So, the trip's over. I've been home for two days now and am still dealing with a little jet lag.
I'm not sure how to sum the whole thing up, but I will say that I had a great time and learned a lot. I also owe many thanks to the people who sent me there and everyone in Northern Ireland who was so willing to spend time with us.
To my fellow Young Ambassadors, thanks for being so much fun. See you all at Irish Fest in August!
There you have it. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Viking ships, high tides and rain, oh my!
Our last day in Northern Ireland was in no way short of activity. Actually, I'm amazed I still had time to pack.
The big outing for the day was going out on a viking ship (yes, viking -- dragon head decoration and all) with a local viking club. Ireland was actually influenced quite significantly by the vikings, so this isn't as out of place as it sounds. Most of the major cities on the island were viking settlements, not Celtic.
So we went out to Strangford Lough to set sail -- er ... row -- our way around for a while. When we arrived, the tide wasn't completely in and it was sunny. We were able to easily hop onto the boat from the dock (this detail will be important later).
Turns out rowing a viking ship is harder than it looks. There were spots for 10 people to row, and several of those were manned by already established viking ship rowing experts. We Young Ambassadors were another story. A few didn't make the cut and were banned from rowing. I'm proud to say that except one minor mishap where I lost control of my oar and was knocked backwards into Honor, I was never asked to stop rowing. I suppose four years of swimming in high school and 14 years of sweeping curling stones paid off in that respect.
Anyway, we had a fun time on the boat, and it was definitely a unique experience. Especially when we got back to the dock. You see, while we were out having fun on the lough, the tide had come in all the way and there was about six feet of water between the dock and the shore. We had more places to go later, so jumping in fully clothed to get to shore was not our favorite option. I also despise going barefoot so I was seriously considering jumping in Chuck Taylors and all. But then one of our hosts, Philip, put on his waders and started a piggyback ferry service from the dock to the shore. This was nothing short of hilarious, especially when Tim was the last one to be carried across.
From there half of the group went oceaneering, which involves jumping off of cliffs into the sea, and the other half of us stayed with the vikings for a barbecue. We made it to their little trailer clubhouse just as it started to pour.
The big outing for the day was going out on a viking ship (yes, viking -- dragon head decoration and all) with a local viking club. Ireland was actually influenced quite significantly by the vikings, so this isn't as out of place as it sounds. Most of the major cities on the island were viking settlements, not Celtic.
So we went out to Strangford Lough to set sail -- er ... row -- our way around for a while. When we arrived, the tide wasn't completely in and it was sunny. We were able to easily hop onto the boat from the dock (this detail will be important later).
Turns out rowing a viking ship is harder than it looks. There were spots for 10 people to row, and several of those were manned by already established viking ship rowing experts. We Young Ambassadors were another story. A few didn't make the cut and were banned from rowing. I'm proud to say that except one minor mishap where I lost control of my oar and was knocked backwards into Honor, I was never asked to stop rowing. I suppose four years of swimming in high school and 14 years of sweeping curling stones paid off in that respect.
Anyway, we had a fun time on the boat, and it was definitely a unique experience. Especially when we got back to the dock. You see, while we were out having fun on the lough, the tide had come in all the way and there was about six feet of water between the dock and the shore. We had more places to go later, so jumping in fully clothed to get to shore was not our favorite option. I also despise going barefoot so I was seriously considering jumping in Chuck Taylors and all. But then one of our hosts, Philip, put on his waders and started a piggyback ferry service from the dock to the shore. This was nothing short of hilarious, especially when Tim was the last one to be carried across.
From there half of the group went oceaneering, which involves jumping off of cliffs into the sea, and the other half of us stayed with the vikings for a barbecue. We made it to their little trailer clubhouse just as it started to pour.
World Cup fever
Saturday was a fairly easy day, but it was much-needed because I think we're all starting to wear out a bit toward the end of the trip.
In the afternoon we headed into West Belfast, where we stopped to see the famous murals there. The murals are all over that area of the city and are very politically charged. I'm not sure what adjectives would be best to describe them, but they serve as a clear indication that even though violence has gone away, there are still significant political disagreements in Northern Ireland.
But the highlight of the day had to be when we went to Denvir's pub in Downpatrick to watch the USA v. England World Cup match. Ryan (poor Ryan -- the only male in the group, forced to deal with nine women for two weeks) had been counting down the days since we arrived, so humoring him by going to watch the game was the least we could do. He was so excited about the game that he said a round of drinks was on him if the U.S. won. He also said we were all getting hugs (which he had previously made clear he was morally opposed to due to "awkwardness") if the U.S. scored a goal.
Game time came and the South African vuvuzelas buzzed through the pub's TV. There was no reaction from our fellow pub-goes when "God Save the Queen" was played for England. But when "The Star Spangled Banner" began, we all belted it out like I've never heard our national anthem belted before, then started a rousing "USA! USA! USA!" chant. While this did cause quite the scene, most of the pub was also cheering for the U.S., so I think they found us fairly entertaining.
Throughout the game, Ryan was easily the most engaged spectator, screaming in agony when England scored a goal within the first three minutes, becoming very nearly irate when we almost let in others. But when a U.S. shot for the goal slipped through the hands of England's goalie near the end of the first half, he nearly blew the roof off the place, and held to his hug promise, attacking anyone closest to him (myself and Kacie). Kacie still has a bruise from the hug Ryan attacked her with.
The U.S. didn't come out of this one with a win, but the tie (and the look on David Beckham's face) was certainly satisfying. I don't think Denvir's will ever be the same.
In the morning we visited Castle Ward, which was home to several generations of Lord Bangors. The house is unique because the man who built it and his wife were complete opposites and couldn't agree on an architectural style. So the front of the house is built in a classical style for him, while his eccentric wife had the back designed in a Gothic style.
In the afternoon we headed into West Belfast, where we stopped to see the famous murals there. The murals are all over that area of the city and are very politically charged. I'm not sure what adjectives would be best to describe them, but they serve as a clear indication that even though violence has gone away, there are still significant political disagreements in Northern Ireland.
But the highlight of the day had to be when we went to Denvir's pub in Downpatrick to watch the USA v. England World Cup match. Ryan (poor Ryan -- the only male in the group, forced to deal with nine women for two weeks) had been counting down the days since we arrived, so humoring him by going to watch the game was the least we could do. He was so excited about the game that he said a round of drinks was on him if the U.S. won. He also said we were all getting hugs (which he had previously made clear he was morally opposed to due to "awkwardness") if the U.S. scored a goal.
Game time came and the South African vuvuzelas buzzed through the pub's TV. There was no reaction from our fellow pub-goes when "God Save the Queen" was played for England. But when "The Star Spangled Banner" began, we all belted it out like I've never heard our national anthem belted before, then started a rousing "USA! USA! USA!" chant. While this did cause quite the scene, most of the pub was also cheering for the U.S., so I think they found us fairly entertaining.
Throughout the game, Ryan was easily the most engaged spectator, screaming in agony when England scored a goal within the first three minutes, becoming very nearly irate when we almost let in others. But when a U.S. shot for the goal slipped through the hands of England's goalie near the end of the first half, he nearly blew the roof off the place, and held to his hug promise, attacking anyone closest to him (myself and Kacie). Kacie still has a bruise from the hug Ryan attacked her with.
The U.S. didn't come out of this one with a win, but the tie (and the look on David Beckham's face) was certainly satisfying. I don't think Denvir's will ever be the same.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Homeward bound
Hey all,
I know I haven't updated in a day or two, but it's our last night and I still have a ton of packing to do. I'll update while waiting at the airport if I can, otherwise, it'll be when I get home.
See you Stateside.
Kaitie
I know I haven't updated in a day or two, but it's our last night and I still have a ton of packing to do. I'll update while waiting at the airport if I can, otherwise, it'll be when I get home.
See you Stateside.
Kaitie
Friday, June 11, 2010
Two capitols in one day!
That's right, one just wasn't enough for us yesterday. We managed to visit Belfast and Dublin, but that meant the day was jam-packed.
We started the morning off at Stormont Castle, where we met Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. The two are members of opposing parties within the Northern Ireland Assembly, but I was impressed with how well they seemed to get along (Robinson is a Unionist, and McGuinness is a Nationalist). Even though they mentioned that they initially didn't agree on much of anything, they seem to have found a middle ground so they can work together for Northern Ireland's benefit. The work they have done is so significant that their names will most likely be in history books in the future.
From there we hopped back into the bus and had to rush to Dublin, where we had an appointment with the American ambassador to Ireland. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time, but still met with a political officer from the embassy. He was able to shed some light on the purpose of embassies and what they do for the citizens of their countries.
We then got the rest of the afternoon to explore Dublin a little bit. Most of us stayed around the Grafton Street area, where we got some food and did a little shopping.
When we returned to the cottages, we were visited by a local politician who is a member of the Sinn Fein party. He is a former member of the IRA and was in prison for 10 years during the 1970s and '80s. I won't go into all the detail he did, but he told us a lot about the time he spent in prison (more than three years of which was in solitary confinement) how he and his fellow prisoners protested against the prison in order to be treated as political prisoners, rather than criminals.
Overall it was a very enlightening day in terms of what has happened in this country over the past few decades and how they are working towards reconciliation.
We started the morning off at Stormont Castle, where we met Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness. The two are members of opposing parties within the Northern Ireland Assembly, but I was impressed with how well they seemed to get along (Robinson is a Unionist, and McGuinness is a Nationalist). Even though they mentioned that they initially didn't agree on much of anything, they seem to have found a middle ground so they can work together for Northern Ireland's benefit. The work they have done is so significant that their names will most likely be in history books in the future.
From there we hopped back into the bus and had to rush to Dublin, where we had an appointment with the American ambassador to Ireland. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time, but still met with a political officer from the embassy. He was able to shed some light on the purpose of embassies and what they do for the citizens of their countries.
We then got the rest of the afternoon to explore Dublin a little bit. Most of us stayed around the Grafton Street area, where we got some food and did a little shopping.
When we returned to the cottages, we were visited by a local politician who is a member of the Sinn Fein party. He is a former member of the IRA and was in prison for 10 years during the 1970s and '80s. I won't go into all the detail he did, but he told us a lot about the time he spent in prison (more than three years of which was in solitary confinement) how he and his fellow prisoners protested against the prison in order to be treated as political prisoners, rather than criminals.
Overall it was a very enlightening day in terms of what has happened in this country over the past few decades and how they are working towards reconciliation.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Whoops
Sorry for the lack of posts since Monday. It's been a busy couple of days, so I'll give you a quick rundown of what's happened.
Tuesday
Another day of placements. It was production day at the Recorder, so they had me put a story together in the morning and gave me the afternoon off so they could work on proofing without me around.
Sidenote: I brought copies of The Marquette Tribune with me to give to the newspaper staff here, and they were shocked that we produced two issues a week, while being in school full time. Props to any Tribbers who are reading.
I spent the afternoon hanging around the Saint Patrick Centre, writing postcards and helping Tim out by editing some education materials.
In the evening we went to watch a rehersal for a marching flute band.
Wednesday
Dublin.
The last time I was in Dublin, I was there for less than a day, and spent that time being run ragged by one of my uncles, who was on a mission to find a Starbucks. By the end of that day, my sisters and cousins who had come along were complaining their feet had been replaced with "bloody stumps."
Well, the bloody stumps were avoided this time. We left Dundrum at about 8 a.m. because it takes about two and half hours to get to Dublin from here. When we arrived, Tim managed to get us free tickets on one of the hop on, hop off double decker bus tours. So we hopped on and headed to Saint Patrick's cathedral, where we were given a tour by a very eccentric, but friendly, man in a corduroy suit named Reg. I took plenty of photos, which I will have on Flickr within the next 24 hours.
From there we went to Kilmainham Jail, where we were given a tour of the incredibly creepy old prison famous for holding and executing the leaders of the Irish Easter uprising. This time, our tour guide was very serious about all the information presented, and probably could have been warden when the jail was still operating if she really wanted to be.
Then we headed to Leinster House, home of the Republic of Ireland's parliament, where we met the minister for social development.
After a tour of the parliament building we got back on the bus and headed back to Dundrum because we needed to be back to meet with a man named Stanley Papenfus. Stanley is from South Africa originally and likes to play the bongo drums and laugh ... a lot.
OK, now you're all up to date. Sorry, this post was a bit rushed because we're leaving in 15 minutes to go meet Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers.
Tuesday
Another day of placements. It was production day at the Recorder, so they had me put a story together in the morning and gave me the afternoon off so they could work on proofing without me around.
Sidenote: I brought copies of The Marquette Tribune with me to give to the newspaper staff here, and they were shocked that we produced two issues a week, while being in school full time. Props to any Tribbers who are reading.
I spent the afternoon hanging around the Saint Patrick Centre, writing postcards and helping Tim out by editing some education materials.
In the evening we went to watch a rehersal for a marching flute band.
Wednesday
Dublin.
The last time I was in Dublin, I was there for less than a day, and spent that time being run ragged by one of my uncles, who was on a mission to find a Starbucks. By the end of that day, my sisters and cousins who had come along were complaining their feet had been replaced with "bloody stumps."
Well, the bloody stumps were avoided this time. We left Dundrum at about 8 a.m. because it takes about two and half hours to get to Dublin from here. When we arrived, Tim managed to get us free tickets on one of the hop on, hop off double decker bus tours. So we hopped on and headed to Saint Patrick's cathedral, where we were given a tour by a very eccentric, but friendly, man in a corduroy suit named Reg. I took plenty of photos, which I will have on Flickr within the next 24 hours.
From there we went to Kilmainham Jail, where we were given a tour of the incredibly creepy old prison famous for holding and executing the leaders of the Irish Easter uprising. This time, our tour guide was very serious about all the information presented, and probably could have been warden when the jail was still operating if she really wanted to be.
Then we headed to Leinster House, home of the Republic of Ireland's parliament, where we met the minister for social development.
After a tour of the parliament building we got back on the bus and headed back to Dundrum because we needed to be back to meet with a man named Stanley Papenfus. Stanley is from South Africa originally and likes to play the bongo drums and laugh ... a lot.
OK, now you're all up to date. Sorry, this post was a bit rushed because we're leaving in 15 minutes to go meet Northern Ireland's first and deputy first ministers.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Placements: Day Five
Today was my third day at The Down Recorder, and it was a little more relaxed than the previous two.
I went over the four stories I wrote with Paul, the paper's editor. Even though I'm in an English-speaking country, there were some dialect things that had to be fixed. Who knew they didn't use the word "recess" for school playtime here? Not me.
I got started on two other stories today -- one on a student who just finished doing service work in South Africa, and another on a woman going on a 444 mile bike ride to raise money for breast cancer. Unfortunately I was playing the callback waiting game for most of the day, but I'm hoping they'll get back to me tomorrow!
Good night!
I went over the four stories I wrote with Paul, the paper's editor. Even though I'm in an English-speaking country, there were some dialect things that had to be fixed. Who knew they didn't use the word "recess" for school playtime here? Not me.
I got started on two other stories today -- one on a student who just finished doing service work in South Africa, and another on a woman going on a 444 mile bike ride to raise money for breast cancer. Unfortunately I was playing the callback waiting game for most of the day, but I'm hoping they'll get back to me tomorrow!
Good night!
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