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