with the group. It was so great to play in that setting with such talented musicians! It's funny that I call them musicians because they all play for the pure enjoyment and tradition, and not expecting praise or fame.
    It was a great night and by the time everyone was leaving the bar, I was not only told to bring my own Bodhran next week, but to also come back and play with them sometime soon! Believe me, I will be back with my Bodhran soon...

    Finally, today I went to St. George's Market with some friends and finally had my first good cup of coffee since arriving in Belfast! Everything fresh from fish, spices, bread, cheese, meat, vegetables, fruit, chocolate, coffee, tea, and biscuits! What a sight, it was beautiful!

More to come soon, sorry for the novel.....

I've Arrived!

Well, I'm finally here in Belfast! After the long journey from Chicago yesterday afternoon, I'm looking forward to actually sleeping in a bed tonight.  Can't say it was a great flight because of the 'Voodoo' seat I seemed to have been placed in.  The thing is, when I was trying to read, it would turn off, but when I was trying to sleep it would turn on! Oh brother, it was a long flight. but we made it to London no problem and my connection to Belfast was a smooth transition, where I think I caught about 30min of rest.

Upon arriving in Belfast, there was a group of students with backpacks and big bags so as we all seemed to have a magnetic field between us, the small group of about 8 of us eventually had introduced ourselves and began talking about what we were excited about for the semester.  Representatives from Queens met us and took us to Queens where we checked into our accommodations and continued chatting.  People from both the west coast, midwest, and east coast were individuals who I had met, but with Orientation beginning tomorrow, I'm sure there will be people from all over the world whom we will get to know.

I'm living in a campus house where I have my own room.  The room is pretty tiny, but it looks right out onto the Malone Road so I get a good bit of sun and natural light.  My bed is probably the worst part about my room currently because I don't have a mattress pad, pillow, or blanket (expect for the one I borrowed from my United Flight...).  Hopefully I'll get that sorted out soon because sleeping on a towel and sweatshirts isn't the most comfortable thing.

After unpacking and letting people know that I was safe, I took a brief nap and woke up to hustle and bustle outside so I went for a walk through the Queens neighborhoods and got a better idea of where things were and where I was in perspective to everything.  Although my first meal in Belfast consisted of peanut butter and apples and digestives crackers, I'm eagerly awaiting everything new that I will have the opportunity to experience through my semester here at Queens.

"Every moment in life is an act of faith" -Paulo Coelho

For the next six months...

For the next six months I will be studying at the Queens University of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the United Kingdom.  This will be my third trip to Belfast after traveling there twice before in 2005 and 2007-2008.  After participating in the Ulster Project of Milwaukee in 2004, I formed some of the most valuable friendships based on understanding, trust, respect, and faith.  After traveling to Belfast first in 2005, I knew that I wanted to return to the city and the people of Northern Ireland.

On January 26th, I will fly out of Chicago to make a stop in London, then take another flight from London to my final, Belfast!  I will be living in the International Student House down the road from the main campus of Queens, where I'm not quite sure what to expect from my housemates, but I'm sure we'll get along just fine.  I chose to study abroad at Queens, I determined that it would be at Queens and in Belfast that I could get the best academic education as well as look at life in a city like Belfast, where peace is finally emerging because of the doing of the people themselves.

After a long history of civil unrest, Northern Ireland is a state divided because of political opposition based deep in religious differences.  The 'Troubles' refer to the three decades of violence between the two groups in Northern Ireland, the Catholic Nationalists and the Protestant Unionists.   Hitting a peak of deaths in the late 1970s, Northern Ireland has had to face an ugly history since the beginning of the new millennium.  The Belfast agreement peace process was signed in 1998 which has been slow-moving to reduce the sectarian animosity that still exists.  The Democratic Unionist Party has since taken political control of Northern Ireland (2007), with its divided political system with Unionist leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness taking office as First Minister and deputy First Minister, respectively.

Yet it has been through the prejudice-reducing groups such as Corrymeela, the Ulster Project International, and so many more, that have given the community affected by the violence a voice.

Hope this gave you a short description of where I will be and what I will be doing. I'll be sure to update this as often as possible, but please know that I will be studying very very hard ;-).  Have a blessed day, and best of luck to everyone in 2010!

Siochain