Look! A New Post!

As I've settled into life here a bit more, it's been harder to think of things to write about. It seems like there is always something I could or should be doing. Since one of my classes ended last week though, I should (hopefully) have some more time now - maybe I can actually start doing some work, but that still seems like a foreign concept to many students.

So, going backwards, here is a pictorial summary of what I've been up to lately.

My program took all of its Ireland students to Belfast this past weekend. It's a really interesting city because it seems to have so many different identities. At one point, it was the world's leading producer of a ton a different goods, so it's very industrialized. For many years, it was one of the four Bs to avoid (along with Beirut, Bosnia, and Baghdad - quite a group to be lumped in with). The violence may have ended, but the tensions are still there: the wall separating the Protestant and Catholic sides of the city has stood longer than the Berlin wall, and in a some-what recent vote, the citizens decided to leave it standing. Since the Good Friday Agreements though, the city has begun a new phase with tons of new development projects in the works.

The murals covering parts of West Belfast (the center of the sectarian violence) tell part of the changing story of the city. The tour guides/drivers kept strongly urging us to take pictures to the point where it got weird. They offered to take photos of us standing in front of them, but do you really want a smiling tourist photo in front of such reminders of violence and hatred? I compromised and only took a few photos of the ones I liked and the ones that were the best representatives of the general themes present in all of them.

Some are beautiful and uplifting: (The banner says "Let the children" and the first line of kids spells out PLAY)

The older ones, which are more militaristic in tone, are pretty petrifying:

The gunman's muzzle is like the Mona Lisa's eyes: it follows you where ever you move.

The wall that runs through part of the city:

People still try to throw stones and bottles over the wall; one of the drivers pointed out some fist-sized stones that littered the sidewalk.

The Black Taxi Tour brought us to the important political spots in the city and told us the historical facts about the violent history. It was a really strange experience for me. I'm glad I went on the tour, and I learned a lot, but the pain that the people went through is very apparent in all of the murals and memorials, and particularly in the voice of our driver when he spoke of the Troubles.

Despite the name of the company, our taxi was not black:

On a totally different note, the Titanic plays a huge role in Belfast. There are apparently already plans in place for a massive memorial week next year (the 100th anniversary of the launch - and sinking). We went to see the dry dock where the ship was stored while it was being outfitted for the voyage.

Yes, it really is just a massive hole in the ground.

If you can make out the little yellow person near the line running through the center about two-thirds of the way back, you can get an idea of the size - these statues stand about 5'5". You also have to keep in mind that the ship would have come up over the sides of the dock. Pretty crazy.

My favorite part of the weekend was the day trip up to the northern coast. We were on a bus for much of the day, but the coastal motorway had impressive views and our tour guide kept us entertained with facts and stories about the area we travelled through.

Troll makes an appearance!

Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge (courtesy of Erin):

From left: Megan, me, and Erin:

Don't look down! Just kidding, it was actually really cool:

One of our stops was Dunluce Castle, which literally sits on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

The lady of the castle hated living there since it was so isolated, and she had grown up as a city girl in London. One time she was having a dinner party for several important guests and close friends when they heard a crash and discovered that the kitchen, along with the cooks and several servants, had broken off and fallen into the ocean. Needless to say, she definitely didn't warm up to the place after that.

By the time we made it to Giant's Causeway, the sun was beginning to set, the sky had cleared from the earlier rain/sleet/snow, and everything was covered with this warm golden light.

The rocks form really cool geometric patterns and create natural steps and ladders since the heights vary.

And now, really quickly, some pictures from London last week:

The London Eye:

Troll and Beaver meet at the Tower of London:

From left: Laura, Michelle, Me, and Katrina (it was ridiculously cold in London - definitely made the right choice weather-wise with Ireland):

I think that's all for now!