It has been a while since my last post, but I have a great explanation...my resume. I spent ten weeks interning for the Washington State Senate, for an amazing Senator who is a great role model for women. Those ten weeks opened my eyes so much I haven't been able to look away. After my internship I decided to stay in politics as a campaign manager. The only problem was I still had another quarter to go before graduation. So what did I do? Quit school, like some other campaign managers, and graduate later. No, I continued going to school full-time and working as a campaign manager. After a brief stint with a poor candidate I found my groove in the campaigns and have been working for a brilliant Representative, hopefully to turn Senator, for the past 4 months.
Working in politics has come naturally to me, perhaps the demand of the job matches my personality. I tend immerse myself in my work and am passionate about what I do. This makes the long hours, intense meetings and tough decisions much easier to bear. So far, the campaign has been going well. For those of you in Washington you know that our primary was August 19th. We received nearly 60% of the vote which is very reassuring. My candidate and I, of course, were looking for a higher number but primaries tend to pull our party loyalists not the independent vote that we are digging for.
Regardless, the hunt for November is definitely on! With all of the excitement in our country and state about the Presidential race, voters are also realizing how important it is to get great legislators into office in order to make change locally. Hopefully this enthusiasm will only build until November 4th. I can't wait to see the results.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, November 16, 2007
A near thanksgiving update
It is the end of the 8Th week of school, eleven weeks total, and I can't wait for this quarter to be over with! My program was nothing like I expected, so much worse! I am trying to remain positive about it and thinking of what I am going to take next quarter. I am either doing an inter ship at the legislature or if that doesn't work out, interning at the cpj for 8 credits and two 4 credit evening classes. One on the law and the legislature, the other on the psychology of gender.
Either option would be great, I just need to finish the work for the next two weeks!
I find myself missing traveling a lot. A few weeks back a friend and I went to a show at a local cafe and listened to Irish music, real Irish playing traditional music. It was so great and so sad at the same time. I closed my eyes and felt almost like I was back in the Glen, minus the rumble of cars when they passed by. There is another show right after thanksgiving that I am going to go to as well, I have to hang on somehow.
It is weird to think I am going to be graduating from College in seven months! Although it is a bit nerve wracking, I am ready, I feel like I have made the most of my time at Evergreen. I have been really involved in the Cpj and campus, taken amazing programs, and learned a lot through them.
Perhaps I will post again before January, or I could make it a pattern?
Either option would be great, I just need to finish the work for the next two weeks!
I find myself missing traveling a lot. A few weeks back a friend and I went to a show at a local cafe and listened to Irish music, real Irish playing traditional music. It was so great and so sad at the same time. I closed my eyes and felt almost like I was back in the Glen, minus the rumble of cars when they passed by. There is another show right after thanksgiving that I am going to go to as well, I have to hang on somehow.
It is weird to think I am going to be graduating from College in seven months! Although it is a bit nerve wracking, I am ready, I feel like I have made the most of my time at Evergreen. I have been really involved in the Cpj and campus, taken amazing programs, and learned a lot through them.
Perhaps I will post again before January, or I could make it a pattern?
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Home?
I have been back in the US for exactly 94 days.....it seems like just yesterday I was walking around Ireland. My professor (we don't use that term at Evergreen..we don't use any term actually just Sean) Sean Williams told us before we left that going home would be hard but I didn't understand until I actually got here. Right after I returned to Washington after visiting my brother in NYC for 23 hours I headed to Portland, Oregon for a journalism conference. Although the conference was really interesting I was battling jet lag and the stress of knowing I had to try and sum up my experience overseas in a 20-page paper. I ended up deciding not to venture around Portland with my friends so I could sit in the hotel by myself and absorb what I just experienced and maybe write something. I got a few pages down but I was overwhelmed with sadness that my adventure was over. It was extremely difficult to try and think about my experience when so many emotions about it were clouding my thinking. I still find my mind drifting off to standing on that platform in Bergen, Norway not even worrying about finding my family because I knew they were there, walking down towards the station and seeing two of the sweetest people smiling at me knowing me without even meeting me.
When I think of how I traveled around the world by myself for three weeks I am so proud that I navigated around, survived, made great friends, met my family, and made so many amazing memories. I also think of how crazy my parents must think I am and how nervous I must make them!
But even though I got into some tight spots, it made my trip mean so much more that I was able to, eventually, find my way out of them. For instance when I got into Dublin I stayed the night there and took a bus to Cork city in the morning. I was hoping to make it to the goat farm on Cape Clear Island (halfway across the country) in the same day but once I left Dublin the traffic was so bad it took all day to get to Cork! I had no idea where I was going to stay or how to get to any hostels so I started calling around from the Bus station. Thanks to my Lonely Planet travel guide I had a lot of numbers to call, the only problem was the fact that the Easter holiday had just begun! Everything was booked but thankfully the last place I called had an opening, the Garnish house B&B. The glory of Ireland is when I asked how to get there they told me to hail a cab and ask for the Garnish House! In the states you need an address at least!
For at least a month after I got home I still woke up wondering what country I was in....it was a great feeling until I realized I was in Washington and I had to go to work!
Anyway, as I promised in my previous post I will include post parts of my paper so you can read a bit of what I wrote.....
"Before I left America to go to Ireland I had heard Sean Williams talk about how GlenCollumCille would feel like our home in Ireland. I was one of the students shaking my head in doubt; I even shook my head during my first few weeks in the Glean. I did not understand how anyone in our program could feel that this town of 1,000 people on a good day and 900 sheep on a bad day could feel like home.
On that Saturday morning when our bus pulled out of the Glean for the last time I was crushed. I had that feeling you get when you pack your bags for a trip and your about to leave then you remember you forgot something. Except I didn’t forget anything tangible, I had that feeling because Sean was right the Glean is my home in Ireland. Every time I saw the tower going into town I had this warm feeling of going where I belong, I still can not believe I am gone. One thing is for sure, my time in Ireland changed my life and I will never forget what I learned".
"Although I did not attend a mass in GlenCollumCille, I learned that you do not have to step foot into a Catholic church to experience Catholicism in Ireland. It might be impossible to describe the role of the church in Ireland but I can describe my interactions with self proclaimed staunch Catholics that I met. Paddy Beag is one of the first individuals in the Glean that I connected with, he is the type of person who goes to church quite regularly and everyone knows he is catholic.
The thing about Paddy is he is very complicated, like many things in Ireland. Paddy would go to the pub and get drunk, swear saying “oh Jesus”, do anything possible to make sure Fianna Foil won the election and give me a lift home while highly intoxicated. The most interesting part of getting drunken lifts home from Paddy was not the fact that he rightly assumed animals and cars would just get out of his way, it was his air freshener with a naked woman on it. In the states someone who gets drunk, swears saying “oh Jesus”, and has an unusual air freshener would be considered anything but a Catholic, but this is Ireland".
"Learning the Bodhran from Paddy Mor, a big hippie with a big hippie van to match, was one of the most wonderful experiences of my trip. Not only because I enjoyed learning how to play but because he was a very amazing man with great experiences, if I get to go back to the Gleann one day he is one person I will make sure I find. Paddy gave me so many fantastic memories that I will never forget, one in particular was when I skipped Bodhran class because I forgot my drum at my cottage and decided to stay home and practice my Irish instead. Now usually this would not turn into a life changing experience but Paddy is a very unusual individual, I didn’t know when the class ended but I walked up to Oideas Gael right when he was leaving. After he asked me where I was and told me to come next time we ended up having a really great conversation for the next hour.
Paddy asked me what I thought of my own country and I told him that my own country does not represent me and that I am ashamed to be an American right now. Paddy eventually asked what I want to do and when I told him I want to be a civil rights lawyer to make sure my country does represent me and everyone else in the country he became really excited and told us a story I will never forget. Paddy told us how it felt to be a young boy with his name growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, not able to get a job because of his Catholic name and not getting to vote because of his roots. Paddy and I had a discussion about how we both agree it is much better to stay in your country and try and fix things than to leave, he almost left but instead stayed and fought for his rights. I will never forget when he told me that even though they took away his rights and he couldn’t vote they couldn’t take away some things from him, some rights he said can not be taken away. Although he was in the march from Derry to Belfast and was in the crowd with his fellow Catholics and sympathizers when the British who were supposed to protect them turned their guns on the marchers he never quit. Instead of quitting, giving up and emigrating stood up and still believes as he told us that “When push comes to shove, push”.
When I think of how I traveled around the world by myself for three weeks I am so proud that I navigated around, survived, made great friends, met my family, and made so many amazing memories. I also think of how crazy my parents must think I am and how nervous I must make them!
But even though I got into some tight spots, it made my trip mean so much more that I was able to, eventually, find my way out of them. For instance when I got into Dublin I stayed the night there and took a bus to Cork city in the morning. I was hoping to make it to the goat farm on Cape Clear Island (halfway across the country) in the same day but once I left Dublin the traffic was so bad it took all day to get to Cork! I had no idea where I was going to stay or how to get to any hostels so I started calling around from the Bus station. Thanks to my Lonely Planet travel guide I had a lot of numbers to call, the only problem was the fact that the Easter holiday had just begun! Everything was booked but thankfully the last place I called had an opening, the Garnish house B&B. The glory of Ireland is when I asked how to get there they told me to hail a cab and ask for the Garnish House! In the states you need an address at least!
For at least a month after I got home I still woke up wondering what country I was in....it was a great feeling until I realized I was in Washington and I had to go to work!
Anyway, as I promised in my previous post I will include post parts of my paper so you can read a bit of what I wrote.....
"Before I left America to go to Ireland I had heard Sean Williams talk about how GlenCollumCille would feel like our home in Ireland. I was one of the students shaking my head in doubt; I even shook my head during my first few weeks in the Glean. I did not understand how anyone in our program could feel that this town of 1,000 people on a good day and 900 sheep on a bad day could feel like home.
On that Saturday morning when our bus pulled out of the Glean for the last time I was crushed. I had that feeling you get when you pack your bags for a trip and your about to leave then you remember you forgot something. Except I didn’t forget anything tangible, I had that feeling because Sean was right the Glean is my home in Ireland. Every time I saw the tower going into town I had this warm feeling of going where I belong, I still can not believe I am gone. One thing is for sure, my time in Ireland changed my life and I will never forget what I learned".
"Although I did not attend a mass in GlenCollumCille, I learned that you do not have to step foot into a Catholic church to experience Catholicism in Ireland. It might be impossible to describe the role of the church in Ireland but I can describe my interactions with self proclaimed staunch Catholics that I met. Paddy Beag is one of the first individuals in the Glean that I connected with, he is the type of person who goes to church quite regularly and everyone knows he is catholic.
The thing about Paddy is he is very complicated, like many things in Ireland. Paddy would go to the pub and get drunk, swear saying “oh Jesus”, do anything possible to make sure Fianna Foil won the election and give me a lift home while highly intoxicated. The most interesting part of getting drunken lifts home from Paddy was not the fact that he rightly assumed animals and cars would just get out of his way, it was his air freshener with a naked woman on it. In the states someone who gets drunk, swears saying “oh Jesus”, and has an unusual air freshener would be considered anything but a Catholic, but this is Ireland".
"Learning the Bodhran from Paddy Mor, a big hippie with a big hippie van to match, was one of the most wonderful experiences of my trip. Not only because I enjoyed learning how to play but because he was a very amazing man with great experiences, if I get to go back to the Gleann one day he is one person I will make sure I find. Paddy gave me so many fantastic memories that I will never forget, one in particular was when I skipped Bodhran class because I forgot my drum at my cottage and decided to stay home and practice my Irish instead. Now usually this would not turn into a life changing experience but Paddy is a very unusual individual, I didn’t know when the class ended but I walked up to Oideas Gael right when he was leaving. After he asked me where I was and told me to come next time we ended up having a really great conversation for the next hour.
Paddy asked me what I thought of my own country and I told him that my own country does not represent me and that I am ashamed to be an American right now. Paddy eventually asked what I want to do and when I told him I want to be a civil rights lawyer to make sure my country does represent me and everyone else in the country he became really excited and told us a story I will never forget. Paddy told us how it felt to be a young boy with his name growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles, not able to get a job because of his Catholic name and not getting to vote because of his roots. Paddy and I had a discussion about how we both agree it is much better to stay in your country and try and fix things than to leave, he almost left but instead stayed and fought for his rights. I will never forget when he told me that even though they took away his rights and he couldn’t vote they couldn’t take away some things from him, some rights he said can not be taken away. Although he was in the march from Derry to Belfast and was in the crowd with his fellow Catholics and sympathizers when the British who were supposed to protect them turned their guns on the marchers he never quit. Instead of quitting, giving up and emigrating stood up and still believes as he told us that “When push comes to shove, push”.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Back in the States
Wow! I didn't realize how long it had been since I posted last...I hope no one was holding their breath. I had such a great time in Ireland I didn't want to ever go on a computer because Ireland way too amazing to spend time inside alone on a computer!
I got back in the States on the 29th and spend about 23 hours in New York City with my brother Andrew and his boyfriend Andre. I decided to pull an "all-nighter" and stay up for over a day straight so I could hang out in NYC. I met my brother on the subway near JFK and we went to his apartement then went and bought tickets for a show called "In the Heights". It currently is an off-broadway show but the rumor is it will be going on Broadway in the next month or so because it is so good. We met up with Andre a little while later at a chinese restaurant their friend owns which was great because I was a little sick of straight Irish cuisine for 2 months. After dinner we got a frisbee and went to Central Park and messed around before we headed for the show.
In the Heights is an amazing show! It is about a neighborhood in Manhattan called Washinton Heights which has a very large population of people from the Dominican Republic. It was a musical, which is great because I have an affinity for show tunes and Tony Bennett. I only nodded off three times and I woke up immediately, but I didn't feel too bad because I had been awake for about 23 hours at that point...I was way too tired for emotions anyway! After the show we took the subway back to his place and went to the roof! For anyone who hasn't been on a roof in NYC, it is amazing! You really get a feel for the physical map of the city because you see lower Manhattan all lit up then darkness and then upper Manhattan all lit up too, all the bridges connecting the city...it is really gorgeous and it made leaving Ireland a little easier. I think I finally went to bed around 1am which was 8am where my body was and I miraculously woke up in time to shower, pack and take the numerous trains to JFK again. It is really weird to think I left NYC yesterday but it is true, and I got into Seatac at about 9:15 last night...thankfully! When I was trying not to fall asleep in the San Franciso airport I heard that my plane had broken down and was now delayed! I went up to the desk and asked what was going on and they had no idea and told me it would be a couple hours before they knew anything. Thankfully the woman working there was really nice and got me a ticket for a plane going to Seatac at 7:15 (my original plane was supposed to leave at 5:50) and when I finally landed at Seatac my original flight hadn't even taken off yet. I was so thankful that I went and asked because as I was boarding my new flight they made an announcement saying they had no idea when the plane was getting fixed and everyone should try and get onto a new flight just in case...about 150 people got in line trying to get onto my plane! Whew so lucky!
So now I leave for Portland tomorrow morning to go to the Northwest Writing Conference with the Cooper Point Journal, my college paper I have worked on for the past two years and which I am the Managing Editor of next year. During the weekend I have to write a 20 page paper about my experience in Ireland which shouldn't be very hard at all! The only hard part is staying awake....dang that jetlag it feels like it is about 10pm right now but in Seattle it is 2pm or so! I am hoping to post parts of my paper on my blog so keep checking for that and pics and thanks a bunch to anyone who has read my blog and/or emailed my while I was gone! It meant a lot! Also if anyone would like to see my pictures email me and we can either meet up or I can email them to you, believe me I have soo many Ireland, Norway, and UK stories you will have to ask me to stop talking!
I got back in the States on the 29th and spend about 23 hours in New York City with my brother Andrew and his boyfriend Andre. I decided to pull an "all-nighter" and stay up for over a day straight so I could hang out in NYC. I met my brother on the subway near JFK and we went to his apartement then went and bought tickets for a show called "In the Heights". It currently is an off-broadway show but the rumor is it will be going on Broadway in the next month or so because it is so good. We met up with Andre a little while later at a chinese restaurant their friend owns which was great because I was a little sick of straight Irish cuisine for 2 months. After dinner we got a frisbee and went to Central Park and messed around before we headed for the show.
In the Heights is an amazing show! It is about a neighborhood in Manhattan called Washinton Heights which has a very large population of people from the Dominican Republic. It was a musical, which is great because I have an affinity for show tunes and Tony Bennett. I only nodded off three times and I woke up immediately, but I didn't feel too bad because I had been awake for about 23 hours at that point...I was way too tired for emotions anyway! After the show we took the subway back to his place and went to the roof! For anyone who hasn't been on a roof in NYC, it is amazing! You really get a feel for the physical map of the city because you see lower Manhattan all lit up then darkness and then upper Manhattan all lit up too, all the bridges connecting the city...it is really gorgeous and it made leaving Ireland a little easier. I think I finally went to bed around 1am which was 8am where my body was and I miraculously woke up in time to shower, pack and take the numerous trains to JFK again. It is really weird to think I left NYC yesterday but it is true, and I got into Seatac at about 9:15 last night...thankfully! When I was trying not to fall asleep in the San Franciso airport I heard that my plane had broken down and was now delayed! I went up to the desk and asked what was going on and they had no idea and told me it would be a couple hours before they knew anything. Thankfully the woman working there was really nice and got me a ticket for a plane going to Seatac at 7:15 (my original plane was supposed to leave at 5:50) and when I finally landed at Seatac my original flight hadn't even taken off yet. I was so thankful that I went and asked because as I was boarding my new flight they made an announcement saying they had no idea when the plane was getting fixed and everyone should try and get onto a new flight just in case...about 150 people got in line trying to get onto my plane! Whew so lucky!
So now I leave for Portland tomorrow morning to go to the Northwest Writing Conference with the Cooper Point Journal, my college paper I have worked on for the past two years and which I am the Managing Editor of next year. During the weekend I have to write a 20 page paper about my experience in Ireland which shouldn't be very hard at all! The only hard part is staying awake....dang that jetlag it feels like it is about 10pm right now but in Seattle it is 2pm or so! I am hoping to post parts of my paper on my blog so keep checking for that and pics and thanks a bunch to anyone who has read my blog and/or emailed my while I was gone! It meant a lot! Also if anyone would like to see my pictures email me and we can either meet up or I can email them to you, believe me I have soo many Ireland, Norway, and UK stories you will have to ask me to stop talking!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Just a bump in the road
After a whirlwind 5 day tour of the surrounding areas of Galway, the city of Derry, the Giants Causeway, and the carrick-a-rede rope bridge I am back in the Gleann.
We spent our first day in Galway going to the Joe Heaney Sean-nos singing and dancing festival. There were three sessions that we attended throughout the day, the first was a Sean-nos singing workshop which was interesting and very confusing at the same time. Because we were in the Connemara Gaeltacht the leaders were speaking very fast and fluent Irish...something I hadn't heard yet. In the afternoon the festival continued at a local pub where members of the community sang solo's, some in Irish and some in Bearla (English). It was a really great event and almost everyone had an amazing time listening to the singing. At night we got to listen to a concert which opened with a group of about 5 boys who played traditional Irish instruments amazingly well even though they were between the ages of 10-13. Listening to these boys play made me think back to my elementary school days of band concerts when I played the..clarinet. All I remember from my own concerts are squeks similiar to those of a dying duck. The rest of the concert consisted of community members playing instruments, singing, and dancing all in traditional Irish style.
Our last day in Galway was spent traveling throuout County Clare to see a dolmen, Brigid's Well and the Cliffs of Moher. The next morning we left for the City of Derry.
Derry which is located in County Derry in Northern Ireland was a very violent place during the troubles. During one of our last stops in the Republic I asked our bus driving if the border was very noticable and he said that during the troubles soldiers were always seen but now the only difference is they have better tar. I thoguht he was joking! Sure enough when he motioned to me that we were crossing over I looked ahead and the tar was even, darker and smoother. We went over a bump in the road as the tar changed and he said "That's it" and then we were in the North. I expected to be in a state of shock as we pulled in through the city of Derry because I had heard of the murals but right when we crossed into Northern Ireland the energy changed dramatically. Now I am not someone who claims to be in tune with anything but I looked around the bus and everyone was silently looking out the window too. About 20 minutes later when we arrived into the city everyone was tense, we passes the murals depicting the troubles, the death and pain that Irish Catholics experienced. We past the "You are now entering FREE DERRY" sign and when we got to our hostel no one hurriedly jumped off the bus, everyone silently piled out and looked around. Our hostel was in the Bogside, an area that was hit hard with violence between Catholics and soldiers. The first thing we did in Derry was take a walking tour with a guide from the Free Derry museum. He took us through the bogside, up to the walls where the soldiers used to stand and shoot at the Republicans (Catholics) and guard the Protestant neighborhoods. Standing on the wall I realized that what I had heard about the situation still being tense was most likely true, the area is still segregated. The Protestant neighborhood is fenced off from the Catholic Bogside and the unwelcoming barbed wire can't be helping the situation. After the tour I was in a somber state so I walked around the area with a few friends for a while to get a feel for the city. We ended up at a restaurant/bar called the Ice Wharf...we walked in and a guy sitting with some friends threw up everywhere...it kind of set the tone for the place. The Menu listed all the beef as 100% British Beef and our receipt listed the location as Londonderry. When we walked outside a fight was breaking out between two drunk idiots and later another fight started between two men yelling right-o at eachother. That night we went to a pub called Bound for Boston and caught a show for a while before walking through the dark streets of Derry to the hostel. We all agreed that it was a creepy place to walk through, but at least now it is safe to walk through ... at least for outsiders (as our guide put it). Yesterday was our last day in the North and we spent it going to the Giant't Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge in Co. Antrim. It was really fun but I would of loved to spend more time in Derry seeing more the Protestant neighborhoods and talking to locals.
It was really weird to be in a different country using a different currency but still be in Ireland. It is sad that such a small country has to have two completely different systems but luckily things politically involving Britain are starting to improve. While we were in Derry powersharing started between Northern Ireland and England. Hopefully one day not too far away there will be a united Ireland and Britains control over the North will cease to exist. This is already starting in Scotland as well, last week the Scottish Nationalist Party won the election there and started a 5 year plan for independence! It is possible, and a lot of Irish are looking at Scotland to see if they are succesful.
We spent our first day in Galway going to the Joe Heaney Sean-nos singing and dancing festival. There were three sessions that we attended throughout the day, the first was a Sean-nos singing workshop which was interesting and very confusing at the same time. Because we were in the Connemara Gaeltacht the leaders were speaking very fast and fluent Irish...something I hadn't heard yet. In the afternoon the festival continued at a local pub where members of the community sang solo's, some in Irish and some in Bearla (English). It was a really great event and almost everyone had an amazing time listening to the singing. At night we got to listen to a concert which opened with a group of about 5 boys who played traditional Irish instruments amazingly well even though they were between the ages of 10-13. Listening to these boys play made me think back to my elementary school days of band concerts when I played the..clarinet. All I remember from my own concerts are squeks similiar to those of a dying duck. The rest of the concert consisted of community members playing instruments, singing, and dancing all in traditional Irish style.
Our last day in Galway was spent traveling throuout County Clare to see a dolmen, Brigid's Well and the Cliffs of Moher. The next morning we left for the City of Derry.
Derry which is located in County Derry in Northern Ireland was a very violent place during the troubles. During one of our last stops in the Republic I asked our bus driving if the border was very noticable and he said that during the troubles soldiers were always seen but now the only difference is they have better tar. I thoguht he was joking! Sure enough when he motioned to me that we were crossing over I looked ahead and the tar was even, darker and smoother. We went over a bump in the road as the tar changed and he said "That's it" and then we were in the North. I expected to be in a state of shock as we pulled in through the city of Derry because I had heard of the murals but right when we crossed into Northern Ireland the energy changed dramatically. Now I am not someone who claims to be in tune with anything but I looked around the bus and everyone was silently looking out the window too. About 20 minutes later when we arrived into the city everyone was tense, we passes the murals depicting the troubles, the death and pain that Irish Catholics experienced. We past the "You are now entering FREE DERRY" sign and when we got to our hostel no one hurriedly jumped off the bus, everyone silently piled out and looked around. Our hostel was in the Bogside, an area that was hit hard with violence between Catholics and soldiers. The first thing we did in Derry was take a walking tour with a guide from the Free Derry museum. He took us through the bogside, up to the walls where the soldiers used to stand and shoot at the Republicans (Catholics) and guard the Protestant neighborhoods. Standing on the wall I realized that what I had heard about the situation still being tense was most likely true, the area is still segregated. The Protestant neighborhood is fenced off from the Catholic Bogside and the unwelcoming barbed wire can't be helping the situation. After the tour I was in a somber state so I walked around the area with a few friends for a while to get a feel for the city. We ended up at a restaurant/bar called the Ice Wharf...we walked in and a guy sitting with some friends threw up everywhere...it kind of set the tone for the place. The Menu listed all the beef as 100% British Beef and our receipt listed the location as Londonderry. When we walked outside a fight was breaking out between two drunk idiots and later another fight started between two men yelling right-o at eachother. That night we went to a pub called Bound for Boston and caught a show for a while before walking through the dark streets of Derry to the hostel. We all agreed that it was a creepy place to walk through, but at least now it is safe to walk through ... at least for outsiders (as our guide put it). Yesterday was our last day in the North and we spent it going to the Giant't Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede rope bridge in Co. Antrim. It was really fun but I would of loved to spend more time in Derry seeing more the Protestant neighborhoods and talking to locals.
It was really weird to be in a different country using a different currency but still be in Ireland. It is sad that such a small country has to have two completely different systems but luckily things politically involving Britain are starting to improve. While we were in Derry powersharing started between Northern Ireland and England. Hopefully one day not too far away there will be a united Ireland and Britains control over the North will cease to exist. This is already starting in Scotland as well, last week the Scottish Nationalist Party won the election there and started a 5 year plan for independence! It is possible, and a lot of Irish are looking at Scotland to see if they are succesful.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Life in the Gleann
Hello to everyone out there! It has been a long time since I have had time to actually post anything, and the Internet is so slow here it always makes things interesting...although I think I have the fast computer so things are okay!
I am currently in a very small village called GleannColmCille which inhabits about 1,000 people (on a good day) and about 900 sheep (on a bad day). Alot of my time has been filled with classes, which only makes sense since I am getting credit for going to what I like to call Irish summer camp! It is really hard to go to class when you are surrounded by a very gorgeous beach, huge cliffs to go hike on, rolling green hills to go frolic in with the sheep, and lots of grass to run around in.
A usual daily schedule looks something like a morning language class for a bit over an hour, then an hour break, then an afternoon class for 3 hours, and an evening class for 2 hours. The classes range from studying Gaeltachts (areas designated as Irish speaking), Bodhran, tin whistle, weaving, hiking, Irish, Irish Mythology, poetry writing, donegal dancing and Sean nos singing.
After the evening class we usually head to the pubs or the beach for a bonfire. The pubs in Ireland are really interesting, it is where social life happens locally. The social commentary is really striking, for instance there is a male and female side to the main pub in town. Now imagine being a 20 year old girl going to the pub here for the first time to get a pint and talk and you walk in and sit on the "male" side. All the old guys sitting at the bar looked at us like we were crazy and occasionally try and herd us out of the area. It was a very intense time until the old men realized that we weren't going to move to the room without a warm fire...although sometimes we do but on our own will! It is interesting because you don't want to go into a new area and pretend it is like America where you can do "what you want" (although not fully) but at the same time you do not want to feel like you aren't worthy of being on a certain side of the pub. Although the pub situation is not as serious as it was before Ireland joined the EU it was still a shock to me because I have never REALLY felt unwelcome or discriminated against because of my sex, at least not this strongly.
This Friday the whole group is leaving the Gleann for five days to go to Galway and Derry and then returning for the rest of the time here. In Galway we will be going to see Yeats grave, a Sean nOs (old style) singing and dancing festival and to see the burren in Connemara then heading to Derry to see where the troubles occured and after an intense day of seeing the wall and murals of a still tense situation we will head to a rural part of the county and see the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede bridge. I am really looking forward to Derry because the American media does not say much about the situation between the North and the Republic except for 'ceasefire'. From things I have heard from Irish people living here the IRA seems still alive as ever and I have heard tensions are still building in the North. The trip should be interesting as an upcoming election is in the works for the end of May as well!
I am currently in a very small village called GleannColmCille which inhabits about 1,000 people (on a good day) and about 900 sheep (on a bad day). Alot of my time has been filled with classes, which only makes sense since I am getting credit for going to what I like to call Irish summer camp! It is really hard to go to class when you are surrounded by a very gorgeous beach, huge cliffs to go hike on, rolling green hills to go frolic in with the sheep, and lots of grass to run around in.
A usual daily schedule looks something like a morning language class for a bit over an hour, then an hour break, then an afternoon class for 3 hours, and an evening class for 2 hours. The classes range from studying Gaeltachts (areas designated as Irish speaking), Bodhran, tin whistle, weaving, hiking, Irish, Irish Mythology, poetry writing, donegal dancing and Sean nos singing.
After the evening class we usually head to the pubs or the beach for a bonfire. The pubs in Ireland are really interesting, it is where social life happens locally. The social commentary is really striking, for instance there is a male and female side to the main pub in town. Now imagine being a 20 year old girl going to the pub here for the first time to get a pint and talk and you walk in and sit on the "male" side. All the old guys sitting at the bar looked at us like we were crazy and occasionally try and herd us out of the area. It was a very intense time until the old men realized that we weren't going to move to the room without a warm fire...although sometimes we do but on our own will! It is interesting because you don't want to go into a new area and pretend it is like America where you can do "what you want" (although not fully) but at the same time you do not want to feel like you aren't worthy of being on a certain side of the pub. Although the pub situation is not as serious as it was before Ireland joined the EU it was still a shock to me because I have never REALLY felt unwelcome or discriminated against because of my sex, at least not this strongly.
This Friday the whole group is leaving the Gleann for five days to go to Galway and Derry and then returning for the rest of the time here. In Galway we will be going to see Yeats grave, a Sean nOs (old style) singing and dancing festival and to see the burren in Connemara then heading to Derry to see where the troubles occured and after an intense day of seeing the wall and murals of a still tense situation we will head to a rural part of the county and see the Giant's Causeway and the Carrick-a-rede bridge. I am really looking forward to Derry because the American media does not say much about the situation between the North and the Republic except for 'ceasefire'. From things I have heard from Irish people living here the IRA seems still alive as ever and I have heard tensions are still building in the North. The trip should be interesting as an upcoming election is in the works for the end of May as well!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Aran Magic
I will admit it from the start, I am in love. The Aran Islands were so amazing, anyone who does not fall in love with them obviously does not have a heart...or a brain.
My time in on the Islands was full of illegal activities, questionable ethics, freezing swimming, too much Guinness and "cider", hanging off of cliffs, old men who like to 'shake hands' when drunk, and a really great time. When I think of the last few days I am stunned at how much I saw and experienced...it was amazing.
I am really overwhelmed trying to write about it so this may be a really garbled post but I will try my best! I arrived on Inish Mor on Friday afternoon and checked into my hostel that was right on the harbour. After a bit of wandering I walked up to the Artist's hostel where I was hoping to make a reservation for the next night. I met a couple from Minnesota who were hoping to get a room for that night. We could not find anyone who ran the hostel so finally I wandered up to the street and asked the neighbors. Now, a few minutes before I had joked that he was probably at the pub up the street and we all had a good laugh at Irish stereotypes...unfortunately I was right. So we wandered up to the pub, Joe Watty's..which is much better than Joe Mac's, and found the 'manager' of the hostel who was drinking a pint with his friends...so begins my story of my saga with John. John is probably in his 60's and is a great ol' nice guy when he is sober or tipsy and a wonderful musician when drunk...but not the other way around. Anyway back to my story, we found John who said no problem there will be a room for you tomorrow night and offered to make special arrangements for the couple to stay in his "cabin" for the night and he would stay on a couch in the house. He insisted we had a pint and with the weather so wonderful we had to oblige.
So a few hours later I met up with my old room ate Tessa, who is WWOOFing on a vegetable farm for a year, that night and we left a very weird pub I had popped into earlier called Joe Mac's and went to Joe Watty's where as it happens John was still there drinking and singing with his guitar. We had a great time catching up and much later I headed back to my hostel for the night.
Saturday I found a nice small place to have breakfast and guess who was there...John, he told me I could put my bags in one of the rooms in the house/hostel and he would be around later if I needed anything. So then I headed out and hired a bike and met up with Tessa at her house a few miles down the lower road of the Island.
After fixing out bikes up a bit...most of the gears are hardly working because of all the salt in the air.. we left for Dun Aenghus, an amazing fort, with some of her co-workers who were from England, France, and Switzerland. Over the next few hours we rode across the island, broke into Dun Aenghus by climbing over some fairly tall walls, had a picnic in a fenced off area of the fort, fell asleep by the cliffs...a safe distance away, went swimming in the very cold ocean, and then biked back across the island. Dun Aenghus was so amazing it deserves a bit more of an explanation. From far away it looks like a bunch of rocks standing up ... which it is... but it was built as a last resort to protect the island from invaders and it would have worked really well as it is a half mile-full mile walk up a big hill to the actual fort. When walking up the fort you can hear the ocean but, at least when we were there, you couldn't see the ocean. Once you enter though a doorway into the fort you emerge into a large half circular area with a big rock table in the middle. Once the cross the table you can finally see the ocean that you had heard while walking up the hill, and the ocean is all you can see...for miles. It was such an amazing feeling, knowing that you are nothing in this huge expanse of water...being around such an amazing site makes you feel different...realizing that something much bigger than you or your friends is around you, and not just in the physical sense.
After we climbed over a stone wall to a fenced off area of the fort we had a picnic and layed in the sun for a long time. It was an amazing feeling,
the sun hitting my arms, legs and face
The waves beating into the cliffs 300 feet below us
Seagulls peacefully crowing above us
Salt covering your face
And all around you this huge ancient fort made of stone
..it truly was an emotional/spiritual experience.
It was amazing, I layed down by the cliffs and stuck my head out over the edge and although it is always foolish I felt safe. Perhaps safer than I had felt climbing over fences to get there. Ancient areas really affect me, and many others. I am always skeptical about 'spiritual' areas but there was no denying this.
A bit later we biked back down to the lower road and a consensus decision was made that we all needed to go in the water. All 5 of us, at that point, locked arms and ran into the sea, immediately a huge wave hit us and most of us got knocked down in the water and over the next hour we kept on running in and out of the waves.
We biked back into town and I headed to the hostel to wash up and met up with one of my friends who took the ferry in that night to visit for a few days. We went back to Joe Watty's for the rest of the night with Tessa and can you guess who was there again? Ya...it was John who made us all shake his hand and talk to him for a while..this was mostly drunk John, and told me he overbooked the hostel so I would have to sleep in the 'cabin'..after making sure he would be sleeping in the house we settled into a corner of the pub. Late that night before we left I went up to John to make sure he got his stuff out of the 'cabin' and he was totally gone, he turned around and his eyes were...i guess in the back of his head! Needless to say he didn't really respond so I headed to the 'cabin' that on the side of the hostel. There were no lights on at all so i decided to see just how drunk John was and I found many empty beds in the house so I grabbed the bunk I had thrown my bags on earlier.
In the morning I left the Artist's hostel and stashed my bags down by the harbour, I had tried to pay John twice the day before for the bed but he had said 'ah, we will deal with it later' and I couldn't find him anywhere around the house or the pub or the breakfast joint I met my friend Tanya at that I had seem his at the day before. So we headed out to Tessa's house/farm and went to a Celtic mass that was really great to experience. Afterwards Tanya and I hung out with friends at the house and then headed back into town where again John was no where to be found, and he never got my 17 euro!
Now I am in Galway and am exhausted from my time in Aran...to think that I was only there for 2 full days! And even though I am really sunburned and tired I wouldn't trade those two days for anything, the Aran's truly are magical.
My time in on the Islands was full of illegal activities, questionable ethics, freezing swimming, too much Guinness and "cider", hanging off of cliffs, old men who like to 'shake hands' when drunk, and a really great time. When I think of the last few days I am stunned at how much I saw and experienced...it was amazing.
I am really overwhelmed trying to write about it so this may be a really garbled post but I will try my best! I arrived on Inish Mor on Friday afternoon and checked into my hostel that was right on the harbour. After a bit of wandering I walked up to the Artist's hostel where I was hoping to make a reservation for the next night. I met a couple from Minnesota who were hoping to get a room for that night. We could not find anyone who ran the hostel so finally I wandered up to the street and asked the neighbors. Now, a few minutes before I had joked that he was probably at the pub up the street and we all had a good laugh at Irish stereotypes...unfortunately I was right. So we wandered up to the pub, Joe Watty's..which is much better than Joe Mac's, and found the 'manager' of the hostel who was drinking a pint with his friends...so begins my story of my saga with John. John is probably in his 60's and is a great ol' nice guy when he is sober or tipsy and a wonderful musician when drunk...but not the other way around. Anyway back to my story, we found John who said no problem there will be a room for you tomorrow night and offered to make special arrangements for the couple to stay in his "cabin" for the night and he would stay on a couch in the house. He insisted we had a pint and with the weather so wonderful we had to oblige.
So a few hours later I met up with my old room ate Tessa, who is WWOOFing on a vegetable farm for a year, that night and we left a very weird pub I had popped into earlier called Joe Mac's and went to Joe Watty's where as it happens John was still there drinking and singing with his guitar. We had a great time catching up and much later I headed back to my hostel for the night.
Saturday I found a nice small place to have breakfast and guess who was there...John, he told me I could put my bags in one of the rooms in the house/hostel and he would be around later if I needed anything. So then I headed out and hired a bike and met up with Tessa at her house a few miles down the lower road of the Island.
After fixing out bikes up a bit...most of the gears are hardly working because of all the salt in the air.. we left for Dun Aenghus, an amazing fort, with some of her co-workers who were from England, France, and Switzerland. Over the next few hours we rode across the island, broke into Dun Aenghus by climbing over some fairly tall walls, had a picnic in a fenced off area of the fort, fell asleep by the cliffs...a safe distance away, went swimming in the very cold ocean, and then biked back across the island. Dun Aenghus was so amazing it deserves a bit more of an explanation. From far away it looks like a bunch of rocks standing up ... which it is... but it was built as a last resort to protect the island from invaders and it would have worked really well as it is a half mile-full mile walk up a big hill to the actual fort. When walking up the fort you can hear the ocean but, at least when we were there, you couldn't see the ocean. Once you enter though a doorway into the fort you emerge into a large half circular area with a big rock table in the middle. Once the cross the table you can finally see the ocean that you had heard while walking up the hill, and the ocean is all you can see...for miles. It was such an amazing feeling, knowing that you are nothing in this huge expanse of water...being around such an amazing site makes you feel different...realizing that something much bigger than you or your friends is around you, and not just in the physical sense.
After we climbed over a stone wall to a fenced off area of the fort we had a picnic and layed in the sun for a long time. It was an amazing feeling,
the sun hitting my arms, legs and face
The waves beating into the cliffs 300 feet below us
Seagulls peacefully crowing above us
Salt covering your face
And all around you this huge ancient fort made of stone
..it truly was an emotional/spiritual experience.
It was amazing, I layed down by the cliffs and stuck my head out over the edge and although it is always foolish I felt safe. Perhaps safer than I had felt climbing over fences to get there. Ancient areas really affect me, and many others. I am always skeptical about 'spiritual' areas but there was no denying this.
A bit later we biked back down to the lower road and a consensus decision was made that we all needed to go in the water. All 5 of us, at that point, locked arms and ran into the sea, immediately a huge wave hit us and most of us got knocked down in the water and over the next hour we kept on running in and out of the waves.
We biked back into town and I headed to the hostel to wash up and met up with one of my friends who took the ferry in that night to visit for a few days. We went back to Joe Watty's for the rest of the night with Tessa and can you guess who was there again? Ya...it was John who made us all shake his hand and talk to him for a while..this was mostly drunk John, and told me he overbooked the hostel so I would have to sleep in the 'cabin'..after making sure he would be sleeping in the house we settled into a corner of the pub. Late that night before we left I went up to John to make sure he got his stuff out of the 'cabin' and he was totally gone, he turned around and his eyes were...i guess in the back of his head! Needless to say he didn't really respond so I headed to the 'cabin' that on the side of the hostel. There were no lights on at all so i decided to see just how drunk John was and I found many empty beds in the house so I grabbed the bunk I had thrown my bags on earlier.
In the morning I left the Artist's hostel and stashed my bags down by the harbour, I had tried to pay John twice the day before for the bed but he had said 'ah, we will deal with it later' and I couldn't find him anywhere around the house or the pub or the breakfast joint I met my friend Tanya at that I had seem his at the day before. So we headed out to Tessa's house/farm and went to a Celtic mass that was really great to experience. Afterwards Tanya and I hung out with friends at the house and then headed back into town where again John was no where to be found, and he never got my 17 euro!
Now I am in Galway and am exhausted from my time in Aran...to think that I was only there for 2 full days! And even though I am really sunburned and tired I wouldn't trade those two days for anything, the Aran's truly are magical.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)