We boarded the train at 6:30 p.m. in Paris towards Charles de Gaulle airport, and literally 10 minutes into the ride both of us looked at each other and started to get teary eyed. We talked about how great the weekend is, but at the same time how much foreign countries make us nostalgic for things at home. We mentioned how we wished we were getting on a plane to MN rather than NI, and spent the rest of the travel time home in a bit of a dreary mood. We splurged on a taxi from the airport to our flat in Belfast (it's about a half an hour), and went to bed.
I forgot to mention this: Many shops and organisations are closed this entire week for Easter, and it just so happens Corrymeela is included in that number. What does this mean? It means I have the week off to explore Belfast and do things I haven't gotten a chance to do yet! 'Tis a very refreshing feeling. Anyway, I awoke this morning to my flatmates in the kitchen talking about how they all were feeling some homesickness this weekend. Maybe we've just hit a low point in the trip, but everyone seems to be a little nostalgic for the good old midwest. Not fun. I mulled over some things in my head while eating my cereal, and eventually decided I shall attempt to use my day/week off to help my spirits rather than wallow in the flat. Hence, the idea for a new project was born:
What Makes me Happy about Northern Ireland: A Photo Essay.
-Walking down the streets with my ipod and getting lost in the moment. The latest: Steve Earl's "Galway Girl".
-The amazin' Value Cab Company. Meets all of our needs for lazy days, tired legs, late-night and early-morning pick ups. We'll just forget about the car accident incident.
-Charlie's Coffee Company! One of my treats.
-Walking by Queens University on my way to work everyday. This building is SO beautiful and looks like it is part of Hogwarts.
-Stopping at Winemark on the way home and everyone in our flat enjoying a glass with dinner.
-"To Let" means "to lease", basically. I love the fact that my mom initially thought these signs said "TOILET" and the I had been rubbed out somehow.
-The ocean. Minnesota is so unique in the sense that it's one of the furthest places from the ocean on earth. I try to make NI natives realize how lucky they are to live so close to it, as well as understand why I always want to just "take in the view" for a few minutes.
-My new found love for scones. Enough said.
-The "family". OK creepy, that sounded a little Charles Manson-esque, but seriously. Our group would not function even if one of us left. We are all continuously supporting each other, squabbling like siblings, and trying to hold on to the time we have left together before we're splintered all over the country again.
-Cherry blossoms! I'm not even sure if I've ever seen them in real life before this trip, but they are ALL OVER Belfast and I am coming to adore them.
-Cooking dinner and eating together as a flat. If everything else seems foreign and difficult, this is the one thing we can all look forward to at the end of a long day.
-Learning about the peace process and actually living in it. We're so lucky HECUA and Nigel have put together such a great program for us. The people we meet, the classes and jobs we have, and the field-trips we take are all top-drawer (NOT top-shelf, which means something completely different, thanks Nigel).
I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for coming up with this idea. It was pretty therapeutic, and I plan to continue on with it whenever I'm feeling a twinge of homesickness. I had to laugh when I took a walk today to get some of these pictures this afternoon and made a wee stop at the grocery store (one of my favourite things to do) and then started home feeling good only to watch my poor grocery bag split in two and all of my groceries spill onto the sidewalk. Too ironic. Luckily, my purse was almost big enough to hold most of my food. I was only the weird girl with a bulging purse, apple in one hand, and box of Rice Krispies under the other arm for the rest of the walk home. Ta ha.
Anyways. Hope this finds everyone well!
-Karen
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