just me and my thoughts...

I don't have anything too substantial to write about, although its been about a week since I last posted. In the past week, I have been to a reggae night at a city center pub and a Brazilian percussion concert. It is interesting that not only am I discovering Nireland's culture, but also others along the way. In that respect, I am thankful to be in this society, where I still encounter a variety of cultures.

I am beginning to work on my PC(USA) newsletter to be posted on the PC(USA) YAV page. I found these newsletters to be pretty helpful in deciding where I wanted to go, comparing peoples experiences across the world. It is hard to put the past 6 weeks or so into a newsletter, but I am sure I can work something out. Using past blogs, I can tweak something into a decent update.... It will all sound familiar if you are an avid blog reader! Here is the site for other YAVs and my future newsletters: http://www.pcusa.org/missionconnections/yav.htm

Last Friday I took my first day trip alone! I figured out the bus system, and took a little trip down to Newcastle. It was a great day out of the city and Newcastle was a pretty little town where the Mourne Mountains crash into the Irish Sea. I walked around the waterfront, saw five rainbows, had a personal picnic of my packed lunch from home, and stopped in the wee shops along Main Street. I spent the day half under an umbrella and half wishing I'd brought my sunglasses.
The beach was rocky, but easy to walk on. I hope to get back and hike some of the Mournes at some point, maybe in the spring and once I've gotten use to all the rain. The bus ride down traveled through lovely countryside, the color green here really is green. Think crayola crayon, none of the dingy grass we have. It was amazing. The bus ride alone was worth the bus fare. I hope to take day trips like this every other Friday or so. More pictures can be found on Webshots!


I am ready for Halloween! The frequency of fireworks is increasing around our neighborhood in preparation for Halloween. While I will miss fireworks on the 4th of July, other holidays will make up for my firework obsession. I am trying to think of a good Halloween costume, though our plans for Halloween aren't yet set. But, regardless, dressing up is a requirement. Anne sent cute Halloween potholders and dish towels to decorate the house! We heart them. I found out in talking with my point (youth group) kids that really little kids here are the only ones who trick-or-treat and that they are given money, not candy! So, a dime here and there and a quarter... or in reality a 20p coin and a 10p coin. I was so surprised to hear this, as I had never considered receiving anything else at a front door on Halloween, except the occasional apple or toothbrush from the neighborhood dentist. These kids have a made, although generally they only walk away with a quid or two at the end of the night. I am sure we will have many Halloween stories and pictures to share!

Fortwilliam and Macrory was vandalized last Saturday night. Many of the rocks from the front wall were knocked out, then thrown at the stained glass windows on the front of the church. It really made a mess and the windows will be hard to replace, or even repair. In talking with my youth about the damage, I got a better understanding of the way of life for teens in Belfast. A typical Saturday night consists of drinking in a car park somewhere or just on a street, then typically fighting, damage of property if there is no one to fight, and teens shacking up...thus teenage pregnancy. Many of my youth took the stance that this was lame and that there was actually a lot to do in Belfast, in contrast to the general youth opinion that there is nothing to do but the activities listed above. After witnessing my first fight at the Saturday night community youth club, I asked more about the fighting. My youth told me that it is boredom. They don't typically fight because they really dislike each other, but to have something to do and hurting each other is entertainment. While this was not the reason for the fight at youth club, I could see their point. It was also a full moon on Saturday night, my explanation for the church destruction and the wildness of the youth club. It was interesting to get my youths opinions on their peers extracurricular activities, reassuring to know that this is not how they spend their free time, and motivating to change the reality for those who do engage in said activities.

This week I went to see a photography exhibition that was a collaborations of three projects in North Belfast. Because I work with the Castle/St. Pats photo club, it was interesting to see what others had done, including beating us to our idea of making post cards of kids pictures.... Though there's were not actual postcards, just prints.... The exhibitions main project was on teen suicide and the events that lead up to it. Suicide is a big problem here, and the students in one of the groups had lost a friend about a year ago to suicide. The set of pictures was great, the images capturing what is plaguing their peers every day, from teen pregnancy to drugs, alcohol, violence, vandalism, and promiscuous behavior. I wonder if the portrayal of their culture made them realize how bad the problems really are.

On my walk home today I was thinking how great the need here really is. The need for discipline, for responsibility, for accountability. The need for alternatives to drinking and hooking up on the weekends.... although this is needed just as badly in the states, even on college campuses. I wonder where God is in these teens lives, where religious titles devide the society so drastically. I guess that is what I am here to find out....