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!
Ireland loves ... country music?
Surprising, isn't it? I certainly didn't see it coming. I think I've heard more American country music since arriving in Northern Ireland than I hear in months at home. You see, I've never been a big fan of that particular musical genre. But they absolutely eat that stuff up here!
Whenever we were in the bus on Sunday, the driver had a station on that was playing country music all day long. And I'm not talking about that pop-esque, trying to be mainstream stuff you hear in the States. This was hardcore country, as in, "I'm going to saddle up my horse and lasso a cow." And somehow they managed to fit a Buddy Holly song into the mix, which baffled the early rock and roll fan in me.
I'm told that what we now know as country music in the U.S. is rooted in traditional Irish music, and if you listen carefully you can hear that. But I never would have expected that development to travel back across the Atlantic. Funny how that happens.
Whenever we were in the bus on Sunday, the driver had a station on that was playing country music all day long. And I'm not talking about that pop-esque, trying to be mainstream stuff you hear in the States. This was hardcore country, as in, "I'm going to saddle up my horse and lasso a cow." And somehow they managed to fit a Buddy Holly song into the mix, which baffled the early rock and roll fan in me.
I'm told that what we now know as country music in the U.S. is rooted in traditional Irish music, and if you listen carefully you can hear that. But I never would have expected that development to travel back across the Atlantic. Funny how that happens.
Couldn't have said it better myself
"My pal ... once suggested that the older he gets, and the more he travels, the less he knows. And I know what he means now. Seeing the planet as I'm seeing it, you are constantly reminded of what you don't know -- how much more there is to see and learn, how damn big and mysterious this world is."
-Anthony Bourdain, The Nasty Bits
-Anthony Bourdain, The Nasty Bits
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Downpatrick and Belfast
Today was pretty relaxed, but, like yesterday, we covered a lot of ground.
We started in Downpatrick at the Saint Patrick Centre, where we saw the exhibit housed there on St. Patrick. It’s the only permanent exhibit on St. Patrick in the world. It tells his life’s story, which I found interesting because I didn’t know much about him.
After visiting the exhibit, we went just up the hill to the graveyard outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we visited his grave site. There’s a large rock there marking his burial place, but no one knows the exact location of his burial. They just know it’s somewhere in the area.
We drove a few minutes from there to Saul, where St. Patrick established the first church in Ireland
From there we headed into Belfast
I have photos from the day, but haven’t had a chance to put them on my computer yet. Check out my Flickr page for new photos (link’s at the left).
North coast
Today was a big day for sightseeing. We covered a lot of ground, starting in Belfast and ending at the Giant's Causeway before we headed back to Dundrum.
I just came back from dinner and drinks with the group in Newcastle, and am too tired to write a full post, but the photos should speak for themselves once they're up tomorrow!
Good night!
I just came back from dinner and drinks with the group in Newcastle, and am too tired to write a full post, but the photos should speak for themselves once they're up tomorrow!
Good night!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Placements: Day Four
For my second day at The Down Recorder I was paired up with Philip the photographer again. We had to get on the road in the tiny Recorder truck almost right away because we had a lot of ground to cover.
There were three stories I needed to report on and Philip needed to get photos for. This took us until about 1:30 because it often takes about half an hour to get from town to town here.
The stories were pretty straightforward, but quite varied. The first was about a kickoff for the Mourne International Walking Festival. For the second, we went to Ballynahinch Primary School for the dedication of a new playground. And for the third, we were at a memorial in Killyleagh for a woman who died in January that was arranged by her book club. Overall, pretty standard local stories.
We went back to Downpatrick, in time for the lunch break and I spent the rest of the afternoon writing the stories.
This evening we participated in a murder mystery event at the County Down Museum in Downpatrick. We got all dressed up in Victorian gear and had small parts in the performance. But we weren't allowed to have speaking roles because our American accents would have been very out of place. Once that little bit was finished we were able to participate in trying to solve the murder. It was a fun night, but, unfortunately, we didn't end up winning.
There were three stories I needed to report on and Philip needed to get photos for. This took us until about 1:30 because it often takes about half an hour to get from town to town here.
The stories were pretty straightforward, but quite varied. The first was about a kickoff for the Mourne International Walking Festival. For the second, we went to Ballynahinch Primary School for the dedication of a new playground. And for the third, we were at a memorial in Killyleagh for a woman who died in January that was arranged by her book club. Overall, pretty standard local stories.
We went back to Downpatrick, in time for the lunch break and I spent the rest of the afternoon writing the stories.
This evening we participated in a murder mystery event at the County Down Museum in Downpatrick. We got all dressed up in Victorian gear and had small parts in the performance. But we weren't allowed to have speaking roles because our American accents would have been very out of place. Once that little bit was finished we were able to participate in trying to solve the murder. It was a fun night, but, unfortunately, we didn't end up winning.
Friday, June 4, 2010
How the tables have turned
For those readers who don't know, I spent my last two years at Marquette living in a community called Global Village. We were made up of half full-time MU students, called Ambassadors, and half international exchange students. While living there I had roommates from Spain, France, the Czech Republic, China and Mexico and became close friends with neighbors from even more countries.
Coming to Northern Ireland is the first time I've been out of the United States since I moved into GV in August of 2008. I spent two full school years and the summer in between there. I loved living there because I was able to learn tons about other cultures while still being at home. GV presents an opportunity where a lot of open-minded people come together and feel free to share their experiences with one another.
Since I arrived in Northern Ireland, I've been significantly immersed in the culture here, which is very different from when I studied abroad in Rome, where most of my time was spent with the other Americans in my program. I realized today that this is the first time I've truly seen the other side of what I experienced as an Ambassador in GV. I'm excluding the time my family spent living in Japan because I don't think I was fully aware of the value of the experience as a 14-year-old.
In Global Village, I was able to ask my neighbors about their countries and cultures as often as I wanted. While here, I've been asked many of the same questions about the United States, and realized just how intimidating that can be. I think it's very important to make every possible effort to be a positive representative of my home country, but some questions throw me for a loop. What do I say about political issues? How do I explain the Rod Blagojevich situation? One of the 10-year-olds at Stormont on Wednesday mentioned something about George W. Bush planning the Iraq war to get more oil. I was relieved I didn't have to respond to that because another planned event forced me to leave before they could ask me questions. I wouldn't have known what to say.
These are things that I know a lot about -- probably more than the average person. But I find myself being very careful answering questions because I don't want to misinform or skew reality in some way. It's a challenging experience, and I hope I'm doing a good job with it.
Coming to Northern Ireland is the first time I've been out of the United States since I moved into GV in August of 2008. I spent two full school years and the summer in between there. I loved living there because I was able to learn tons about other cultures while still being at home. GV presents an opportunity where a lot of open-minded people come together and feel free to share their experiences with one another.
Since I arrived in Northern Ireland, I've been significantly immersed in the culture here, which is very different from when I studied abroad in Rome, where most of my time was spent with the other Americans in my program. I realized today that this is the first time I've truly seen the other side of what I experienced as an Ambassador in GV. I'm excluding the time my family spent living in Japan because I don't think I was fully aware of the value of the experience as a 14-year-old.
In Global Village, I was able to ask my neighbors about their countries and cultures as often as I wanted. While here, I've been asked many of the same questions about the United States, and realized just how intimidating that can be. I think it's very important to make every possible effort to be a positive representative of my home country, but some questions throw me for a loop. What do I say about political issues? How do I explain the Rod Blagojevich situation? One of the 10-year-olds at Stormont on Wednesday mentioned something about George W. Bush planning the Iraq war to get more oil. I was relieved I didn't have to respond to that because another planned event forced me to leave before they could ask me questions. I wouldn't have known what to say.
These are things that I know a lot about -- probably more than the average person. But I find myself being very careful answering questions because I don't want to misinform or skew reality in some way. It's a challenging experience, and I hope I'm doing a good job with it.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Placements: Days Two and Three
Wednesday
Yesterday was my last placement day at Stormont. This time I spent most of the day with the education staff. They had me follow a primary school field trip of 10- and 11-year-olds, so I got to tour the building again, but from a slightly different perspective this time. I'm not particularly interested in education (I've said before that I would never want to be a teacher), but I like politics and was impressed with how the Stormont-employed teacher was able to get the kids excited about government. I was also amazed by how much the kids already knew about politics and government. I can't remember knowing who my legislative representatives at that age.
In the afternoon they had me sit in on a meeting of one of the Assembly's committees. Consistent with the theme of the day, it was the education committee. There's apparently been some controversy here recently regarding standardized testing for 11-year-olds that determines what kind of secondary school they're able to go to. I was told there could be some debate about that, but they stuck to discussing budget issues. To be honest, it was boring. I almost dozed off, but managed to keep my eyes open until it was over.
Last night we had a Lambeg drum demonstration by a man from the Ulster-Scots. If you haven't seen one of these drums before, they are very large and very, very loud. One of the cool things about the drums is that they're always painted in a very specific style and each drum's painting is unique. The instrument is only used Northern Ireland
Thursday
Today was my first day at The Down Recorder, a weekly newspaper based in Downpatrick. I wasn't there for more than a half hour before they had me getting into the truck with Philip the photographer to go get photos for stories.
The one major difference between this newspaper and the papers in the U.S.
We stopped for photos of an insurance company and a volunteer organization before we had to head back to the recorder for information on the story I would be writing.
We drove to Newcastle, which is about 30 minutes away from Downpatrick, where we met up with two Coast Guard officers who rescued a fisherman who fell into the sea on Tuesday. After I interviewed them we walked down by the coast and set up the (posed) photo. We went back to the paper just in time for lunch break, after which I came back to write my story.
This evening was Irish dance night for the Young Ambassadors. Let's just say we're rhythmically challenged as a group.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Placements: Day One
Today was our first day of the trip with our cultural placements. I'll be spending most of my time with a local newspaper, The Down Recorder, but they can't have me there until Thursday. For today and tomorrow I'll be at Stormont, which is where Northern Ireland's government operates. We were there yesterday just to see the building, but I got a much more in depth look today and was able to get my full news and politics fix (for now).
Alessia, another Young Ambassador, and I were dropped off at the building this morning, where we met up with Susie Brown, Stormont's head of communications. She and some of her staff showed us around the basement, where a previous speaker of the Assembly banished all media years ago, thinking they wouldn't bother anyone. In addition to the government having its own communications office that does public relations and coordinates with media outlets, it has production studios that monitor activity everywhere in the building sessions are taking place. News organizations like the BBC and local newspapers have their own offices and small studios there as well.
Getting a feel for how the media operated within the building took up most of our morning. We had lunch with two members of the outreach office, which works to make the government more accessible and of interest to the general public here in Northern Ireland. They provided a lot of insight on the political situation here now, and some of the history. It was exciting to hear so much about a political climate that I still feel I know very little about, but it was almost too much to take in at once. I'm personally having a tough time keeping the main political parties straight because, unlike the U.S. where two parties dominate the political scene, there are several here that are very active in the Assembly. Alessia and I later said we should have been taking notes for future reference.
At lunch we also met Eamonn Mallie, a veteran political journalist. He was quite the character and provided us with even more information on politics within Stormont, as well as his own opinions on the Catholic Church's handling of abuse scandals in Ireland. Long story short, he doesn't think it's been handled well. I may get the chance to meet with him and talk some more tomorrow.
Eamonn arranged for us to watch the BBC's Monday and Tuesday (the days the Assembly is in session) live political broadcast, "Live from Stormont," from the studio as they broadcast. We were only there for about half an hour of the 75-minute show, but it was amazing to see them in action. The crew was so efficient and made the job look effortless.
Later on we had tea with BBC broadcaster Martina Purdy and got to sit in the Assembly chamber as debate was going on before it was time for us to leave.
Overall it was a great day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow!
Alessia, another Young Ambassador, and I were dropped off at the building this morning, where we met up with Susie Brown, Stormont's head of communications. She and some of her staff showed us around the basement, where a previous speaker of the Assembly banished all media years ago, thinking they wouldn't bother anyone. In addition to the government having its own communications office that does public relations and coordinates with media outlets, it has production studios that monitor activity everywhere in the building sessions are taking place. News organizations like the BBC and local newspapers have their own offices and small studios there as well.
Getting a feel for how the media operated within the building took up most of our morning. We had lunch with two members of the outreach office, which works to make the government more accessible and of interest to the general public here in Northern Ireland. They provided a lot of insight on the political situation here now, and some of the history. It was exciting to hear so much about a political climate that I still feel I know very little about, but it was almost too much to take in at once. I'm personally having a tough time keeping the main political parties straight because, unlike the U.S. where two parties dominate the political scene, there are several here that are very active in the Assembly. Alessia and I later said we should have been taking notes for future reference.
At lunch we also met Eamonn Mallie, a veteran political journalist. He was quite the character and provided us with even more information on politics within Stormont, as well as his own opinions on the Catholic Church's handling of abuse scandals in Ireland. Long story short, he doesn't think it's been handled well. I may get the chance to meet with him and talk some more tomorrow.
Eamonn arranged for us to watch the BBC's Monday and Tuesday (the days the Assembly is in session) live political broadcast, "Live from Stormont," from the studio as they broadcast. We were only there for about half an hour of the 75-minute show, but it was amazing to see them in action. The crew was so efficient and made the job look effortless.
Later on we had tea with BBC broadcaster Martina Purdy and got to sit in the Assembly chamber as debate was going on before it was time for us to leave.
Overall it was a great day and I'm looking forward to tomorrow!
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