Sligo Rotary District Conference Weekend

It was a Thursday through Sunday affair, which started with a 2.5 hour scenic drive from Derry to Sligo. John and Anne MacCrossan provided lots of interesting information about the countryside and little towns that we passed through. Brigitta, another Ambassadorial Scholar being hosted here in Derry from Hungary, and I interjected quite frequently with questions of our own.

"Why are all the sheep marked with a color of paint?"

"Because the farmer's often share land and let them roam the countryside. When it comes time to herd them, they can tell which ones are theirs."

We also made multiple stops to catch a snapshot of a castle, the bog, mountains, or coastline. We also made a pitt stop at the famous poet William Butler Yeat's grave. It's located in an idyllic spot with the historic stone church casting a shadow over the gravesite and the Benbulben peak looming large in the background.



We kept a pretty tight schedule with lunches/dinners with Rotarians (of particular note with the Club of Newry! We skipped the last concert for some good craic at the Waterford Pub at Ross's Point), exploration of downtown Sligo, plenary sessions, a formal masquerade ball, fashion show, and meeting the other ambassadorial scholars in Ireland. And by the way, before the band even finishes the first chorus, the entire dancefloor is packed with danceres. I love this about the Irish. I'll let a few photos speak for themselves.



The plenary speakers were absolutely fantastic. I listened to Niall Mellon tell his story about how after vacationing in South Africa with his wife, he then began to work with local people in the townships to build homes. That was five years ago. Today, they charter jumbo jets out of Ireland to build literally thousands of homes in the townships. Read more at http://www.irishtownship.com/.

Peter Shaw was a Welsh man who was kidnapped in Georgia in 2002 and chained into a hole in the ground for 4 months. His story of how he overcame despair and managed to return to his family is absolutely incredible.

Jim Grady spoke about how he and his police force are working to find pedophiles and protect children. His presentation was chilling but also inspiring.

And on and on. I was again reminded of the importance of collaboration in working towards the common goal of reacing a better society, a better world through humanitarian aid, education, health care, compassion, and mutual understanding and respect for humanity. Rotary not only has a hand in all of these things internationally, but often leads the effort, such as working towards the eradication of polio (and literally backing that with matching grants of hundreds of millions of dollars), alzheimer's research, potable water, and an endless list of other community involvements and activities. I also would not be where I am without the support of the Rotary and its members, hosting/sponsoring clubs, and Rotary foundation contributors. Many people I talk to are confused about what Rotary is. I can speak to the quality of this organization and I recommend that you look into it. I guarantee there is a club or clubs near you. www.rotary.org.

I have to get to class now. Whatever you do today, find a way to be engaged and involved in a positive way with the people around you.

An H In Derry is Never Silent

An “H” in Derry is never silent. I had a good-natured debate over this yesterday after I said, “Pretty soon I will have a whole (h)ERB garden in my window.” Which was met with laughter. I suppose I can concede the point. It drives me nuts when people arbitrarily decide to create a silent H, like in the word human, or huge. Homage can really go either way but regardless, I can’t quite bring myself to use an aspirated H in herbal tea or to sing "hayche, I, J,K, elemeno, P".

While I’ve made mention of tea, it is highly customary to offer tea to a guest when they first arrive at your house, or after dinner, or in the afternoon. Typically it is Irish tea, which I enjoy with milk and no sugar, but certainly not black as I enjoy all of my green, rooibos and (h)erbal teas.

I have no particular theme to explore this time around. Here are a few vignettes of life in Derry at present.



This is the street I live on, and my house is the one with the purple door. For the past several months, I’ve been quite taken with the color purple, so it only seemed fitting. I currently inhabit a cozy little room with a view of the River Foyle, but I will be moving into a larger room when one of my roommates moves out next week. Then, I will be living with an Irish girl from Armagh, an Italian girl, another girl of unknown origin, and perhaps another American girl in my program.

I visited an ancient stone fort (circa time of Christ) about 10 minutes away from where I live, which also happens to be in Co. Donegal in the Republic of Ireland. The absolute silence struck me, but it was the view that knocked me out. Additionally, I have to note that this fort has no entrance fee, guard rails, tour guides or souvenir shops. It is basically chillin’ in someone’s back yard and you just sort of…drive a few back roads (which are basically the only kind of roads that exist in Donegal) and then walk up to it. Incredible. The video doesn't do it justice. Sigh.


I’ve lost a few pounds since I’ve been here. Certainly of the sterling variety, but also weight wise. For the record, weight is often referred to in measurements of “stones” in Derry. I haven’t quite figured out the conversion rate of pounds to stones, but I think it’s something like 13 lbs.= 1 stone? I’m open to corrections for anyone who actually knows. I have approximately 2 out of 6 pairs of pants that fit me well enough to wear. This is sort of normal for me when I move someplace new. I discovered a fabulous chocolate aisle in the grocery store yesterday, so I suspect the situation will rectify itself soon enough. If not however, I’ll enjoy it and go on a shopping trip!

I’ve now officially registered for classes, which begin on Tuesday. Admittedly, the chaos of registration was a bit of a shock, and suffice it to say that I appreciate the systematic approach of American universities. I welcome the onset of an academic routine and am looking forward to my classes: Peace and Conflict Studies Research and The Northern Ireland Conflict.

UK reality TV is, for lack of the existence of a sufficient word...astounding. When Women Rule the World was a real treat this afternoon. 7 women. 8 men. 1 queen. I'll let you imagine the rest. I guarantee you cannot make this stuff up. It's real.

Classes this week and off to the Rotary District conference in Sligo this weekend!

Contact Info

If you would like my cell phone number or address, let me know and I will send it to you! Thanks all.

Arrival and the Things That Really Are

Irish bartenders really do pour a Guinness and then let it sit. I forgot that just a moment ago, as I paid and then paused for a moment, glancing at the pint. "I'll bring it to ya', aye."

Sitting in front of the emergency exit on an overnight flight really is not a good idea. The stiff and non-negotiable 90 degree position I endured on the transcontinental flight contributed to my 31 hour sleepless travel/first day in Derry. I enjoyed a really great first day, however, and my flights were on time-- so no complaints.

Ireland is really green. Evergreen, wintergreen, grass green, Jolly-Green Giant green, sage, chartreuse and any other greens I left out. During the 1.5 hour bus ride from Belfast to Derry, I was assaulted with the intensity of the color and beauty of the countryside and it was incredible. This doesn't surprise me in the least because...

It really does rain here all the time. In Lancaster, South Carolina, or Florida, we speak about rain in this way. "Oh, it's going to rain on Wednesday and Thursday." In Ireland, one would probably say, "Och, did you hear we might get some sun for a minute on Saturday?" Granted, I have only been here for 2 days, but so far I have experienced approximately 5 minutes of timid sunshine and the rest under heavy clouds and various degrees of rain. Temperatures range in the 60's.

Moving overseas is a really humbling experience. What I mean is that we take for granted things like reaching into your wallet and knowing how much each coin is worth. Plugging things into a wall and knowing that the electricity matches up. Or picking up a phone and knowing how to make a call. Derry (officially a part of the UK) sits close to the Republic of Ireland border, which means on any given call, you may or may not have to dial a 0. or a 7. or a 07. or a 44. It all just depends on whether or not it is a cell or landline, and if it is a UK or Republic of Ireland number and where the call is coming from. Process of elimination usually works eventually. I do have a brand new phone and phone number. If you do plan or need to call me from the U.S. you can dial 011 44 ...dang. I didn't memorize my number and I can't find the little card that tells me. See what I mean? It takes a bit of time to get the basics down. Even in a Western European, English speaking country...

Speaking of language, the Irish accent really is thick and hard to understand at times but definitely neat:) My friend Jason Keeling cautioned me that old men are virtually incomprehensible to Americans. A seasoned Irish gentleman sat beside me on a bus today and said something to me. I have no idea what that something was. I've learned a few things regarding language in these past two days. Aye is used frequently to agree with someone or to affirm that you are listening to them, a boot is the trunk of a car, the yard entails the part of your property that is covered in concrete or hard dirt while the garden refers to anything green. Craic (Sp?...pronounced "crack") is used frequently and takes on several different meanings. For example, "Hows the craic?" means, "How is it going?" or "It was good craic" means "It was a lot of fun" or "Do you have any craic" means "What's good?" Also very important to remember...when someone takes another person to their flat (apartment) in their car, they are giving them a lift, "giving them a ride" entails something entirely different. I forgot this yesterday when I spoke Billly McCorley, who now happens to be my landlord. Brilliant.

There really is so much more that I could say, but this wee bit will do for now. I'm having a great time already and even though I know I am in the euphoric stage of culture shock where Ireland can do no wrong, I have a good feeling about this one.

I also believe that it is fitting to give many thanks to Jim Skelly (visiting professor at Magee and resident director of BCA...we met at a conference in DC in May) and John MacCrossan (my Rotary host counselor) for helping me get situated and settled here. It has made my these first moments exceedingly more comfortable and easy.

Stay tuned for more on the living situation, climate, school, city, etc.