Back on Track

Going home was absolutely wonderful!! It was just what I needed to help put a spark back in my steps.

It was so great to see family and friends and be so comfortable. It's the little things like hoping in my car and driving anytime I want and having people to visit. It's being able to look at the stars on a clear night. It's the joy of a home cooked meal and laughing with family around the table.

Going to church and being greeted with so many smiles and hugs.

It was also the reminder that I have been gone for so long when people would say remember when ... and I would reply no remember I wasn't here. 9 months is a long time to be away. Children grow extra fast, especially when you aren't watching them everyday.

Even though home was great I realized I need a few months still. I'm still not finished with my time here. I am not ready to say goodbye to all the people I have met and children I have spent the last year of my life with.

I still need to see more of Ireland and Europe.

I have been blessed to spend this year abroad and have experienced so many wonderful things. I know I haven't been the best at blogging about these things. Sometimes It's hard for me to write down what's happening, and to share what I am feeling and or thinking with people so far away. I tried to do just a few pictures here and there but alas I am not blog savey and was having issues getting them to post.

How do you share with someone that your whole life have been turned upside down, and you can't even think of things back home to compare what types of things you are doing? How do you explain a typical day of work, when no two days have been the same since I have been here. Here we can sum it up and say that's just Quakers, but I know that means nothing to people at home.

I want to share my life though and I want people to understand, I want them to understand why I love it here so much, and even when I am at my wits end and ready to throw in the towel, I can just think of one or two children and I feel my spirits lift.

There is just something about knowing that when I go into work that my sole purpose is to provide love and attention to these kids. And make them feel like they are important, because many don't receive any positive attention at all. Most are not even talked to, but talked at and shouted over. My heart breaks when I think of the home lives some of our children find themselves in, and is it any wonder they act the way they do? I truly believe children are products of their environment, and when there is no positive encouragement and everything around you is negative, it sure as hell makes it hard to move through that.

Here we won't say a child is good or bad, and that was something that was hard for me to get used to. We find it so easy to say that child is bad, or look how good that little boy is. Yes, maybe their behaviors are good or bad, but the children certainly aren't, and trust me I have met a variety of kids this year with a wide spectrum of behaviors. There is something about hearing a five year old tell you to "Fuck off" that really just makes you step back and think.

Still I have a hard time explaining why I love it here so much. I think it is just something that I really enjoy, and it has been confirmed for me that working with children is a strong strength of mine.

It's official I have a flight and everything I will be back in the State's April 18th. That's a month longer than my year here. I have plans to travel to England, hopefully London as well. Travel more down south in Ireland, see a few plays, possibly a concert. and Just enjoy my last weeks :)

Tis the season for Pondering's..

Since before Halloween, yes that's right the end of October, I have been hearing about Christmas and when will people start decorating and how are they going to save enough money for all the top gifts for their kids.

I know the season seems to start sooner and sooner but this is the first year I think I really thought about how early people were starting to fret over this upcoming Holiday. This is when I got really sad because I feel like the whole meaning of Christmas has been lost in the hustle and bustle of buying buying buying..

Back in the States I always look forward to Thanksgiving and I feel it starts the Holiday season off to a good start. It's a great reminder to be thankful for all the blessings we have in our lives.

This Thanksgiving I not only had to work, but was away from my family, and didn't even have 1 yummy feast. However, that being said.. this may have been one of my favorite Thanksgivings.

The reason being it really gave me the chance to think about how Thankful I am for everything I have in my life and how truly blessed I am. I wasn't distracted by turkey's or the craziness that sometimes can take over the Holiday.

I was able to phone my family and talk to everyone on my dad's side, it was so great to hear from them all. Even though I am miles and miles away I know I am being supported for what I am doing and that means the world to me.

Now as the days our drawing closer to Christmas the craziness has really set in.

I can't believe it's only going to be 20 day's until I am back home in the states again to celebrate Christmas with my family. It will be the simple joys of seeing family, having a real Christmas tree, and spending Christmas Eve with my family and sherbert gingerale punch!

Tonight we made egg nog, pumpkin muffins, and hopefully putting up our fake Christmas tree...

Yes the season is here.

I will be thankful for all I have, and hopefully spread the Christmas tree and true reason for the season

Pictures

Our Turnip :)

Waterfalls

Hamish the Scottish Coo (Cow)
Beautiful Sky

Me in front of the water fall and The Kilt Rock

Castle Looking over Loch Ness

Snow on the mountains

Sunset in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Castle

Scotland and All Hallows Eve

This past week was a Holiday week from work for Halloween. I decided to venture on my own and take a trip to Scotland. I flew early Sunday morning into Edinburgh, and just loved what I saw. It's such a gorgeous city. I saw the Edinburgh castle, the school that inspired Harry Potter as well as went into the cafe where JK Rowling wrote all the Harry Potter books, heard some ghosts stories in a grave yard, had some good Mediterranean food, and read a good bit.

Monday morning our tour began around 9 am. I met some people in the hostel who were also traveling alone and chatted with them until we boarded our bus. We drove all the way from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye which took us all day but of course we made some stops along the way. Including seeing Loch Ness but of course the monster did not want to come out and play. We heard a lot of pretty cool legends and fairy tales and saw lots of castles and even snow up in the top of the mountains. We arrived to the Isle of Skye after driving over the Atlantic ocean, and stayed in a small town called Kylabin.

The next day we proceeded to venture around the Isle and even went on a 2 hour hike with mountain sheep. Such a good time. When we started we couldn't see the top of the mountain because it was in the fog. There are just so many breath taking views I can't even put it into words. Also we went to the Faerie Glen and the Sligachan River where it is said if you stick your face in the water for 7 seconds you will be blessed with eternal youth and beauty. :)

The third day was also spend mostly on the bus driving back to Edinburgh.

It was such a great time to go on my own and meet new people. It is almost empowering to go on a trip alone and know you will be a ok.

After my excursion to the land of the Scots I returned to Belfast, in which I had an odd since of returning home. I felt has if I had been away for too long, and I missed my little cottage on the mountain.

The rest of the weekend was really relaxing and I just hung out with a friend and experienced Halloween in Northern Ireland.

Halloween in the States just doesn't compare to fireworks, carved turnips, and the crazy costumes I saw this weekend. Halloween started in Ireland and was taken everywhere else by the Irish, just a little fact for you. We also went to this place called the Ulster Transport and Folk museum. It was so fun just to see everyone dressed up and enjoying themselves we were even able to make Halloween Turnip masks, try some Apple tart (apparently a Halloween treat) and enjoy soda bread.

Daylights Savings time also happened Saturday night so for one week I am only 4 hours time difference from home.

Our new volunteer should be here sometime in the month.

Everything is going well still loving the life and hunkering down for the cold winter. But I do now have a fire place which makes me a very very happy girl!! :)

Cheerio for now

What about ya?

What I wake up to

There is so much going through my head when I think about all I have to share about my experience here. But when I sit down to write, no words come.

Pictures and memories flood my senses but I am overcome with a writers block.

It's funny how I have adapted to the environment here, to the chatter to the lingo to the way of life.

When talking to family and friends they often comment about my Irish banter and question words I say. When I first arrived here I remember sitting in a meeting and not understanding a word that was being said. It was honestly like I had been thrown into a country where they spoke a different language. I was so nervous about driving the mini buses, learning all the bus routes, knowing how to handle difficult kids, and learning all the routines at Quakers.

I can't remember exactly when, but now all of these things I do without a second thought, they come so naturally and it feels as if I have been living here for longer than 7 months.

I have been reliving them more lately as I am watching my two new house mates find their own place at Quakers and learn everything for the first time and I can see how far I have come since I first arrived.

Not one day has been exactly the same and I think that's something I love so much about work here, you can never tell exactly how a day is going to go when you wake up in the morning.

I get to cuddle new born babies, play with toddlers and pre-schoolers. Watch after schoolers explore learn and be creative, have a bit of craic (a bit of fun) with the pre-teens and listen to them chat away about life. I can chat with the mums and hear a bit about their lives. But not only do I get to play most days, but I have learned the art of fixing chips (fries) and lasagna. I get to organize and clean clutter pretty much every day which is one of my favorite past times, I have great co-workers who keep me on my toes. I have mastered the stick shift mini bus and can find my way around Belfast pretty easily. I am learning to let things roll of my back and just accept what people say. and this is only what I get to do during the hours I am at work! Shew..

The other day I got a message from a friend and in the end he said I hope you are having the experience of a life time, and that really hit home for some reason, because it made me see how blessed I truly am to be here and have all these experiences.

So while I am missing things about home and my family and friends like crazy I have time left here and am going to soak it up!

We have next week off for Halloween and I am off on a trip to Scotland to explore the Highlands and the Loch Ness area! :)

What a lucky girl am I

6 months?!

Where does time go?

It seems as if I just arrived here in Belfast and now I only have 6 months left to do a whole list of things I'm not sure I will get to...

But when I look back at all I have done, I feel so blessed to have been given this time here.

Each day brings something new and exciting, and just when I think I have seen it all, something new surprises me.

The summer came and went and now we are settling back into our regular program.

There are currently two new volunteers here from Texas Emily and Reid, and a possibility of a fourth volunteer joining us at the end of October.

Tomorrow we are going on my second residential. This is where we take one of our family groups and head up to the north coast where we spend 3 full days with the families.

The after school kids get to go to the beach, castles, play parks, and Giant's cause way. The babies get to take cool walks (be pushed in prams) enjoy play parks and just get a chance to get out of Belfast. The mums enjoy shopping, coffee shops, horse back riding and the carrick-a-reed rope bridge.

Residential is just a nice time away and a great holiday and good times for all. When we return to Quakers, this group will now start coming once a week instead of two, because they will only have 4 months left with us. Which also means a new group of mums and babies will be starting up soon when we get back.

We have a week off over Halloween and I am hoping to either have my friend Kendra come and visit or do some exploring on my own through Scottland and maybe even London.

I am also looking into flights so I will be able to come home for Christmas.

More to come after residential :)

Where has the summer gone?

The last 2 months have been very exciting.

I have:

- made new life long friends (Thanks Emmy and Amanda for everything you have done this summer)

-turned 23 (I was told this is the best birthday year yet, so I'm expected to live it up, I also learned you get cool presents when you live outside of the country)

- ate a tuna sandwich most everyday for lunch (don't want to see tuna for a while)

- Spent a week in Berlin at my BVS retreat (good times, great people)

-Played at some pretty awesome play parks (Northern Ireland play parks are by far better than American ones)

- Explored beaches and castles

-Fed ducks and geese bread

- Sang many many many silly songs ( "When I was one I sucked my thumb the day I went to see I climbed a board a pirate ship and the captain said to me, we're going this way that way forwards and backwards over the Irish sea, a bottle of juice to shake me loose and that's the life for me......"

-paddle boated in swans (got drenched by teens having a water fight)

- Drove a lot and pretty much have mastered the stick shift mini-bus (Do not like the motorways here, not many entrance and exit ramps and can be very tricky to figure out)

- Changed lots of nappies

- Rode in the back of an ambulance for the 1st time (we had a boy fall out of a tree from about 10 feet flat on his back, luckily he just fractured his shoulder a wee bit and is A ok, but very scary)

- Played lots and lots of card games

- Got to pet an Owl, a fox, and a hedgehog

- Missed my friends and family tons (thanks for all of the emails and notes)

- Sailed on a real sail boat for the first time!

- learned I like oatmeal and some Indian food.

-Picked Blackberries and made a cobbler (had to climb through the window to get them right behind our house)

-Hung out with a lot of cool kids and overall just had a good time.

There were many challenging moments to my summer as well, and it is bitter sweet that it has gone so fast.

This past Thursday two new long term volunteers (Reid and Emily) moved in from Texas. I am excited to get to know them better and have some constant people around for a whole year.

I will be very sad to see Anna and Emmy leave, but it will also be nice to get back to routine.

I haven't been the best at blogging, and I apologize. I will try and do better for the next 6 months while I am here :)

If you have any questions about what is going on, please feel free to email meat pd4me13@yahoo.com

I love hearing from people!