Monday, July 12, 2010

Week 8: The Final Days

Before you say it, I know it's been longer than a week since my last post! My absence is due to our busy schedule during our last couple of weeks in Belfast lest you think I was running out of things to say / write about. Now the difficulty will be pouring out everything out of this full noggin...

I am finally at the point where I knew the bus schedules and ice cream selection at various corner stores by heart and even count out 76 pence in change (the exact amount of a Twister) without getting flustered by all the coins. And now we're leaving. I would be lying if I said (typed?) that I didn't miss home - because I do. But Belfast has become yet another pseudo-home, complete with favorite places and new friends. My list of pseudo-homes is growing slowly: Boston/Somerville, Durham, and Belfast. And now we're just supposed to pick up and leave?? Yes, I guess that's the deal I signed up for with this DukeEngage program. In fact, I think I had to sign something saying that if I don't leave the country at the end of 8 weeks, they will use force to get me home.

Thus, our goodbyes began. First, Mike and I had to say goodbye to Sharon and Adie-- our wonderful supervisors for the summer and managers of Lisburn Prisoners Support Project. We all worked together in the cozy Credit Union office and the close quarters fostered close working relationships. Thankfully, we got to see Sharon and Adie one last time over the weekend because Adie invited us to join his family for their community's bonfire in celebration of the Twelfth. The "Twelfth" is the Protestant celebration on the 12th of July that originally was designed to celebrate King William of Orange's victory over King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Three hundred and twenty years later, I highly doubt that people (especially younger generations) are still celebrating this triumph. Now it is a deeply-rooted tradition that starts with the burning of massive bonfires on the Eleventh night and ends with a day-long parade of Orangemen and bands through Belfast (and other cities in Northern Ireland). The "marching season" is fairly tense because TONS of flags are flown, including some paramilitary emblems (although the number has decreased signifcantly in recent years) and because the marches pass through many neighborhoods, including some Catholic ones. The route of a lawful march has to be approved the Parades Commission, who try to accomodate the Orangemen's (Protestant) desired route while respecting the Catholic communities opposition to the parades going through their neighbourhoods. Sounds like civilized compromise, but both sides become embittered through this push-and-shove process. A recurring theme in Northern Ireland's history is one group feeling (rightly or wrongly) as though giving something to the others lessens what they have -- i.e. if you get more rights, ours will be limited. An interesting position to consider...

Yes, it's tradition -- but sometimes that's not a good enough reason to keep doing something. I'm sure you can think of some examples without any prompts from me. All I know is that while I was appreciative of the warmth coming from the huge backyard fire, it was eerie to see the tricolor flag (of Ireland; representative of the nationalist community) burning on top. No matter what way you spin it, that's not friendly or peaceful. This is a very complicated (and dare I say heated) issue, so feel free to respond and/or ask questions.

Another goodbye we had to say was to Farset and the wonderful staff, including the manager Ruth -- who cooked me my first (and only) heart-clogging Ulster Fry. Trying the combo of fried egg, sausage, bacon, soda bread, potato bread, and beans was on my to-do list. Phew! So glad I've got that checked off now.


Finally, we are going to have to say goodbye to each other and our shared summer in Belfast. Hold up! Let's not get ahead of ourselves -- our flight doesn't leave for another 30 hours. There's still time...

2 comments:

  1. Great post -- I'm hoping for further thoughts once you've crossed the water moving west again...

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  2. aww, glad to hear that you had such a great time! That bonfire, though, hmm... And, that Ulster Fry - glad that you had that only once, and not everyday, looks a bit heavy!!

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