An American in... Belfast

My last blog from Ireland...

2006-08-01T08:08:00.000+01:00

Sadly this is going to have to be a quick blog, because I am leaving in a few short minutes for the bus stop to go to Dublin airport. It is hard to believe that a year has passed... it honestly feels like yesterday when Joanne was picking me up from the airport, and I was wondering what was in store for me... who knew that what was in store for me was the best year of my life (yes Nuala.. the best year) and that I would make such amazing friendships in the unlikely place of Belfast. I managed to keep myself together most of the day yesterday.. saying goodbye to James felt kind of final, and then the girls came over to eat all of the chocolate that i had accumulated in the cupboard... and when they left then it really felt final... and yes girls there were tears... which returned when Grainne came back to say goodbye. I hate crying... i hate the feeling of your emotions controlling you.. but occasionally (like when you are leaving a place you truly love) it can't be avoided...so to everyone in Belfast, thank you for an amazing year, filled with so many funny memories... and to those of you I am coming home to... I can't wait to see you. I plan on blogging for a little longer.. I am sure that the transition home will hold a few funny moments as well.

Paris in Pictures...

2006-07-28T19:19:00.000+01:00

Well, I have managed to pack up some things, but I still have a long way to go... but hey, why not reward myself with a little avoidance? I was looking, and I don't have any pictures from Nice... I think that i was traumatized by the scary waiter there... so we are moving on to Paris... which is another place i could definitely live... at least for a little while.

Another HUGE castle... this trip has really confirmed that I suite a castle!

I really enjoyed the Louvre, but I really liked the Muse d'Orsay as well.. I'm an impressionist kind of girl.

I actually like the glass pyramid.. it is so very distinct!

It really wouldn't be Paris without a few landmarks... L'arch de triumph... beautiful!

We went back at night to get it lit up. We were followed off the metro by some scary guy that you can't see. He was trying desperately to get our attention by jumping in front of my camera.

Sacre Coeur... another big beautiful church...

Notre Dame ...Another beautiful church... there were so many.. elaborate churches and castles, i really enjoyed them!
AND OF COURSE......

The Eiffel Tower... It sparkles for 10 minutes every hour.. (maybe only at night) but regardless it was pretty. Funny, when the french man at the hotel said tour d'eiffel, we had no idea what he was talking about... ugh.. only the most memorable monument in Paris.. which incidentally was almost taken down... thankfully the french people reconsidered...otherwise i wouldn't have this great picture!

I think that is a pretty good overview.. did I mention I loved France?

Can you tell i don't want to pack?

2006-07-27T13:48:00.000+01:00

Two posts in one day... actually this one is really mostly pictures...
This is the square in Tours -- isn't it cute.. this is where we watched the world cup final -- France versus Italy.. and also where we met the strange man that I mentioned in an earlier post.
We visited the Chateaux of the Loire Valley while in Tours (if i were british i could have used whilst there!) I think that i could live in a chateau, you know if given the chance!
Hilary and I completed the maze with ease.. sadly this is the only maze we got to try...
and you can see we could even see over the hedges so.. not all that intimidating... very little chance of disorientation that way! I think that I am up for the corn maze (the maize maze!) challenge this fall though!

Finally.. this is the double staircase that Divinci designed in one of the chateaux -- Hil and I took opposite paths.. and never crossed.. amazing...
Check back in... there is plenty of packing to be put off so I will most likely post again...

a lesson in details

2006-07-27T13:09:00.000+01:00

For those of you that really know me, you are well aware of my inattention to details... i have always been a big picture kind of of person. This is usually doesn't cause me too many problems, because this is offset by the many detail oriented people in my life-- we all have our roles... i'll dream big.. you figure out how to make it happen.... anyway.. i say it usually doesn't cause problems, but in the first moments of our trip to france, i thought i was going to lose Hilary due to this... Now, I need to say.. i worked really hard (even amongst the chaos of finishing school) to plan more than i usually would so that Hilary and i had a better chance of being successful travel partners... she likes a plan, i figure things loosely put together usually work out in the end... so I booked hotels... good of me right? Anyway... i researched to find places that were convenient to the train station and the the towns... and actually all of our accommodations turned out to be great... anyway.. i booked the Hotel Mondial, which was a lovely little place in a little square not far from the busier square in Tours, France. Anyway.. i sent hilary the confirmation emails to print out because i don't have access to a printer... All seemingly good, except that the email i sent her about the hotel mondial was actually a pre-confirmation email... and i failed to open the actual confirmation email... anyway we showed up at the hotel and when we tried to open the door it was locked. Can you believe a hotel locked on a sunday afternoon? Well, we waited for a few minutes.. i am sure looking quite silly with our giant pack-backs,...(which by the way if you need to pack a backpack i will be happy to sneak things OUT of your bag for you). After about 30 minutes i decided that i would go to the restaurant next door and look for some guidance. I met a very nice waiter Nicholas... who asked me if I had the code to get in the door...CODE??? No I have no code... so we showed him our reservation, and he shook his head.. no code... i had already told him that... He went inside to phone the hotel for us... but returned with the news that it was only a message... it is actually closed. We decided to find an internet cafe -- Nicholas pointed us in the right direction...and he tried the phone again... probably needless to say, but nicholas thankfully spoke English very well! And he told us that his restaurant would be closing but would reopen in 2 hours .. so we waddled off to the cafe to see if my error was correctable. We got to the cafe, and when I opened the actual confirmation email I found a message telling me to call a number for the code to door. Great! So we went to find a pay phone to call for the code... which in theory is great, but they don't take coins in pay phones.. you need a calling card... so there was another hurdle to cross. By this time we were starving and so we sat down to have a bit of lunch/dinner... and across the street was a little place to buy phone cards... so we bought a phone card and made our way back to the pay phone. Feeling like we were really making progress Hil and I called the number to get the code... when we finally figured out how to use the card... we were greeted by a very quick french recording... which at the end switched to english and then cut out... we tried three times and then realized that we were going to have to beg Nicholas for help again...we trekked back to the hotel/restaurant, and they had just reopened... he tried to call the number for us, and again told us it was just a recording... apologizing to us.. right, we should have been apologizing for harassment! He offered to call around and find us a hotel... which he did, but he booked us into a 3 star hotel... big money... and i was sure i was still going to have to pay for the first night anyway... so even bigger money. But at least we had a place to stay, and i still had someone to travel with for the rest of the trip... Hil and i started for the new hotel, but decided that we would check all of the one star hotels we could find on the way,... which we did... but they were all complet! Finally i started talking to a lady in the street near a hotel, which she actually ran, and i told her of our problem... she pointed us to a hotel that was actually owned by our hotel and she thought they may be able to help us out... but it was closed... we had just come from that hotel! She told us that hotels sometime open after 6 on sundays,... so we should try back... so we occupied ourselves until 6 and miraculously it was OPEN! Yeah... we are saved from the overpriced 3 star hotel...The girls were so very helpful! It was wonderful. The called around to find our code... and we stopped by the 3 star to tell them thank you but we were sorted.. and we went back to unload our ridiculous bags... Nicholas and the girls set the tone for the entire trip... who says the french are not kind and helpful...and I from now on, will read all confirmation emails... before the trip!

When is a line not a line?

2006-07-20T14:19:00.000+01:00

... when you are in france! Now I am not getting all philosophical on you, during our travels,Hilary and I found that the concept of line is clearly not universal! i am only going to site one of the thousand examples that demonstrates this due to time (my plane should be boarding soon,but I have not seen the gate posted yet, so why not blog!) So, I am not sure if i mentioned it,but it was unbearable hot most of our trip... in the 90s/30s depending on your location... and so we decided to walk from the louvre to the l'arch de triumph(you are so jealous right now aren't you randy?)which on the map doesn't seem daunting... but the map doesn't take into account the heat... so we stopped for ice cream on the way... and they have these little fire hydrant like stops that you can pump to get water and rinse the pools of sweat off your body... so Hilary and I took full advantage of these. Anyway, there was a man in front of us, so we were waiting patiently, the man, me, Hilary and another man behind her. So the man in front of me finished and all of a sudden this new man swoops in front of me and the people behind me... he starts to get water and then 12 members of his family crowd in as well... it was truly like when a vulture finds a carcass and the rest of the vutlures swoop in.. Hil and i were baffled... and the guy behind us was extremely annoyed as well... the funny part is that continually we were surprise by this, in the Louvre to see the mona lisa, in the line for the eiffel tower (which I might blog about later.. it made me laugh), in the bathroom at mc donalds... actually any place that we stood in line we probably have a story about this... yet every time... surprised! Anyway.. i will post pictures when i returnn to belfast... We had an amazing time, and I will try my best to post some about where we were... the scary guys, and stupid things that i did that you will probably find commical... Sadly i leave Germany on Monday to return to Belfast.. for a short week, adn then back home... crazy.

an autre jour

2006-07-11T21:10:00.000+01:00

Randy, I hope that your reading my blog because I have thought of you a lot lately... mostly about dead ducks and cats on fire, but regardless thinking of you and our french class escapades. France is fantastic! I think that a small french town may become my residence next summer. I managed to have a lengthy conversation with a couple tonight, and i have been able to got most of my needs met here, and so far all of the stereotypes of the french not speaking to us in english (when we need it)have been untrue... except for a man that was trying for an invite to our room... i think that he thought we understood a lot ,ore than we did... and he kept saying you understand, you are in france speak in french; He told me I was a beautiful woman with beautiful eggs... i told him in french that it was time for us to go... Really i am continually amazed in every country that I go to, how freindly the people are to us. It really is fantastic, I do hope that the rest of france is as kind! Heidi, i am returning to the states on August 1st,which day are we scheduled for the fair?

a quick note

2006-07-10T12:48:00.000+01:00

this will be a quick note with limited punctuation because typing on this keyboard it Très difficil! interestingly enough.... the fullstop or period depending on which side of the ocean you reside, is a key that you have to hold down the shift key to use! the exclamation point -- always available! are the french an excitable breed? question mark -- also a shift character. Anyway... We watched the match last night... after we finally go to our hotel. thankfully we met several really nice people that helped us most of the day; i didn't check my email properly from belfast so i didn't call to get the code we needed for our room, and when we tried to call from here...it was closed...oops! so eventually we connected with some helpful people and we had a roof over our heads again, the day was much more interesting than that; but this keyboard is so limiting, it is going to have to do; i will try and zrite a bit here and there, but i may have to fill the holes in from an english typing keyboard!

How old am I again?

2006-06-01T21:59:00.000+01:00

Every night when it is time for me to go to sleep I am absolutely exhausted, but I can't sleep... i think that it must have something to do with the fact that it is still light out after 10 o'clock... I am sure that this is what it must feel like to be four years old. It is 7 o'clock and the day is happening all around you, but you are being put in a LIGHT room and asked to go to sleep.... it really doesn't ease you into a good night's rest... and then to top it off... it is light again at 4:30 in the morning... so the sun peeks through the shades... and not so gently grabs me from my slumber... it is no wonder I have been tired and grumpy lately! Ah, can't win... I was bitter when there was only 6 hours of sunlight, and now I am bitter that there is only 6 hours of darkness... this is further evidence of my inability to deal with extremes.... On a completely different note, I am attaching some pictures of my trip to Belgium... normally I would post these separately, but really there isn't that much to say about Belgium. Bruge was beautiful... I would visit there again over Brussels. The chocolate and waffles were worth the trip, and the people were extremely friendly... especially in the pub pictured -- Susan and I drank (mostly water... expensive to get water so we spent the first day dehydrated) for 10 pounds total... all night... the bartender kept giving us free drinks... so I had some belgian beer... which is no guinness and some wine, and we had an enjoyable time. It did remind me that i have a lot of brushing up on my French before Hilary and I take our trip.... Oh and how could I forget the Manneken Pis... the peeing boy statue... you can see a woman in the picture taking video of me taking the picture... no doubt I am on some stupid tourist show... but she didn't try and interview me... and well... what else do you take pictures of in Brussels!

Word of the Day

2006-05-26T19:24:00.000+01:00

Today's word isn't actually a word it's more of a saying....
Chancing your arm: pressing your luck.
Instead of me using it in a sentence... let's make this blog a little more interactive.. and you try and post one...

A pictorial essay of an Irish excursion

2006-05-15T21:46:00.000+01:00

I realize it has been almost 4 weeks since my trip around Ireland and I have yet to post a single picture or comment. Quite honestly I have been REALLY busy! Kelly and Adrienne were kind enough to fly across the Atlantic to visit little old me, and we had an amazing time. Ireland is a beautiful country, with lots of monastic ruins and lots of sheep! The weather was mediocre, although there were moments of beauty that peeked through the cloudy days. Our trip started out in Glendalough. This was actually one of my favourite places in the entire trip. It is just a lush place with a nice hike and monastic ruins.

We also saw a few sheep..every few feet!

Then on to Kenmare. Actually there wasn't too much to Kenmare, but a funny story about a little old man we met in this pub. Adrienne was enjoying a Guinness and this little old man was making conversation with me. He pointed to her drink and asked if we enjoyed it. I smiled and said that it tastes better in Ireland than anywhere else. He shook his head and pointed to his Budweiser and in all seriousness said he had to switch because he has a bad liver! Not I had to stop drinking... just i had to stop drinking Guinness... we had a good chuckle about that.
After our stop in Kenmare we traveled on to Dingle. We opted for dingle of Kilarney because we heard it was less touristy... it was still touristy, but we had a great time.

Kelly was pulled by many a strange men, and we happened upon this bar that also doubled as a hardware store... you can imagine all of the terrible pick up lines that probably originated in that place!
In addition to a bustling town, dingle also had... sheep and monastic ruins! I'll spare you the picture...actually i will just save them for the 13 hour slide show upon my return!
After Dingle we traveled north to Doolin which is most well known for its Irish music. I was a little disappointed in this town, the only person we met was a man from Philadelphia... imagine! From the picture below you can see the scope of the town... a street... with a road that divides it... that is it....
There is an upside to this... the Cliffs of Moehr. This turned out to be a favourite of Kelly and Adrienne. I found them amazingly beautiful as well, but I am a wee bit afraid of the fall. Which of course as soon as I tried to be brave, I slipped and almost tumbled to my death...well actually I was a long way from danger.. but clearly i had reason to be afraid! Notice kelly and Adrienne we so concerned that the were able to take a picture...

We decided to skip the monastic ruins here and traveled on to Galway. I really like Galway... it is a city with lots going on. We met several Americans at the Cliff and ended up meeting up with them later that night in Galway. They were good craic, and the play in a band... ask kelly and adrienne all about them... we also saw a great belfast band called Su casa we really enjoyed their music, but the dissed us when we got to belfast. Not going to get a solid fan base that way!

After Galway we took the long journey back to Belfast... and then a day excursion to the Antrim coast and a day in Dublin seeing the book of Kells... you know to make sense of all the monastic ruins... so it is only fitting that i leave you with this final picture of...
Monastic Ruins.

Word of the Day

2006-05-15T21:41:00.000+01:00

Today's word is not from Belfast. I picked it up from the British people on my holiday in Greece. I am not sure if it crosses the water.
Sporny-- adj. lucky
"You sporny bastard." (A direct quote from Ollie spoken to Dan as he won at cards.)

an american classic...

2006-03-28T22:50:00.000+01:00

that is not so classic in Belfast. The rootbeer float. Ahh... i love the taste of an A&W Rootbeer float. So I thought, hey there is something that I could make for the mom's for mother's day . * which by the way was last weekend for all of you slackers that forgot to send you mum a card... oh well, thankfully you have a second try in May... anyway... i had mom's into the classroom for a wee celebration, and decided we would make rootbeer floats...I would have just made rainbow punch but there is no multicolored sherbert here.... really the only thing close to sherbert that i've found is hagan daz sorbet... a little pricey for 21 moms...So I went in search of rootbeer. I went to curly's and asda... and there was nothing that said rootbeer... there were lots of things that maybe could have been rootbeer that I wwasn't sure what was in the bottle, so I decided to take a couple home and find out what they tasted like in hopes of getting something close..... I am sure that you guessed... I didn't correctly pick... in fact I was really far off. i decided on Brown Lemonade.. because it seemed to be the right color, and it lager shandy... because the name soundedd similiar and it was in a tinted dark bottle so it could have been the right color... let me tell you, if you every are thinking about pulling either of these beverages of the shelf.. don't. Brown lemonade,,... exactly what it says... if you ask for a lemonade for a mixed drink you will get sprite, if you get brown lemonade at asda.. you get lemonade that for some unknown reason is brown... not even an appetizing color... way beyond my scope of understanding. So I decided to to give the lager shandy a taste... I can sum it up by saying... carbonated beer. Not just any carbonated beer... extra carbonated milwaukee's best... BLAHHHH... I had to laugh though... they have found a way to get beer to the little ones... put it in a soda bottle... I seriously couldn't even swallow that one... so sadly not rootbeer... I was feeling daunted... there were plenty of other unknown beverages, but i just didn't have the adventure in me... I was trying to think about what other american things i could take in, when I bumped into my neighbor jack... he suggested trying Sainsbury's to get it, and I remembered that the american mom at school told me i could get skippy peanut butter (which I picked up when I was there) and so I headed off to sainsbury's. I managed to find American styly rootbeer (although i thought it was low on the carbonation) and so bought enough ice cream and rootbeer to make floats. In the end... i have to say... they were not a huge success... it turns out that all of the dentists here use rootbeer as the flavor for tooth polish, and so inevitibly everyone had an immediate connection to the dentist telling them not to swallow... oh well.. it was another experience...

missing home

2006-03-27T18:50:00.000+01:00

I got the link to these movies this morning, and I have to say I miss the poker girls at home. I just had to share the raw talent of my friends....I thoroughly enjoyed both short films! Good times. They are slow to load but well worth the wait.
http://homepage.mac.com/kramm/movies/iMovieTheater32.html

wil' craic

2006-03-23T20:31:00.000Z

I was all packed and ready for my St Paddy weekend, and I had the hat that I bought for my school hoopla. I had a feeling that one of the guys would come to the door to help me with my bags, so I put on my obnoxious hat and thought... they will just die-- this is so stereotypically American. I was rushing around downstairs when I heard a knock on the door. I ran downstairs with a chuckle eagerly awaiting the looks on their faces.... when i opened the door i looked out and there facing me were both Robert and Damian wearing the same ridiculous hats. They were looking back at the girls who were absolutely busting up laughing because the boys had been scheming since the night before and couldn't wait to see my reaction... is it any wonder why I feel so at home here?

We made it to dublin in time to see the St. Paddy's day parade, although a good portion of the time we could only see the backs of people and the rest of the time we managed a prime spot behind a fence... but we could see everything! A little irish stew and 5 layers later we went to the park to see the Ireland club finals of Hurling and Gaelic Football. Robert played hurling (not sure how one would say that) and Damian played Gaelic football. Both were great, agressive sports. Much to Robert's dismay I have to admit that i enjoyed the Gaelic football better -- only because I had a team to cheer for which always makes it better. It was good fun, and I hope that i will get a chance to see another game or two of both. I do have to say though... no padding, seems dangerously crazy to me??!??!?

We also went to the guinness factory... I have to admit an airhead moment... well not exactly a moment..i never equated the guinness book of world records with guinness beer. That small chasm in my thinking was rectified and I very much enjoyed my visit. The part I enjoyed most was when we walked past the line that wrapped around 3 sides of the building and walked right in to our free tickets. Thank you Damian! It was a good tour, and we enjoyed our pint of guinness at the end.

I have to say it was an amazing weekend. The craic was 90 on St.Paddy's day and the entire weekend, although we didn't hear any irish music except for the irish drinking songs CD in our apartment. And I only met a couple of Irish people in Dublin, strangely enough. I did however have a run in with a not so friendly Scotsman at the Ireland/England rugby match, but I am trying to not allow him to stain my weekend. We took the bus tour, and visited the prison in Dublin which was very interesting. I have really enjoyed learning about the sociology of this place All in all--- a fantastic weekend,...with some fantastic folks. I suppose I only gave you the bare bones of it. As I was sitting down to blog i realized it is much easier to describe the ordinary events of my life rather than the more memorable. Either way I did have a great weekend...

an excellent celebration...

2006-03-16T17:16:00.000Z

Well I have been told that the best place to celebrate St.Patrick's Day is in.... the United States of America... but the teachers and kids at my school really gave it their all to put on quite a St. Patty's day celebration. There was music, and dancing, and even a few jokes... What is green and stays out all night? Paddy O'Furniture! Ha ha ha ha ha.. So besides being good craic, I thought my kids were quite adorable as little leprechauns. It kind of made me think of dressing up babies as animals... young Irish children as leprechauns! Finding green was interesting. I went to Primark... which is a cheaper clothing store and I found loads of green things... just no two greens that actually matched. So I finally picked a shirt and pants that seemed similar enough and went on my merry way... I think that the kids especially enjoyed the bearded hat that i wore... all in good fun. I told James at school that you have to go OTT or not do it at all... and we had great fun all day long. I am heading to Dublin tomorrow. I have heard that it is a much better place to celebrate than belfast... there really isn't any division... so i can wear green and enjoy a little more st. patty's day craic. I'll post more after my weekend. HAPPY ST.PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

one of those days...

2006-03-14T22:06:00.001Z

I am about to take myself to bed to avoid any more of this rotten evening. It is raining and miserable, and I am just all out of sorts. you know the kind of day that things aren't bad, they just don't seem to be going smoothly... that is tonight. Sonia and I got together to go to the movies. I told her i would pick her up, and as I pulled out of her drive my gas/petrol light went on... Sonia said i could go about 30 miles once the light was on, and since we were late we decided to risk it... so we headed for the cinema, and I have to say I was a crap driver... I don't know if it was the rain, or what, but I seriouslydoubted my ability behind the wheel, as I am sure sonia did... not dangerous driving, just crap... anyway we did arrive to the movies without harm and ran through the rain to buy our tickets... where we realized the movie that we were going to see was at the theater across town at 7:20 (now it was7:30) --- i had somehow confused the two, and so we were faced with ˆfoolish thingsˆ or ˆmatadorˆ the girl selling us the tickets told us that she would go for matador... clearly she wasn't experiencing the best judgement either. So we get inside and begin looking for our screen which is of course up multiple flights of stairs... we get into the theater and it is packed. So we look around and I thought I saw 3 three seats together by and older couple (you know it is always nice to have a buffer seat) and so we get to the seats... there are only 2 (imagine me being mistaken tonight) so we sit down... as the previews draw to a close we are suddenly aware of the bizillion 15 year olds surrounding us... no I may sound old, but I instantly felt like I was at school...there was just general teenage behavior... and had the movie been even remotely enjoyable I would have been annoyed by the 10 times the people in front of us got out of their seats, and the obvious couple that were clearly not watching the movie... but alas the movie was HORRID... I can't actually believe that we sat through the entire thing... i would say that it rivaled a for bad movie.. and this one didn't even have an attractive man to distract you...(Pierce Brosnan was attractive as 007, but missed the mark with a really cheesy mustache in this film) so it was a HUGE flop... after which I almost tripped Sonia down the stairs by stepping on her coats tie and her skirt... 2 for one special... we parted, and I came home and decided to do my dishes... and I grabbed the silverware which I had just knocked into the sink and grap the blade side of a knife. Thankfully it didn't cut me, but at that point I decided that my best option would be to go to bed, and get myself together to face tomrrow... if it is anything like today...I am going to need my rest. Goodnight!

twins?

2006-03-13T21:25:00.000Z

I know that there is a term for people on the other side of the world that look and act just like someone you know, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is... anyway, I ran into a whole bunch of them this weekend at the British Council conference. I can't believe how many of you were there! There was a girl named Raylene who was the Boston version of Susan (yes, I sat talking to here and thought.. wow you even move your hands like susan and your intonation is like her too) and then there was Brian who was not married to Raylene, but was very much like erik... and so I sat and enjoyed a glass of wine with him and a guy named Matthew who imagine reminded me of tiffany's husband matthew (although not as much and maybe because of the name and the other people had made me make connections with people back home)... and then there was Mark from Australia that reminded me of Jon.... so I really felt like I was home this weekend. Oh, and I forgot there was one person that was the absolute spitting image of Jennifer... Melynn who was from Amarillo texas.. where is Jennifer from? She was a little shorter, but if they had been in the same room you would have sworn they were sisters... weird. Anyway.. there were lots of Australians, Canadians and Americans at the conference, and it was nice to meet people, and talk about their experiences. I had very low expectations for the conference, but I have to say it was well worth the money and the chaos that I came back to this morning. I learned a lot about Belfast, and the symbolism in the banners and the murals and made a few connections with people that I will follow up with in the weeks to come. It also just reminded me of what a great experience this has been, and how lucky I am to be in Belfast. I don't even know how many people told me how friendly Belfast was (especially in comparison to London), I knew that already but it is how I feel about Grainne in Columbus, I want her to like it and be happy there. Funny how Belfast is a second home, I wanted everyone to like it and be happy here!

Holidays

2006-02-28T21:45:00.000Z

The view from our hotel window.

Yes friends, holidays aren't just Christmas and Easter and the hallmark celebrations that get so many people in trouble with their significant others... holidays can also be VACATIONS.... and as far as those holidays go, Florence was AMAZING. I have actually put off writing about it because I wasn't sure how to properly convey my experience, ah, but i will try. Have you ever flipped through a calendar of Italy and seen the winding streets that are framed in arches, and cobblestone streets that draw you around a dimly lit corner, the orange light spreading out over the rooftops and the ornate buildings rising out of the neighborhoods strangely out of place but perfectly placed... that is Florence. I don't think that I have ever visited such a beautiful place. I could have seen nothing, wandered around aimlessly with Ben for days and it still would have been the perfect holiday. Pisa wasn't nearly as picturesque. I was glad that we had a few hours to take in the leaning tower, and the tourist areas, but I was pleased to move on to Florence. Everything about the holiday was magical. I felt like royalty (you all know my princess tendencies) in our hotel. I have never been treated with such hospitality. It was the piece de resistance of the time in Florence,.... amazing food, a beautiful place, wonderful people. Every aspect of the city was steeped in art. Sculptures adorned the bridges, and buildings, and the collections by famous painters in the multiple museums were inspiring. The only part I wish we could have seen (which was impossible because the museums are closed on Mondays) was Michelangelo's David. I saw many replicas but not the real thing, so I guess I will just have to return to Florence again. I am in love with the depth of history that so many places in Europe offer. There are so many places for me to see that I hope that this is just one of many 'holidays' that I will take in the next few months.

the unexplainable...

2006-02-26T11:25:00.000Z

So many of you are probably expecting a post about Ben's visit, or our trip to Florence,or for those of you involved pictures from bowling... and rest assured I will blog about all of that...maybe even tonight, but I have more pressing thoughts at the moment... the unexplainable things that I encounter here in Belfast. Yesterday I took Ben to the bus station at 8:00 in the morning to catch his bus to Dublin. I would have driven him, but I am not sure he would have made his flight... so the bus it was for him. I watched him pull away and decided i would stop at the grocery store and get some fruit and juice. But being so early in the morning nothing was open except a little fruit stand on the lisburn road. So I parked the car and open the door and DINGGGG... that annoying bell went off that i had forgotten to turn off my lights, so I reached down and turned off my lights... and yet the dinging continued... so I closed the door, turned on the lights turned off the lights and opened the door again... DINGGGGG... couldn't be the keys --they were in my hands, couldn't be the lights, they were off... so I closed the door, put the keys back in the ignition, turned on the car, turned off the car, turned off the lights, opened the door and DINGGGGGGG Ugh.... mind you if anyone were watching they would have thought i had OCD or was clinically insane. So I closed the door, turned the car back on and backed out of the spot and back into the spot... turned off the car, turned off the lights opened the door and DINGGGGGGGG.... so i got out of my car and walked to the front and the left headlight refused to turn off, even though the lights were off.... so I locked the car and went into the fruit market and left it on... I figured a few minutes wouldn't kill the battery and i was right. when I got home, tuned off the car and the lights, opened the door and was greeted with silence... who knows! Another unexplainable event is at the video store. I was exhausted last night... so i decided to stay in and just watch a DVD. So i went to the video store and was looking up and down the isle of new releases... and there were a couple of movies that I was thinking of watching so I was looking for them... and as I am looking one of the workers comes and takes all of the Mr. and Mrs. Smith movies off of the shelf, and then two shelves up he took all of the dukes of hazard movies off the shelf...and then he put the mr and mrs smith movies on the dukes of hazzard shelf and the dukes of hazzard on the mr and mrs smith shelf. Then he moved onto another row... by the time i had left about 10 minutes later most of the new releases had been rearranged... although not another movie was added... any ideas why the pointless work...ummm yeah... we are going to need you to move those boxes that you moved yesterday back to where they were yesterday. And finally the last unexplainable incident... i stumbled on MCHammers blog... really... a blog by mchammer? Since I was such a big fan in the 80s I thought I would send his link to all of you... so... mchammer.blogspot.com. (I am so glad that i didn't use that one for my blogger address!) hope that you enjoy!

Horse racin'

2006-02-17T02:40:00.000Z

You can bet that not a single horse that is in any of these pictures is a horse that i thought would win. Do i know how to pick them, or do i know how to pick them. Stick with me guys and you are headed straight for the top!

in the mundane...

2006-02-14T22:57:00.000Z

I was just thinking that it has been a really long time since my last post, and the reason for that is that life is absurdly normal. How do you blog when there is nothing funny or unusual happening to you? Last week I had parent teacher conferences. All of the parents were very complimentary... i think that they are just happy that their children are enjoying school. Today was Valentine's Day, and here, there are no parties and no hoopla... only a small valentine's day card for their mums and dads... which a lot of the children put Christmas themed things on the cards. Partially my fault...we have a craft box in the classroom that has old wrapping paper and cards that the children can use when they are making collage art -- cards, pictures etc. Some of the children cut out characters from the cards... not a single child cut out a construction paper heart...so strange. Anyway, i was circling the room checking in on the kids progress and I got to my first Christmas Valentine's day card and i said the little boy in a joking manner... Christmas... christmas... it is valentine's day it is all about hearts and flowers and love, and he looked at his little card that had santa with his arm around rudolph and he said to me, well santa loves rudolph... of course.. clearly i missed the deeper meaning.. it wasn't at all about Christmas.... mostly about love. Ahhh, there little brains are so interesting. This little boy is known for rationalizing work so that it is acceptable to his vision. He was working with a group of children to create a painting of spring... it was all going well, the children were painting blueberry bushes, and rainbows, and bees, (giant killer bees if you ask me) flowers, all the good spring things, and everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction until another little girl pulled out the purple paintbrush and started making purple rain (clearly her mom listened to Prince while she was in the womb). It was clear as C. grabbed his hair and let out an ughhh.. that she had deviated from the plan... or at least his plan. A look of horror came over her face, and C. immediately felt bad. You could see he was trying to satisfy his vision for this painting... clearly no purple rain, and poor j's feelings. So he stammered for a few seconds and the proudly announced that perhaps the rain was splashing off the blueberries and that was why it was purple. He was satisfied and so was she.. so the painting was finished and now hangs in the classroom. If only all conflicts in the world could be handled so eloquently.

If I was a betting man...

2006-01-28T20:02:00.000Z

I'd be broke. I found out today that betting on horses is not the best career choice for me. I had a terrific day at the point to point racing near the mourne mountains with Susan and her vice principal Andra and her husband Raymond. I didn't even know what point to point racing was until today, but I have to admit I liked it a lot better than the track racing. It is like track racing, because the horses run in a circuit, but there are jumps and it is out in a field. It kind of had the atmosphere of a county fair, but it was strictly horses and there were about 25 bookies. I would have taken more pictures or video, but sadly I have misplaced my battery charger, and my video camera switched on in my bag and it too died early in the event. Anyway, I went about selecting my horses in a very scientific way. First I scanned all of the names and picked out the ones that struck me, and then I checked the colors to make sure that they were acceptable, and if they were.. that was the horse I cheered for, and if they weren't I moved to my second choice. There were 8 races, and out of the eight races... the first 6 horses I picked didn't even finish the race. By the end I was beginning to feel badly about even picking a horse because I felt that I was kind of condemning it. The second to the last race I picked a horse that actually at one point was winning but by the end landed in 3rd place-- sadly only because the first place horse took a nasty spill before it reached the finish line. I don't think that the jockey was hurt, but the horse was limping which doesn't make its future look bright.. I am hoping it was just a superficial injury for that horse's sake. The last race I picked two horses, one with the name Cooper Spark and one named Mr. Happy. I liked the name Cooper spark best, but in the parade it looked more like a giraffe than a horse, so it worried me a bit. And I really didn't like the name Mr Happy... seems kind of perverse, but the horse was very pretty so I cheered for it too. Cooper Spark won by a neck (literally a close finish) and Mr Happy came in last... so I think that based on my research choosing by the name is clearly the way to go... unless you are putting money on it -- then I'd go for the one that has won the most races!

Giant's Causeway Pictures

2006-01-21T17:10:00.000Z

Here are some pictures from my visit to the giant's causeway.

Elation

2006-01-19T22:43:00.000Z

I find it funny what brings joy into my life.. you know the kind of joy that makes you want to leap off the couch and call your friends well I had a moment of that today, except all of the friends that would have understood my excitement were halfway around the world at work so I am blogging instead. Today I was flicking through the channels on the television free-view box and as a scanned through the names of all of the shows I came across Project Catwalk which of course caught my eye because it sounds so similar to project runway...and to my utter elation it is the British version of the show! Happy Days! I enjoyed a design episode that took the designers to B&Q which is a hardware store where they found their materials for their designs. I would have to say that the American version in the grocery was better, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I am inspired one again. Anyway I am excited that I'm not really missing out on one of my favorite American shows! And of course I already have identified my favorite (favourite) designers! AND if I had a sewing machine here, I would be signing up for a dressmakers course to replace my closed out pottery class... but alas, I am still in search of my new hobby... several candidates at the moment--flower arranging, jewlery making, and beginning painting (I am just desperate to see if there is some deeply hidden artistic gene in me!)

So I have had two great get-a-ways since I have been back from my Christmas holiday. My first visit was to Joanne's friend Gerrad in Ballycastle. We went to a local pub that was a good time, but the highlight of the trip was definitely Giant's Causeway. I could visit there often. It was so peaceful. I really think if I were going to permanently move to N.I. it might be to the area around Giant's Causeway... who am I kidding... they probably don't have community classes in the rural area...how would i ever uncover my hidden talents! Regardless I found it a beautiful place. I loved the rocky coastline, and so if Belfast is calling me to settle, perhaps New England is!

Last weekend, I visited Cardiff, Wales. In a recent email to Jill I made the spelling error in my exhaustion and sickness telling her even though I was under the weather I was planning on going because I really did want to see whales. Oops... so I didn't see any whales in Wales... It was a nice little city though. It really didn't feel that different from Belfast, except I think Belfastians are a lot more laid back, and social. I really didn't interact with too many people from Wales, a couple of slimey men in the bar (which thanks to reading Super dating or something like that at Elanors house clued me into their secret behaviors) As a side note, humorous reading... and if I could remember the title i would recommend if for a little light reading and conversation. Poker girls... it would definitely spark conversation! Anyway.. interactions with the welsh... really I only had conversation with one welsh person, Mark, and he was nice enough to treat me to coffee (since my bank card wouldn't work) and to show me around Cardiff... he was very nice, and helped me to see past the stiff outer shell of Cardiff people. I will hold out on my enjoyment rankings of the UK until I actually visit some place in England other than the airport, because based on airport interaction, England is not fairing so well.

Alas, time has flown since I returned, and I am anticipating the time to increasingly speed by. I have to say it is hard to believe I have been away from home for 5 months... it feels like I just got here... and like I haven't traveled anywhere... this weekend's task is to plan the places where I can take weekend escapes, and to find some friends to go with me!

Giant's Causeway

2006-01-18T22:02:00.000Z

You can go to the link below to see my imovie for the kids about the Giant's Causeway.
http://homepage.mac.com/stephanieosu
Pictures and words will hopefully come this week.

Word of the Day --

2006-01-18T17:28:00.000Z

Today's word, like many words before it, would best be linked to a night out.
TALENT, n. good looking men (or women)
Joanne asked Sonia, "Is there any talent in this place?"
We may not be Simon Cowll, but we can spot talent!

What is happening to me???

2005-12-21T19:12:00.000Z

Today I decided to brave shopping for the last few things right after school. I got about 2 minutes down the road and abandoned my plans to go into the city. Traffic was maddening. SO I came home and enjoyed a bubble bath instead. It has been a long week... even though in reality it should be a short week. Last night I went to woolworths to buy candy canes for my kids. I went there because someone told me I could get them there, and I thought I would get my kids a treat while I was there... it was a usual disaster. I spent at least 15 minutes crawling around the parking lot hoping even for the most remote parking spot. Finally I stalked someone who was coming out, and parked in that most remote parking spot I was talking about. So I made my way into Woolworths dodging cars determined that it would be a quick trip. It was not. I went right to the Christmas section where I was certain there would be candy canes... and found... none. Right before Christmas in shops is really depressing. I went up and down the disheveled isles in hopes of spotting the peppermint treats. I did end up picking up a bunch of random things,and decided that I needed a cart... and so I went back to the door, put my arm load of things down under the watchful eye of the greeter (who was probably thinking to himself-- I am going to have restock all of that when she bolts) and went in search of a cart... Usually they are kept outside of stores here, so I went out, and looked all around the entrance... no carts... so I asked someone where they got their trolley (using the word cart here usually doesn't get a response) and they said they snagged it from Tesco's the grocery store only slightly farther away than my parking spot. I decided that I didn't need one that badly, and went back to debate the future of my load of stuff sitting inside the doorway. Basically the cart really deterred my shopping... I decided that I ought to at least ask about the candy canes before I left, and so I went to the Christmas stocker and tried to explain what I was looking for. He took me to a lonely package of 6 princess candy canes and a feeble display of spearmint rounds (round candy canes). I opted for the rounds and headed for the checkout. There stood a woman dressed like Mrs. Claus, and I thought to myself -- does she hate her job, as much as I have hated this shopping experience... I managed a smile, so she probably hates her job more. Anyway.. an hour and half later I had made a trip to the grocery store and was heading home- -- with a little less Christmas spirit than I had come with. Today, rather than braving downtown I opted to go to my local shopping center with a couple of stores similar to CVS and a grocery... I had about as much luck as I had yesterday... But with a lot less hassle. As I was checking out, the guy at the checkout line said don't we know each other. I said I don't think so, I don't have many acquaintances here. He said aren't you Claire from Bangor... Now this is where I thought things were weird... I had said a complete sentence to him, and he still thought that I was from Northern Ireland. I have noticed that it takes people a lot longer now to say you're not from around here are you. I sound the same to me, but I suppose that you can't tell yourself... Maybe it is just my acquisition of their vocabulary that is throwing everyone off?? Strange! Oh yeah, and at the local semi-chem, they had candy canes... could have saved a little holiday spirit had I have known!

finished at last...

2005-12-16T17:42:00.000Z

Today was the final show of our school Christmas play. I have to say, I am so glad that it is all over. I miss having my kids in class, a normal schedule. And some control over my life. It is amazing how it rules the school. It did turn out quite nicely, but I had many days when I was just praying for the end. And alas.. It is here. I was in charge of seating parents today, which is quite possibly the worst job of the play. There were over 300 adults trying to cram into a small PE hall, with less chairs than people. I felt like an usher at a sold out movie. It is amazing how parents get about their children, it is like natural instinct when it comes to their kids... even when it is getting the best seats to see the show. I can understand if I was trying to eat their children in the wild, but asking them to move down a seat so some little old lady with a leg problem didn't have to crawl over them...is there any reason to get snippy? I just kept smiling and walking away quickly, and felt badly when I had to tell 20 odd parents that there was no room... fitting since it was a nativity play. Anyway, I was glad when the play finally started, and even more glad when it finished! We had a lovely reception in the canteen for all of the important people connected to the school, and it was nice to not think about the pplay. AND, I had my first introduction to Christmas Crackers. I am sure that these must be somewhere in the states, but I have had no prior experience with them. All this time I thought there were actual crackers inside... I was wrong, there are prizes, and jokes, and crowns! Fantastic! So the remaining staff and myself pulled them all (like thanksgiving wish-bones) and the winner get the prize inside. It was a good laugh. Which was nice since the majority of the staff is stressed out about Monday. One thing then the next. I guess on Monday perspective parents come school shopping and the are allowed to wonder around in and out of classrooms... sounds like lots of fun to me. So our classrooms have been in a constant state of chaos for weeks now, and then people are coming in to see the school. I know that I should be more stressed for them, but those of you that know me,.... well you know me. So I stayed and cleaned up my room from the play, but I just can get anything more done, so it is what it is. School will go on, and that will be that. I think that I will be so relieved to have a normal schedule when I get back from break. Speaking of break... I am really excited that i will be home in 1 week. That is so strange. Time here has absolutely flown by - So a few more gifts and I will be home!

hot stuff

2005-12-06T21:20:00.000Z

So today I truly learned the meaning of scundered. Up until now, I used it in passing but had never felt the utter mortification that the word suggests... now, I can use the word and have an entirely different perspective on the word. I have to give a little bit of background for you to understand my embarrassment. Tomorrow night is our staff 'do' and we are celebrating the music teachers upcoming wedding as well. So, several of the teachers are planning a little performance for her. Everyone had a little thing to get, and I was asked to pick up a big bra. So I went to primark and found a relatively cheap bra. I brought it into school for Julie another P2 teacher to decorate. Which she did. We got a good laugh at the bra when she returned it to me, and she asked me to take it home and stuff it. I set the bag by my classroom computer before leaving that night, and promptly forgot it. I am sure that you can see where this is heading... unfortunately I could not. I said goodbye to James who was preparing for the P7 (roughly 5th graders) confirmation meeting in the PE hall, and headed for home --- thinking nothing of the bra until this morning when I entered my classroom noticing that people had clearly been in my classroom last night. The Christmas chains were down, and chairs were scattered about... I didn't put 2 and 2 together until I asked Maureen a nearby teacher if she had people in her classroom as well... she hadn't but she walked to my classroom with me -- as we surveyed the classroom my eyes landed on the primark bag and the computer with 2 new chairs and the keyboard put up.. ( not the way I had left it). This is when all of the pieces started to come together in my mind and the look of sheer horror fell upon my face... the P7 students (which I work with at least once a week) had been using my classroom the night before while their parents had been in the confirmation meeting... and at least 1 child had been sitting next to the primark bag with the decorated bra that had orange pom poms and the words Hot Stuff glittered across the cups of the bra. Knowing the class that was in my room I have little doubt that they would have looked in the bag, as they had moved things all over the classroom. I stood in utter disbelief.. thinking.. UGHHHHH.... I have been working so hard to connect with these kids... and this is going to be really awkward.. I have to wonder what they would possibly think... I talked to Martina.. and all of the staff had a good laugh in the staff lounge before school. I collected my class and let it go. Around 10:00 we were practicing our Christmas play, and Martina needed someone to cover her class for a few minutes... so I went up to the classroom... a little afraid that some 11 year old boy was going to make some under his breathe comment about hot stuff.. but thankfully none of them acted strangely... I actually don't think that they could keep it to themselves if they had seen it -- they are kind of a bold class... So 11 year old boys aren't making any comments... but you can bet that the teachers will be calling me hot stuff for quite a long time to come. Ah, the memories of this grand adventure... now you can all be scundered for me!

old actors

2005-12-05T22:58:00.000Z

I have gotten several comments from people about the untimely updates to my blog, and it makes me feel rather like an aging actress -- desperately trying for a movie that will keep me current, hold my public. Alas -- i have had several moments in the last weeks that I've thought I should definitely blog about that, but I have been really busy, and I am happy to say that Belfast is feeling much like my home. Ah, where to start, thanksgiving, flattening my tire (tyre), the word tyre -- my friday night --- ah so much to tell, but I am sure that I will not get to it all. I'll start with Thanksgiving. I had a wonderful time with my friends here.. it actually kept me from missing home. I invited the people that have been significant in my time here, and 8 people showed. That was a perfect turn-out, but it made me realize how few people that I know here, and that I need to get out and meet people. I do go out and about and I have met people, but they are all either middle aged or use creepy pick-up lines like... would you like some male company... or worse BOTH! Anyway, Thanksgiving. I made turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and pumpkin pie. My guest brought the potatoes, extra dessert (I don't think that they had high hopes for the pumpkin pie) appetizers and drinks. It was quite a spread. The pumpkin pie had about a 50% success rate with all that tried it. I think that it is the texture that threw people off, and the fact that they all were expecting something savory... ughh... savory pumpkin pie... sounds gross to me! We ate until everyone was full, and there were just enough leftovers for me to enjoy the next day, and then we played silly party games. We were playing what would normally equate to a drinking game, but many of us were to full (or driving) to indulge in alcohol, and most of those games need some incentive to try and think quickly. The remedy to the situation was the ready whip spray whipped cream. It was sad but everyone here thought it was minging. I rather like spray whipped cream, so it didn't provide me with the same motivation as the others. If you missed your turn you got a spray of whipped cream in the mouth. Like I said, I didn't mind, but it really did spark some laughter and quick thinking. My friends really wanted to avoid it! I have to say it was quite an enjoyable day. I meant to take a picture, but of course I forgot... that would have been nice for my scrapbook. Oh well, I am really not good at remembering to take pictures, I must work on that. Not only will allow me to look back in my later years, but it also makes my blog much more visually appealing. I hope you will continue to read it in the absence of pictures -- and I will make an effort to write about my tire/tyre tomorrow. Goodnight.

Word of the day --

2005-12-04T22:57:00.000Z

Since it is Sunday night, and the dread of Monday is looming overhead, I thought today's word of the day would be appropriate.
Skive, v. to avoid something especially work.
It is used quite often here, but I am having a hard time making up a sentence. Feel free to post your own today.

group consensus

2005-11-18T22:16:00.000Z

I was having circle time with my kids today, and we were about to get ready to go outside for our break before lunch. I had dismissed the girls to the cloakroom (yes Wendy -- they too use the word cloak here..it's not just mom) and the boys and I were sitting in a circle. The little boy sitting next to me looked up at me, and said, "Miss Butler, do you have a brother." I answered yes, and he immediately responded with "Is he old?" I am not sure what brought this line of questioning on, but I answered that he was just a little older than I am. This discussion prompted more interest from the other boys, and from across the circle one of the little boys asked if I had a boyfriend.. thankfully the girls were coming out of the cloakroom, so I skirted the issue.. who knows where that question would lead.. and the little boy sitting next to me said " You know Miss Butler, you shouldn't have a boyfriend." I just smiled, and thought it would end at that... then he continued "Big boys are hairy." I am sure that his dad would be so proud. As I dismissed him to the cloakroom he walked away singing something about hairy men... I am not sure, but it was all I could do to keep my laughter in. Did I tell you guys... I love my class!

word of the day --

2005-11-13T15:27:00.000Z

Another common word... for all my fly ladies and pimped out men....actually... I think this is more mate talk-- Like tell me about the guy/girl that you met last night over a pint/bottle of nailpolish.
fit- adj. attractive, hot, goodlooking
The girl I snogged last night was FIT!

Similar oddities

2005-11-09T17:06:00.000Z

I've sat down several times to blog, and I have yet to complete it -- hopefully today will be the day. I am not overly optimistic though because my fingers are freezing... it was actually a beautiful day today, but in my house... COLD! I am trying to conserve fuel because it is quite expensive and I would like it to last as long as possible-- so I have been just using it a little at night, and a little in the morning, but the house seems bitter when I get home from school. Anyway, I had a quite lazy weekend. I really had no motivation to do anything. That is two weekends in a row. I have been feeling under the weather, but I think that I am getting better-- especially after this weekend's rest. Anyway, while Iounging around I was flipping through the channels on the television, and I stumbled upon the channel that often broadcasts sports -- all kinds of sports. I am amazed at the variety of sports. The enthusiasm for sport here rivals OSU football. Sunday's sport was bocci... you don't actually throw the little ball, and it was in an indoor arena but it was basically Bocci. So I was sitting on my couch thinking... wow that is kind of ridiculous... a bocci tournament on TV, that is taking sport a little too far... then I was brought back to reality... we have bowling on television and bass fishing, so really again, Belfast and the US are not so different... we are at least similar in the odd ways!

Word of the day --

2005-11-01T16:04:00.000Z

So it has been awhile since I've posted a word of the day. I am afraid the vocabulary is becoming usual to me so I have to listen with the intent of relaying vocabulary home.
Today's word is do.
do - n., a party
Are you going to the Christmas do?
I really have only heard it in reference to work parties, so I am not sure if any party can be a do. Hope that you have planned your Christmas do!

Happy Halloween

2005-10-31T22:42:00.000Z

Halloween... what an interesting holiday. I found it quite interesting that in the public school in the states I am discouraged from singing songs about witches and goblins, but in the Catholic school here we celebrated making witches brew and singing spooky (for a 5 year old) songs. That was the start to my Halloween break. I only had to work a half day on Friday, so I planned some little activities for the kids to celebrate in their costumes. It was good fun. We stirred up witches brew, and I peeled grapes and cut up apples and we sang the magic words of our song as we put them in the cups. One little girl came up to me all upset... when she had said her magic words "crash, bang, alakzam, now you disappear" hers didn't disappear. It is amazing how much young children believe... magical isn't it. Even with that the morning went by quickly, and I was on my way out of town to Edinburgh. Thankfully, my friend Catherine lives near the international airport, so I left my car at her house and she ran me to the airport. She was also generous enough to pick me up this morning somewhere around 8 a.m. Didn't I tell you how wonderful the people here have been. (thanks again Catherine) So my flight left early and I ended up in Edinburgh by about 4 to meet my friend Michelle from exchange. The city of Edinburgh is beautiful. It feels more cosmopolitan than Belfast. The old buildings are gorgeous. I suppose if you are surrounded by them your entire life, perhaps you don't see how beautiful they are, but I loved them. I could live in a city like Edinburgh, although I do have to say that all in all the Irish people are friendlier. At least from my interactions. I toured most of Edinburgh on foot, mostly because Michelle and I took a road that we thought ought to lead us home and we got somewhat lost. The angled streets make for a beautiful city, with unusual buildings, but they are not nearly as easily navigated as the US grid system. Our 20 min walk home turned into an hour and 20 mins. We basically went away from her home before heading back. It was alright though, we saw fire twirlers, and like I said a good portion of the city. We were going to go to the Roselyn chapel from the Divinci Code, but that bus only runs Monday through Friday. I missed out on that, but if I make it back again I would rent a car and see some other areas. Instead of the chapel we went to the royal mile and the Edinburgh Castle. Again, I have to say... I can picture myself in a castle. It was beautiful, and quite nice to look out over the city. I really had a great time. This morning when Catherine picked me up I was absolutely exhausted. I left Michelle's house at 5:15 and so most of today I slept away. Everybody needs a day like that sometimes, right? It is so strange that I could spend a weekend in Scotland. I am going to pick up the Irish news... I have been told that I can find good package deals to see other places for weekend trips. It was funny though, last night as I was getting ready for bed I thought to myself that I was feeling ready to go home-- I was pretty wiped out. And the odd thing was that I was thinking about Belfast. Strange-- I guess it is home now.

Roughly translates to "If you hit me, I'll hit you back" :)

the truth is discovered

2005-10-24T22:36:00.000+01:00

So my weekend visits in Belfast further confirmed my earlier suspicions... I am supposed to be a princess. I really think that I could enjoy spending my days reading in the garden and enjoying fruity drink served to me by distinguished gentlemen--- hosting elegant affairs and dancing under the stairs... greeting my guests from the stone staircase... and waving softly... elbow elbow... wrist wrist wrist.... why do I know that if I am not to be a princess someday??? Ughhh... I suppose my patience will only make me better royalty! These are a few pictures that I took on satuday.

I also went to the market on Saturday with Grainne's mom (mum for all of the Irish readers). It reminded me of the north market a bit. I started thinking... having my philosophical moment in the Belfast castle garden how so many things are similar here. Not the same, but close with a different spin on it. It is actually quite comforting. If homesickness ever strikes me, this may be the most difficult part of the trip.. close but no cigar! We'll see. I also started thinking when I come home I need to start taking advantage of the things that Columbus does offer... so watch out friends... you are all sure to be dragged along!

another beautiful day...

2005-10-21T17:27:00.000+01:00

My camera battery is dead so I can't show you the sky here. If you are sitting in Ohio thinking could any place on earth have more miserable weather than where I am right now, I can answer with a resounding YES! I think that we have had 2 days of fall (sorry) autumn since I've been here, and I have soaked in every second of those days. Mostly we have had misery in the form of wind and rain and skies that make my children ask if it is almost night time. Many people here have already warned, if you think that this is awful wait until winter... I should have made an exchange in Greece or Italy... wouldn't it be nice to live someplace that always had wonderful weather. Oh well, I suppose if it were perfect here, everyone would live here. Despite the ugly weather, I am still enjoying myself. I am getting ready to have Chinese food for my friend Nuela's birthday... I am charging my battery now in the hopes of a few fun pictures to post tomorrow. I suppose we'll see.
I have had a couple of funny moments in the classroom this week that I thought I would share today... The first one came when I was working with a small group of children and we were writing one of the Kipper in our sentence. The little boy beside me was writing right along and after he had finished the 2 ps he looked up to me and said to me... I'm a good pee-er. I had to chuckle... he had no idea what he had said. But good to know!
The second incident happened when I was working on the ing chunk with the kids, and we rhymed ing words... and all of a sudden it came to a boy and he got all excited that he realized minging had the ing chunk in it. He nearly jumped out of his seat shouting Minging... you know like-- his feet were minging! Good thing I knew what that meant!
Hope that you all enjoy your weekend... I will try and post pictures soon.

She'll be coming down the mountain... road

2005-10-18T19:17:00.000+01:00

Do you know those moments when you know if your mom could see what you were doing she would kill you... yeah, well I had one of those last night. I went to my friend Claire's house for dinner and grocery shopping and she lives about 30 minutes away. Getting there is getting easier each time I make the journey, but I have yet to go home the same way. There aren't really a lot of ways that I should take home, I just seem to get lost rather easily. One would think that taking the road labeled to Belfast would be a good choice... but again and again I am learning that is not the case. It really is the blasted round-a-bouts. In the states when you are going home you know if you went right, go left ect... but here, the circle is killing me. Which branch of the bout did I come from? Where am I now... in the case of the knott's corner round-a-bout... I chose incorrectly. It kind of felt like the moment in princess bride when the little man was debating which glass to drink from... I am the little man. So needless to say I was on the road to belfast... which I shouldn't have been on, and there was a car following close behind me, and most of you don't know, but going over the mountain... no lights to show me the way. I was on this road, and there wasn't a good place to turn around -- so I decided to just follow it to belfast and hope that I knew where I landed. well, fine in theory.., in practice not the best choice I could have made... well I drove for what seemed like a really long time and didn't seem to be going down... and just as I was about to pull over and do a U turn I started to go down the mountain... I figured it couldn't be long... then the fog hit. You know how brights aren't all that helpful in the full-on fog, and there were no lights to guide me... I was winding down a road I didn't know,.. with very little guidance... and it seemed to take FOREVER! Finally I made it to where the city was beginning to be visible below me, and I felt a little better... although, I didn't recognized anything. I came down into a protestant area (marked by the flags) and as you all know I don't live there. I was really afraid that I had landed on the east side of Belfast... where I know NOTHING! So I kept driving, and as much as I love living here, Belfast doesn't feel beautiful at night. All of the shops are sealed by the metal garage doors securing them. Makes you feel really safe. I kept driving, hoping my car didn't die and that eventually I would see a sign for the motorway or any road I knew.... I kept looking for landmarks thinking i'd call someone and see if they could direct me home.... and I kept driving... finally I came to a round-a-bout with a sign pointing to belfast castle and belfast zoo and I was about to pull over when I saw a landmark that I knew just ahead. AHHHHHHH.... it was Carlise Circus... a roundabout near my school.. on the absolutely opposite side where I thought I was, but it was the way I go home from school everyday! Saved! I was absolutely exhausted when I got home, and I am glad that I have been driving around trying to get my bearings. Early September I think that I would have completely panicked... so I guess I am feeling a bit better. Pretty soon I might even be able to tell you where I went out on Saturday night:)

What religion are you again?

2005-10-14T16:38:00.000+01:00

Well, it has been a strange week by means of church. Last Sunday I decided to get up and drive around to find a church to attend. I left the house about 10:20 and headed toward Finaghy where Grainne's sister Joanne lives. I drove past a few protestant churches, but they all looked quiet... either the services were over or had yet to begin.. so I decided to keep driving. I figured it was a good idea for me to get out and drive around anyway. I am actually starting to figure out where roads will lead, and I am collecting landmarks so when I get lost, I can find my way back home. I finally landed at a little protestant church not far from Sonia's parents house. There were people walking in, so I figured I had a good shot at a service, and the church was a lovely old stone building. I followed several people in, and found that the service started at 11:00... this was probably the only time in my life that I have been 15 minutes EARLY for a service. So I went in and sat down. People started coming in, and it was like they were on some kind of track,... clearly heading to their usual seat... I started to feel a little awkward like I might be sitting in someone's seat. At 10 til I decided that I would use the restroom and waste a few of the awkward moments... and so I got up and found the restroom. When I came back... not to any surprise a little old lady was sitting in the seat that I had first chosen, so I found another seat across the way. As I was looking around the church, the wooden engravements had apples neatly placed in them... I thought this was a little strange, and wondered if I had happened upon a fire and brimstone church that was continually beating the message of the fall of man...thankfully I found out later it was harvest Sunday...whew... that could have been really uncomfortable. Soon, another little old lady came and asked if I could move down... so I did... clearly I was in her seat too. She started chatting, asking me where I was from, and as soon as I said the states... she had to introduce me to her family and all of her little old lady friends. They were all very nice. After the service one of the little old ladies insisted that she introduce me to the minister. So I went through the receiving line and met the minister who was also extremely nice. He then wanted to get me his card so that if I needed anything I could call upon him. So we went back to his office, I met his wife, and then he introduced me to the other minister of the church who was probably the closest in age to me in the entire church. He insisted that I come to the little luncheon that they were having next door, and so I did. I sat and talk to the young minister and the only other person even remotely in my age group Tony, and a small group of 40 something men. We had interesting conversation, and little old ladies kept coming up to me and introducing themselves to me. It was a little awkward however, because each person would ask me where I was living, and I would answer, and they would say....oh, with a confused look on their face. The minister leaned over and jokingly said we don't get many people here from A-town. Finally this lady came over and started chatting, saying oh I know the person with whom you are sharing your flat and making all of these connections to me, and the young minister quickly interrupted and said,...no no (smiling)... this is a person from America, you are going to get me in trouble. The little old lady had mistakenly thought that I was the minister's girlfriend. Another odd situation. All in all it was very nice. I don't think that it is the church for me, but the people were really lovely.
I also attended mass for the first time this year. I will have to go several more times, but probably by the end I will know whether to sit, kneel, stand... all of the little things that make me feel like an outsider. It was quite funny though. I was sitting with the P5 class as an extra hand because P2 don't go to mass, they go home early. And the kids around me were asking me what to do... clearly I was NOT the person to ask. It was also a bit uncomfortable when everyone in all the rows around me got up to take communion and I didn't. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go up and get a blessing. I didn't know if every church did the same thing, so I just sat and waited, and hoped that none of the kids asked me too much about it. Mass was actually quite nice. The children's singing was really beautiful, and the message from the priest was great for the kids. The teachers didn't harass me too much about being a protestant, just enough that I know it doesn't matter. I am trying to see different churches, and I hope that I can find one where I feel comfortable. I'll keep you posted.

Missing my calling...

2005-10-09T19:49:00.000+01:00

You know how I mentioned that everything was really difficult for me when I first came to Belfast, that the daily things of life that should be simple just weren't. Well, I thought that I had outgrown that stage in Belfast and that I was finally settling in to the dailies, until today. I have been walking out of my house every morning thinking to myself... you need to cut the grass today it is embarrassingly long. Then I would go about my day and never actually make it to cutting the grass. Today I had it on my list and was confident that I could accomplish this smallish task. So around 3:30 when I got home, I straightened my house, did the dishes, and decided to tackle the lawn. Mind you that the yard is maybe a 10 by 10 square of grass, one would not think that this was an overwhelming task. One would be wrong. I first weedwacked around the fence and the concrete that surrounds the yard. Simple enough, it didn't take long. I could tell that the weed whacker was not going to be the tool for the rest of the yard based on the respond to the long grass I had around the edges. So I went inside to get out the lawnmower that Grainne's mom had brought me in the first week of my arrival. I pulled the box from the cubby under the stairs and decided today was the day to tackle my skills not only as a lawn caretaker -- but also as a lawnmower engineer. For any of you that have been graced by my technical skills you would know I am no Sharon Young... (the handiest woman in Ridgewood). And I don't think Grainne is either since I couldn't find any tools. (No offense Grainne is you are a closet mechanic.) Regardless, I decided not to be daunted by minor set backs like no tools, and I pulled all of the pieces of lawnmower out of the box. First of all, I have never used a push mower that wasn't propelled gas... this is truly a push mower. Which I was thankful for not having the hassle of gas, but I am not looking into one of these for my lawn at home. Anyway... besides the mower being in pieces, I really wasn't sure how it was going to work once I finally got it assembled. I laid all of the pieces out on the floor and I even took out the instructions. I have to say the majority of it was assembled, but the handle definitely was not! After much struggle, pushing and pulling coaxing the screws into place I finally emerged victorious-- I had a fully assembled lawnmower. Next was getting it out of the house:) Really that wasn't all that hard. I dragged the mower out to the front yard and followed the directions to put it to good use. I pushed it. Sounds ridiculous, and it was. I am sure that the young boy that lives next door who had been watching my progress while meandering down the road was amused, I was not. Nothing happened... the wheels didn't move, and the blades didn't turn... and of course the blades of grass did not miraculously fall into the collector. So after several tries I found a spot on the lawn that caused the wheels to move, the blades to turn.... and miraculously the blades of grass landed in the collector. The only problem... well at least the first one was the grass was so long, that I had to continually stop and try to drag the grass that wound around the wheels out, and moves the blades to dislodge the bunches of grass that continually kept it from moving. After about 40 minutes (a ridiculous amount of time for this little plot of land) I emerged victorious! The grass was cut, and I was cleaning up. Well... almost victorious. You know when kids cut their own hair... I am afraid that is what my lawn looks like right now... big clumps gone, others left long out of sheer exhaustion... This morning as I left my house I did not have the pride of a beautiful lawn to greet me. I did, however, have a list of things that I have learned. 1. Everything in Belfast must be done a little at a time... dishes, laundry, grocery shopping and of course cutting the lawn. 2. It is not worth having grass if the enjoyment does not equal the energy expended in upkeep. and 3. If Damien offers to do anything again for me... the answer is yes, when can you come over:) (He offered to assemble the lawnmower, and I foolishly did not jump at the offer!) Ah, look at me learning. I am sure that there is a little self-help book lying latent in all of these experiences. Perhaps now that my lawn is mowed I can begin thinking about the title.

A potter's soul…

2005-10-08T19:09:00.000+01:00

After our first attempts on the potter’s wheel, Sonia and I decided that what you create on the wheel is a direct link to your inner person. It is kind of like reading tealeaves or other random ways of explaining the unexplainable. We had a great time, although we were both a little less than successfull. I wish that I would have had my camera to take pictures of what our efforts produced, but I left it at home, so my words and your imaginations will have to create the pictures. Sonia got to go to the wheel first. It all starts out well enough. You have to make the clay rise and then you push it down, and rise, push it down. This is what are instructor refers to as centering the clay...She also mentioned that this is a very important part of the process, and both Sonia and I are at a loss on how you actually tell if it is centered...So after a while of trying to make it rise and trying to push it down we tire and began to form the pot. You are supposed to have a flat surface and put your thumb in it leaving a good amount on the bottom, but both Sonia and I had a hole started for us by our rising and falling attempts so we just went with it. Sonia produced two flat pots, which later were noticed a picture on the wall of a famous potter who made flat pots very similar to Sonia's ( he must have been a beginner too.) Sonia's creations were actually quite interesting. The edges were thick with a swirl in the base. If she had kept them she could have begun a dinner plate collection, but the clay went into the recycling. It was quite unique and unexpected. We definitely couldn't replicate what we were making, everything was an out of control accident. My pot actually started looking a little like a pot. It was kind of rounded and the top of it started falling in so I began to pull it out, like I thought the instructor had shown us. As I did that the top thinned rather quickly and the entire rim collapsed outward like a flower opening up... I struggled to pull it back together, clay going in several directions, but In the end my pot turned into a kind of mushroom shape...So, I time was winding down and I decided my creation was heading for the recycling, far from perfection...And the instructor told me I ought to try and salvage a little pot out of it...So I did. In the end I made a birthday candle holder or a bud vase...Depending on your taste. It is maybe 3 inches tall with a hole the diameter of my pinky, and a twist in it...Alll unintentional, but at least I will have asouvenirr from my first attempt on the wheel. So if the bud vase/candle holder becomes yours for Christmas...You should treasure it and consider it a window to my soul!

my first half pint

2005-10-05T22:18:00.000+01:00

I had my first half pint of Guinness this weekend. I am no longer offended to be considered a half pint... Because it clearly depends on what you are a half pint of! If it is Guinness it is just enough! I actually liked it. It was a cold and rainy day, with a lot of wind. We had tried several times to go for a walk, but every time the sun started to shine we got out of the car and then it started to rain. It was like someone was playing a cruel joke on us. I got caught in the rain and was fairly drenched, so I was glad to have a bowl of seafood chowder and a half pint of Guinness to warm me up. I think that I will have it again, but I have to admit the warm port that we tried later was much tastier! It was like hot sangria and it felt like Christmas. The pictures below are for posterity sake, the top of the Guinness was thick enough to make a smiley face looking up at me... It was delicious! Tami... I think that you would have loved it too! I have many funny memories of Donegal, and if nothing exciting happens at pottery class, I will try and communicate some of them tomorrow. Goodnight.

Tomorrow's thoughts on Donegal

2005-10-03T22:56:00.000+01:00

Actually, I am only posting pictures from my weekend tonight. I am too knackered to provide a thoughtful comentary on the weekend. But as you can see from the pictures, Ireland is a beautiful place. I wish you could all come and visit .. (except for those of you that live here... don't come and visit, my dishes aren't done. Just joking Sonia saw me do them tonight, so feel free to stop by!) This is Donegal... and a little bit of Derry too.

Word of the day--

2005-10-03T22:48:00.000+01:00

Today's words come from the many pubs I have visited over the last few weeks. It is more Irish slang. The words of the day are synonyms and can be used almost interchangably: TOUCH and PULL
Touch: v. to hook-up with someone at a bar or a club; snogging
Did you touch tonight?

man hands....

2005-09-29T22:06:00.000+01:00

Why do all of the things that I aspire to do with my life require me to cut my fingernails leaving me with masculine looking hands? Guitar, and now pottery classes. It seems I am destined to go through life with man hands... that is if I want to achieve the greatness that I am sure is latent within me. I had my first pottery class this evening, and I think it was my nails that were holding me back... I am sure that there is not a lack of talent -- the ideas in my head are beautiful... which only leaves execution, meaning the nails must go. Tonight Sonia and I made pinch pots. Very elementary, but that is where we are in our skill level. I am not sure that I am very proud of anything that I made tonight, but next Thursday we get to get on the wheel. I am sure that there will be a post worth reading after that! Regardless, I am having a good time. I have always wanted to take a pottery class, so here goes! Below is a picture of the pot that someday may find its way to a craft sale and go for a pound or maybe even a pound fifty. I can't tell you how much the pottery class cosst, or you would think that for pottery that couldn't be sold at pound stretchers,.. I have made a poor investment. To that I say, it is not the pot that is formed, but how the pot forms me. Discuss.. discuss.

Word of the day --

2005-09-26T23:04:00.000+01:00

Thought I'd mix it up and put it on the other side today!
Today's word is ...

MINGING -- adj. rotten, disgusting; pronounced mingin'

My rice krispie treats were minging without staypuff marshmallows.
Enjoy using it, and I hope that your day is not minging.

a vicious cycle...

2005-09-25T18:15:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I journeyed to TKMaxx... almost identical to TJMaxx at home to make a quick run in for a pan to make Rice Krispie treats and a little something for Grainne's sister for her birthday. I have traveled to this area before, but later on a Saturday and not when the store next door was having some kind of half-off sale. It was like the mall the day after Thanksgiving. I pulled into the parking lot... with my new found driving skills and there were cars parked in every direction. Right away I began to regret coming, and I was debating whether I should just drive home and save my treats for another day, and make a visit to Joanne on her actual birthday. But being the brave adventurer that I am, I decided since I was already there I should stick it out and find a place to park the car. So I drove slowly among the people darting about through the parking lot. I think I made a total of 6 trips around the parking lot, before returning to my roots of OSU stalking for a parking spot. I finally got behind a person and swooped into their spot. By this time, however, I was bitter that I had spent 15 minutes of my life looking for a spot, to run into a store for 15 minutes -- so I was determined to take my time and make the time I spent looking for my parking spot worthwhile. So as I walked toward the building I thought to myself... this is a vicious cycle... there are no parking places so people are frustrated and when they finally find one, they aren't going to let it go-- which contributes to the problem of no parking places... and causes others to be irritated... so I bought a pair of shoes and called it even...leaving my parking space for some other new driver that just wanted to park the car so she could run in.
I did make Rice Krispie treats, but it was an adventure in itself... baking supplies here are hard to come by... at least at the grocery stores by my house, so when I went in for marshmallows I wasn't sure if I could even get them. I finally found a small bag of pink and white marshmallows in the baking isle... well it is more like the baking shelf... and decided that I would give it a go. It took several of these small bags, which were not cheap to make the necessary amount for the recipe. I wasn't even sure that they would work... but I went home to make my pink rice krispie treats. From what I understand most people make rice krispie treats with chocolate... more like haystacks? It is no wonder... there is plenty of chocolate... but not much else... if anyone has any great recipies for treats with chocolate as the main ingredient feel free to pass them along. Not that I am complaining about the chocolate... imagine if I would have gone to a place with no chocolate...now that would have truly been a problem! I bought myself a cookbook, and it seems to have recipies that I can find the ingredients for locally, so hopefully my baking attempts from here on out will be more successful. The rice krispie treats (for all of you just dying to know how they turned out) were just not quite right -- not quite the same without staypuff!

Word of the day--

2005-09-23T16:59:00.000+01:00

The word of the day today is less word -- more lingo.

Your man... or Your woman...

Although the use of the word your would imply a personal relationship with the audience of the speaker... that would be a false implication.
Your man or your woman could also be translated: that guy...
Used in conversation might sound something like....

Your man... who was in that movie with your woman Angelina...

Enjoying using the word, but be careful not to accidently say your momma!

molding pancakes and other unexpected things

2005-09-20T19:33:00.000+01:00

I am continually surprised by the things that catch me off guard...molding pancakes in my cupboard were the culprit this morning. Now you may ask yourself, what were pancakes doing in the cupboard, and I too had that thought initially. But here, they don't make pancakes, they buy them in little cellophane packages, and I am not sure if you are supposed to put them in the toaster or the microwave.. but I have yet to see anyone eat them with syrup... more exploration of pancakes is forthcoming. So anyway, Grainne's mom had purchased pancakes for my arrival and placed them on the top shelf of my cupboard. She pointed them out, and I made a mental note that I needed to get syrup. I looked at the package to see the expiration date... 3-9-05 and I thought to myself... there are only a few foods that should have that long of a shelf life, and pancakes are not one of them... twinkes and ho hos are the first to come to mind. Anyway... I failed to get syrup the last two times at the grocery, and so the pancakes sat. This morning I was desperate for something to take with me to eat for lunch and so I pulled the pancakes off the top shelf thinking that maybe I could find butter or jam or honey... something... and what I pulled down was a package of pancakes with greenish blue sploches all over them. So, I was shocked that with such a long shelf life they were molded... and then I remembered oh yeah, I am in Belfast the month and day are switched... just one of many small adjustments that I have had to make. Needless to say... I still don't know what packages pancakes taste like.... take a trip to IHOP or Bob Evan's and have a big stack for me with oregon berry and whipped cream.. mmmmm mmmm... those aren't packaged... are they??????

Word of the day--

2005-09-19T22:16:00.000+01:00

I know that I have used this before, but it is a very used word in Belfast so I thought that I would put it in the word of the day.
CRAIC -- good times, fun
What's the craic?
Note that you cannot say have A craic... who knew!

... happy birthday Mr. President

2005-09-17T18:16:00.000+01:00

Marilyn Monroe did not attend my party last night, but most of the people in Belfast that are quickly becoming good friends did. I was quite surprised because I have thought that I was just having dinner with Nuela Ni and her husband, but it turned out that all of the girls that I hang out with on Mondays and their significant others were there. It was a lovely restaurant. It felt very cottage like... with a warm fire that I really appreciated. It is starting to get cooler here. It was neat... you sit by the fire, enjoy a drink and they come and take your order... then when your food is ready they take you back to your table for your meal. The food was fancy...I had duckling... the guys had springbok, Sonia had lamb. It was all delicious. I am really enjoying all of their company. I feel myself with them all already. There was talk about maybe taking a weekend trip to Dublin as a group, which would be great fun, and they said we could go to the Guinness plant... which I think I ought to do to satisfy all of your Guinness curiosity! It really was a lovely evening. I was thankful that I didn't have to resort to a tub of ben and jerry's ice cream... and sappy music (cue..All by myself... don't want to be... all by myself--- anymore) sob, sob. Thankfully, life in Belfast is turning out to be quite good.
These are my new friends - minus Damien. He is the one taking the picture.

carry the water...

2005-09-15T16:37:00.000+01:00

Did I mention that my friend Sonia and I took a belly dancing class on Saturday. It was completely accidental... we were looking for a hip hop dance class, and the ad clearly said that hip hop was one of genres taught, but when we got there -- no hip hop just a women wearing pink sparkley pants with spangles on them. They were captivating pants. Except that they were spandex right around her thighs so that knocked them out of my wardrobe right away. I would have like to have kept the belt I got to wear that made noise when you moved even a little, but I am sure that she would've heard me if I tried to lift it:) Since we were there, we decided to pay our 3 pound and take part. It was actually a lot of fun once we got started... not really quite enough fun to make me want to do it as a continual hobby, but a good Saturday in Belfast activity. We met a lot of interesting people... and learned some new moves -- like the one in the picture that was carrying the water flowing into snake arms. Okay-- so the pants would have really helped but it was our first time. I hope that you enjoy they picture... I am the one in green!

Word of the day--

2005-09-14T18:15:00.000+01:00

Today's word is SCUNDERED.
Scundered: to be extremely embarrassed.
I 'm scundered. (apparently you would not say why you are embarrassed, but you can also be scundered for others.)
Hopefully you are not scundered when you try to use this in your next conversation.

peace train take me home again

2005-09-13T22:10:00.001+01:00

This is a bus that was hijacked and burned. Lots of people say that the riots are a distraction so other illegal activities can take place... drugs and crime lord kinds of things. I don't know.

This is what I encountered on the road to work on Monday.

I wish the peace train would come through Belfast so that I can get home from work in the evenings. The rioting seems to have subsided, but the PEACEFUL protest that have left the city in gridlock aren't over. My usual drive to work takes about 20 minutes, and I have spent 4 hours in the afternoon over the last two days waiting in traffic. I am so glad that my friend Eimher has been driving to school with me, because both days we have been redirected from the motorway to other roads. Sadly I only know one way home (up until yesterday I was feeling pretty good that I at least new that!) and the protestors were on the streets there. So the police in their riot gear came out to send people the wrong way around the roundabout. Finally, and easy right turn in Belfast! I have managed... without stalling (well only twice) to spend 4 hours in stop in go traffic... including an hour of hill starts... yes.. I am looking for affirmation! I also went and got groceries all by myself... I am such a big girl! Seriously though, this rioting has not been good. Most of the people say they haven't seen it like this in decades. It all started because the protestants wanted to march through the Catholic neighborhood, and the parade commission said no. So of course they had to make petrol bombs, and shoot at police, and generally reek havoc on the city, or at least a good part of it. Thankfully I live in an area that isn't being effected. I think that is one of the strangest things about this past weekend. The city continued as it usually would while this craziness happened. It is sad that such a small percentage of people are responsible for such a large disruption. I was also amazed at how many children are involved in the protesting, some maybe younger than 10. What hope is there when children are being trained to hate? I was also shocked that the leader of the Orange Order didn't condemn the violence... You can read a really general piece about it at http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/12/nireland.riots.ap/index.html. This evening on my way home from work, I saw three children walking down the street with about 30 bottles in hand... I am guessing they were not recycling. So there is a good chance that tonight might not be any better. I am certainly praying that it will subside and life can become normal...I'll let you know when I know what that is!

Word of the day--

2005-09-11T21:28:00.000+01:00

A quick word to increase your Irish vocabulary:
Knackered: to be tired or exhausted
I am knackered after a short night of sleep and a long week of work.

Enjoying using your new word!

it's no walmart but...

2005-09-11T17:06:00.000+01:00

Although Walmart tends to have great prices and a wide selection, I tend to avoid it because I can't stand the way people behave inside it's walls. In Belfast, Walmart doesn't exist... the clientele however, does. I decided to venture out on my own for my first attempt at a drive. It is Sunday afternoon, so I'm not sure what will actually be open, and I am not confident enough to venture out of my circle of roads that are familiar to me. I decided to go down to the end of the road (even though the hill at the top has become my nemesis) and travel a relatively short distance down the road to none other than our very own McDonald's... I know, I know, I don't know what possessed me to go there. I was talking to Sonia the other day, and it got me curious if it was the same here. So I pulled in.. Successfully-- and parked. I avoided the drive thru, and I think that I will continue to in the future... they take your order and 60% of the cars were directed to park in this parking spot that would have been a driving nightmare for me at this moment... where I would have to back up in to the oncoming drive-thru traffic, across the crosswalk of people seeking out their vittles. So I parked... where there were no other cars, and looked for the entrance to McDonald's. It was not obvious... and when I found it I realized I was entering a sea of children under the age of 15. I took a deep breath and joined the long line of people hoping for fries. The line had a least 15 people in it so it gave me plently of time to observe the chaos in the restaurant. I think that there was a 9 to 1 ratio of child to adult. Honestly I don't know who was responsible for the children that were having a food fight in the corner. And the parents that were with their children were screaming across the restaurant.... ah, Happy Meals in a Happy Place. It was some of the longest minutes that I have spent in Belfast... I collected my food as quickly as possible... although the girl taking my order could barely hear me shout over the noise, and when I questioned that what was on my receipt wasn't at all what I order, she just shook her head and said it would all work out. So in the end, it was close to what I order... the fries were pretty much the same.... the burger and diet coke were horrible. I don't know what it is here... but I had a diet coke at Burger King at the airport in London and it is awful... I supposed that is one way to kick my caffeine addiction, or at least transfer it. So I have eliminated diet coke from fast food restaurants... and after today eliminated the McDonald's at the end of my street for a potential place to dine. I did however make it up the hill and around the corner without stalling and I am sure that is mostly because there were no adolescent boys to provide an audience for me. Anyway-- my first driving experience (alone) was less eventful (thankfully) than I had anticipated, but I have plenty of other follies to report from the rest of the weekend in my next posting. Check back in...

If you look really closely you can see the golden arches in the distance!

I'll admit in pictures the hill looks downright wimpy... but Grainne's car would beg to differ and as you can see no adolescent boys to torture me.

long lean sally

2005-09-07T18:52:00.000+01:00

I was walking downtown this afternoon, and I saw this store long lean sally.. and I thought if they were naming a clothing store after my body type.. what would they call it... this is rhetorical thinking no need to post. Downtown at a little after 5 is eerie in Belfast. All of the shops close and they have big garage door gates that come down over the entire store front, and many of the streets clear out completely. It gives you that creepy your alone horror movie feeling. Thankfully I didn't have to walk around in that for too long. Sadly however I will have to try again later this week to get a bank account, I was completely unsuccessful today. Like the car insurance, I was just not a candidate for their company... and of course they weren't sure who i was suitable for... I think that it is odd how the banks and and many other companies operate here. I am sure that I will get it settled, but these are the things that I wish the program just set up for you.
There is a big football match tonight N. Ireland vs. England, and which could mean potential problems. The police in the riot vans were herding a large pack of singing drunk men through the town singing irish football cheers. I am not sure where they were coming from, but they were clearly fans,.. green faces, football jerseys and loud voices... it caught me off guard when I came out of the bank. It reminded me of buckeye football on Michigan weekend.
I was sitting on the bus today listening into a conversation of 6 guys on their way to a pub to watch the match, and one guys said are we going to that pub up there on the corner. The other guy looked up at the pub covered in Irish flags and nervously laughed shaking his head no. There is still some signs of unrest, but I do feel safe. There was some rioting the other night -- I couldn't tell you where exactly. Somewhere between my home and school (because we had to take an alternate path to get to school) and there were several police riot vans parked at the round about between the protestant and the catholic communities. But I have been told by several different people that they are organized riots to occupy the police so that drugs can be moved -- it sounds more like gang stuff than political and religious unrest. I have actually had several interesting conversations with different people about politics... thankfully I am just an outsider so I don't feel the need to side -- it is quite interesting. It would make quite a study if every decided to go back to school for sociology. I am learning a lot -- and I am aware of how simplistic and naive my little mind is.
On a brighter note... today is the first day I felt like myself in the staff lounge. I think that I found a few ladies that would like to play Texas hold 'em (again no replacement for my poker girls). It was just nice to feel normal not guarded.
Anyway-- I am getting ready to go to a friend's house for dinner. I will blog later.

a short drive and a little walk

2005-09-06T07:17:00.000+01:00

I went to my friend Claire's house again tonight with two other friends Nuala and Sonia and we went for a wee walk. I guess a wee walk is 4 and half miles. Funny how that word wee means so many things. I didn't mind at all actually. The weather is quite nice right now, even with the morning showers. The temperature is perfect autumn in Ohio, but I am sure that it won't last. I came home this evening and was beginning to feel quite good about myself settling in --- not turning on the heat. The first few days required a lot of heat. I think that my system was in shock, so I endured a few sly comments from my friends about the temperature of my house. Now I am not freezing and I am actually adjusting well. I had my fourth driving lesson with Sonia... day one -- very bad. I actually got yelled at by a driving instructor. I guess that is what happens when you miss a light 4 times here in Belfast. In my defense.. the light was relatively short, and it is a lot of pressure being followed by a learner driver, when clearly the experience level is similar. The last few days have been better, although I am still not completely smooth on hill starts. It will come...I am supposed to try my first day of driving to school on Wednesday...not sure if I am ready for that, but I might give it a whirl. We drove out through the country to Claire's house on winding twisting roads.. very pretty not so fun in the dark. It was a smooth ride home, although I am still not oriented. A few good road signs would be helpful. I am sure that my first trip on the motorway, and the first time I venture out alone will be quite comical so check in... I'll try to post. Goodnight.

My first attempt...

2005-09-03T11:41:00.000+01:00

I finally have broadband and so I can post with ease... Nothing yet has been done with ease. I knew that this would be the case when I left, but it is still amazing me how long simple things take when you are a foreigner. I have pretty much taken care of everything now, except my bank account, which hopefully will be arranged on Monday... it may have to wait until Wednesday simply because everything closes at 4:00. I think that is where the term bankers hours came from... I can't get over it. I am so used to at least an early morning Saturday to accomplish things, but government and banks -- closed. I asked someone how anyone gets these things done, and they said lunchtime... the lines must be insane, and they must know where they are gong! Oh, and they probably are confident drivers... both are lacking in me at the moment. I swear everything looks the same here. And there are not clear road signs to tell you where you are going. And the roundabout... ugh... I did practice the other night with my new friend Sonia... actually she is a good friend of Grainne's who has kindly adopted me as a friend as well. Thank goodness that she did... she has been fantastic. I really think that I would be in quite a state without the people that are taking care of me. Grainne's mom and sister Joanne, and Eimher that has become the teacher at school I can ask for help (especially help getting to and from school-- she's picked me up everyday!) So all in all I am adjusting. Everyone keeps asking me if I miss home, and I do, but not like I thought I would... and it has only been a week! I think when I don't have to think so much about daily stuff, then I'll have more time to miss all of you... as it is, I am a little overwhelmed with the dailies... but I do think of you, and I am especially missing Sunday night poker. I may have to start inviting people over and teaching them how to play. Although I think that Sonia and I are going to take Salsa dancing on Sundays... we'll see. I will post pictures soon. I need to get an adapter for my camera. Pass the word that my blog is up, in case I missed someone on the list.