I. MILKED. A. COW.

I will forever remember this past weekend as the one when I got to do all of the things I believe are quintessential Irish farming activities.  My supervisor lives on farm and I went to spend Easter weekend with her.  It was an excellent weekend filled with activities that I found to be very exciting, which I think amused everyone :)  First we went to visit New Grange, a passage tomb that is older than Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids.

New Grange!

the tri-spiral

Then we picked up her granny, who taught me how to make brown bread.  Here are some photos of that (by the way, it's delicious).

Then her brother went with us to find sheep that I could pet.  We may or may not have ventured into a neighbour's field to pet his sheep, which ended without a successful sheep petting.  So we went to another family friend who told us we could go to the field where his lambs were and pet them.  IT WAS SO CUTE AND LIGHT AND I JUST WANTED TO HOLD IT ALL DAY!!! I was also able to pet an adult sheep.  Petting sheep/holding a lamb was on my Irish bucket list, so I was really happy to have accomplished it!

Milking a cow was also on my Irish bucket list, which is what happened next!  My classmates asked me to get a video of me milking a cow, but for some reason it isn't loading on this.  I will try again later (or if we're Facebook friends, check Facebook!)  It should be noted that they are milked by machine now and not hand ;)  Since the video won't load on this blog, here is just a picture of me milking a cow by hand.

This weekend my supervisor let me practice driving her car.  It was comical because I cannot drive stick and also kept veering to the wrong side of the road.  Easter dinner was great and I was happy to have had a place to go, as Easter is one of my favourite family holidays and I think I would have been very homesick if I had been alone.  It was a fantastic weekend filled with mundane Irish living, exactly what I wanted to experience!

Galway, will you marry me?

Last week I was able to spend some time in the YAP office in Galway and get to explore the city.  I was excited to go, because literally everyone I've met who has been to Galway says that they love it.  The immediate response to my saying I was going to Galway would always be, "Oh I love Galway."  It was the only place every Irish person seemed to agree on loving.  After having spent a few days there, I can completely understand the enthusiastic response.  If Galway was a man, I'd want to marry it.

The city itself just has a genuine atmosphere.  It's hard to describe in words other than saying "It has an atmosphere..." and "It's so genuine."  It's just a palpable loveliness.  I was able to see the Salt Hill area, which was gorgeous.  Luckily for me the week was pretty sunny and clear, so I
walked around quite a bit.  I even did a day trip cycling around Inis Mór, also known as Aran Island.  It was a fantastic experience.

I was able to see just how vast of an area the YAP Galway office covers.  We spent literally all day driving from one area to the next.  It was a great opportunity to see a more rural side of Ireland as well!

This week also brought St. Patrick's Day.  A friend from Belfast asked me if I wanted to head up there for the day, so I said yes.  For those who don't know, I have spent a Paddy's Day in Dublin before, when I studied abroad, and I am well aware of the fact that it is pretty much internationals (cough cough Americans) who go to party in Ireland's capital.  So, I figured Belfast would be a much more representative of a true Irish experience.  Also, it was more time in a city I like, so why not?

This is classic and I love it

We missed the parade, but had a grand time drinking in pubs!  It was much more relaxed than in the States (and Dublin), and there was no trouble (so no worries Mom, Dad, Paul, Leah, and Janine).

Kissing him is good luck.  Those yellow things in the background BUILT THE TITANIC

Drinks on St. Paddy's Day

View from Inis Mór

I think I can see Point Pleasant

The world's smallest church

The Beach on Inis Mór

On a completely unrelated side note, I've just found out a town in Ireland has a time banking system.
http://www.clonfavour.com

SO COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Also, yes -
http://www.irishtimes.com/50-reasons-to-love-ireland-1.1327674

My First Kiss

Spoiler alert!!!

I did it.  I kissed the Blarney Stone!  My fellow Cork YAPers laughed when I said I intended on going to the Blarney Stone, because it's a total tourist trap and only Americans go there.  Rumour has it that the tradition is for boys graduating high school urinate on the stone as a joke on Americans.  I initially wasn't going to kiss it, but I figured it was a cliché for a reason, and who knows when I'll be back.  So, I kissed the Blarney Stone.

But, the real reason I was in Cork this week was to see another YAP Ireland programme.  The Cork programme is pretty new, only about two years old.  They hired their second full-time staff member literally weeks before I came to Ireland.  It was interesting to experience the differences between the Cork office and the Dublin office, one of which is not how nice the staff are.  They were so so so nice and helpful!  But, on to the programmes...Cork is a much smaller programme (which is probably obvious considering I've just told you they only recently hired their second full-time staff person).  I was able to go on an outing with a young person and their advocate, and I went to a golf range for the first time ever!  But, more importantly, I was able to experience firsthand the relationship between a young person and his or her advocate and just how much support is there for the young person.  It was really cool (for me, at least).  I attended a staff meeting, but only two advocates were able to come as most were very sick.  I also was able to check out a residential facility, which, while not being representative of all residential facilities, was very depressing.  I think it used to be a psychiatric ward, and it was kind of rundown and strikingly bare.  Again, while not being representative of all residential facilities in Ireland, I would hate to have to send my child there.  Although, the staff members I spoke with did seem to genuinely care about the young people in the facility (I feel bad judging a place I only spent a short amount of time in, but that's my honest opinion).

One question I was asked a couple of times while in Cork was about differences between YAP Ireland and YAP Inc. (the mother organization).  I said that I think the issues young people in Ireland face are pretty much the same ones being faced by the young people in the U.S.  I also said that, it didn't matter which YAP office I was in, whether it be Philly, New Brunswick, Dublin, Meath, or Cork, the energy in each office was the same.  The people who work for YAP truly believe in its mission and its model, and the belief is palpable in every office I've visited and with every YAP person I've met.  I think it's pretty cool that there's a truly international belief in YAP's model that is consistent across nations and cultures.  This past November I was able to speak with Tom Jeffers, the founder of YAP, and I asked him what it felt like to see his organisation grow from this tiny idea to having an international presence. He told me that he always wanted his idea to grow, because even if an office closed, the idea could never be killed.  It's been really interesting/cool/neat/(other awesome adjectives) for me to see how his idea of keeping kids out of institutions and connected to their communities is supported and spreading worldwide.

I spent an extra day in Cork to do some travelling.  I was able to get to Blarney and Kinsale on Saturday.  To me, Kinsale was absolutely breathtaking, picturesque, and what I think of when I think of Ireland.  It also is the gourmet capital of Ireland, so my stomach was happy!  I found two really cool shops.  One was a silversmith called Kinsale silver.  I was just on the way to walk up to Charles Fort, saw the shop's sign, and remembered my dear friend Kate asked me to get her a real Irish claddagh ring.  I ended up getting her ring, my mom a necklace, and myself a ring engrained with "grá" in Ogham, which means "love" in Irish.  I asked the shop owner how he became involved in creating jewelry and silversmithing, and he said it was his family business.  Once I got home and did some googling I found out his family has been the silversmiths for Kinsale for the past 300 years!  It makes the pieces I got for Kate, my mom, and myself somewhat more special knowing they come from such an iconic shop that has its roots in the town for centuries.

Blarney Castle

View from the Castle

Walking the grounds of Blarney Castle

Views in Kinsale

Views in Kinsale

View of Kinsale

Inside Charles Fort

Inside Charles Fort

View from Charles Fort

Read from the bottom up.  "Grá"

Information about Ogham (have fun trying to read that...sorry!)

The other shop I found and loved was an artisan chocolate shop.  The owner makes the chocolate in the shop, and he talked to me about the different flavours he creates.  I ended up also buying some chocolate from him, because as a social worker I support local shops (and maybe I just really love chocolate).  A breast cancer walk is happening soon there, and here's what he created for that

The main touristy thing I did in Kinsale was Charles Fort.  Kinsale is the most southern harbour between Ireland and the rest of Europe, and back in the day when enemy ships would come, they would (in the words of a Corkonian) "bomb the shit out of 'em from Charles Fort."  The walk to the fort (Scilly Walk) was the most breathtaking walk I have ever taken, and the fort itself is cool as well.  If you're going to Ireland, I'd definitely make Kinsale a stop on your trip.

Here is a picture of Casey with her cousin Sandy!

On a total side note, I also went to see Once the Musical tonight.  If you know me, you know I am 1) A HUGE musical theatre geek and 2) Once is my favourite musical.  So, imagine how elated I was to find out Once the Musical was playing IN DUBLIN.  It was FANTASTIC, and the magic of seeing a show so based in Dublin culture, streets away from where the movie was filmed, surrounded by Irish people, along with the magic the cast (especially the leads) created was certainly not lost on me.  It proved to me that, even though the story is so simple, it's such a beautiful story that no matter who portrays it, you are moved.  I wish my friend Jackie was with me, because she's my Once (and theatre) P.I.C. and I know she would have loved the experience just as much as me.  So, that's my advert for Once.  Sorry, I wouldn't be me if I didn't geek out over it :)

Belfast

Hiya!

This weekend I decided to go up to Belfast for a day, which was not long enough.  I may have put off paper-writing for that day, which may not have been the best decision for my GPA, but I think it'd be far worse to not see as much of this tiny rock in the ocean as I possibly can before I have to come back to the States and graduate (which, do I really really need to come back MU??).  So, while I was a bad student this weekend, I promise that I was connecting things I learned in Belfast to what I've learned as an ICD student, which I'm going to demonstrate here so maybe my professors (really just one professor this week) won't be too upset with the subpar paper he or she is going to receive!

I took a taxi tour of some of Belfast and saw some of the murals.  It was a great and very fair viewpoint of both the Protestant and Catholic viewpoints.  Here's the link

http://www.big-e-taxitours.com

(and thanks to my friends Anna and Ryan for the recommendation).

The murals used to be about what was happening nationally, but they decided to redo them with a local community theme.  I asked if people minded that tourists were always walking through their neighbourhood taking pictures, and my tour guide/taxi man said that they did not mind because it meant that their story was being heard by others, and also that the murals were based on the community so it was truly their story (which I obviously loved to hear).
The murals definitely made me think about Professor Storey and my original YAP supervisor Diana, who are both art therapists.  Here's some pictures of the murals!

One of the murals has a man with a gun, and no matter where you stand, the barrel of the gun is pointing at you.  I took a video walking around it so people can see what I mean.

One thing my tour guide/taxi driver said was that Protestants would try to destroy Catholic churches, which is completely against international humanitarian law (cough cough Dr. Cronin).  I visited a memory garden on Bombay Street as well, which was interesting for multiple reasons.  One of those reasons because it was much more impactful to see how Catholics in Belfast live, with high gates and barricade/shield type things so their homes won't be destroyed by things thrown over the well, and plastic windows instead of glass.  It was a reminder that cultural competency starts on the ground with people, and not from reading articles (Jenny! (although I hope this doesn't make it sound like you are the one who makes us read those cultural competency articles.))

See the shield on the home?  Now granted, that wall is high now, but the extension was only added in 2005, so homes were still being damaged because people were throwing things over the wall.

This one mural made me think of Rosi

and so did this one

(The Free the Five picture)
This wall is dedicated to International injustices.  People in Belfast think the peace process could have began earlier if the international community had stepped in and tried to help, so this is their way of acknowledging and trying to help for international injustices.

And my internship is all about program evaluation, which would bring me to Dr. Mathbor.  See, I was still academically-minded even on my one-day adventure!

I'd also just like to take this space to thank the staff at my hostel, Global Village.  Fun story, I used an ATM to take out money, and the ATM ate my debit card.  I called the bank whose ATM it was, and Ian the bank man told me that once the ATM eats a card, it goes into a box that shreds the card, so I could not get my debit card back.  Yikes.  I happened to be with my taxi tour guide (as I was trying to take out money to pay him), and he was very very nice and suggested we go back to my hostel and see if they would over charge my credit card and give me cash back, and then I could pay him.  If that was not possible, he said he'd just give me his information and I could send him the money.  So nice!  I explained what happened to the guy at the front desk at Global Village, and he said "Oh no problem" and paid my tour guide for me.  After he did that though, he found out he could not overcharge my credit card, but he was really calm about my owing him money and just had a "we'll figure it out" attitude, which I greatly appreciated.  I went out to explore, ending up not coming back until much later (luckily I found a pub that could do cash back with a credit card, so I was able to get cash to pay him back) and then he said he had something to tell me.  He and the manager decided that since my debit card had been eaten, that they were going to let me stay the night for free!  I said that I could use my credit card to pay, but they said it was no problem.  So I got a free night with them!  It was so surprising and thoughtful!  Also, they were all very nice, and I almost want to go back to Belfast just to hang out with them!  Here is the hostel's website in case you're going to Belfast

http://globalvillagebelfast.com

Sorry, but since they cancelled my booking for me, I can't leave a review on hostelworld's website, so I felt like I should do it here :)

It was a great day in Belfast, and I may have to go back before returning to the States (which again, do I really really need to do that??)

Una Noche

Tonight I had the pleasure of seeing a film being shown at the Jameson Dublin Irish Film Festival, and the movie and experience were both so fantastic I wanted to share them!

The movie, Una Noche, follows a girl (Lila), her twin brother (Eliot, and his best friend (Raul) in their lives in Havana. Elio and Raul are planning on building a raft and using it to get to Miami. Lila ends up joining their plan, and without spoiling the ending (which we all know I would do), it's such a powerful and moving story, I dont want to ruin it for anyone. Also, it will be released in the States in June, AND I really want it to do well while in the States, so you will just have to go see it yourself! It was such a simple story, but it shows the civilian side of Havana (it was shot there), uses non-professional actors who the writer/director found on the streets of Havana, and it was a truly captivating sort of love story as well. I highly highly recommend it.

Afterwards the writer/director, Lucy Mulloy, did a q&a. The movie actually originated as a short film and was her thesis for NYU's film school. She actually was nominated for a student Oscar for it. She gained funding from mainly UK non-film people having only a synopsis of the story, no script! She had relatively no issues with gaining permits to film in Cuba, but Cuba has now banned the film, which is unfortunate because they were hoping to put it in the running for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars next year, and I wholeheartedly believe it could be a real contender! (Maybe the UK will submit it?) She brought the film and the three principal actors to the Berlin Festival, which was the actors' first time leaving Cuba. She brought it and them to TriBeCa, but the day before the festival the actors who played the brother and sister went missing (they had become a couple in real life). She was worried and called Javier's (Elio) mom, but the mom was calm, so Lucy knew it had been planned. She heard from Javier after he and the actor who played Raul jointly won Best Actor at TriBeCa. Think about that: these two men who were literally found on the streets of Havana, with no acting experience, won Best Actor at TRIBECA. Woah! The actor who played Raul has also stayed in the States.  Oh, we found those things out because someone asked if she wanted to continue the story, and she said she had written it as a trilogy, but the actors were no longer available (which led to the story of how they ended up staying in the States).  Lucy also said when Una Noche is released in the States they are going to try to get the three actors agents.  Oh! And the film is based off a true story, which Lucy told us, and let me tell you, also an interesting story.

I'm not sure if I captured how fantastic an experience tonight was, but it really was! Such a fabulous film and such an interesting history. Go see it whenever you can!!

My First Week with YAP Ireland

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous to start my internship at YAP Ireland.  First, starting any new placement, whether employment or interning, can be a bit nerve-wracking.  More importantly, I've been fortunate enough (I feel comfortable saying I'm the luckiest MSW student who has ever attended Monmouth) to have the most amazing supervisors for my past internships in my MSW program.  I figured there was no way I'd be lucky enough to have both my past supervisors, be able to intern in Ireland, and have an equally great supervisor and coworkers at my internship.  Well, for some reason I am that lucky and have had a great first week with YAP Ireland!  (I'm hoping I didn't just jinx the rest of my time here).  Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and made me feel at home right away.  They gave me advice about moving out of the hostel (which I did, great decision!) and about other things about Ireland.  This week I also attended a meeting in the Meath office, in Navan, which was cool because I nearly immediately got to experience an Irish country town.  My supervisor also took me out to get a filtered water bottle (I had a Brita one with a flip straw that would leak all over my bag, so I give it a bad review!  But maybe the Brita one with the push/pull top is better?) and a hot water bag so I am not as cold at night.  By the way, this hot water bag is probably the second best investment I've made here, other than the short let :)  Anyway, my first week at YAP Ireland was fantastic and I learned about the organisation itself, as well as how it differs from YAP, Inc.  My coworker/colleagues (not sure what the PC term is because I think in a hierarchy I'm below them) and I also discussed differences between social work and social welfare between the States and Ireland and some social issues Ireland is now facing.  I was a bit surprised when, while discussing homelessness, one of my coworkers (let's pretend I am their equal) said she thought it was against people's human right for the government to not provide them a place of shelter.  I don't think this would be something someone outside of a homelessness agency would say in the States, and I'd be a bit surprised if human rights were brought up even in that context.  For me it highlighted how much more in touch Ireland (and I'd venture to say Europe) is to human rights and how much more aware they are of the concept.

This weekend I did some more walking around the city centre, maybe visited a pub or two, and also toured Trinity a bit.  I applied for a visitor's card for Trinity College, and this week I think I am applying for the same for University College Dublin (UCD), so I can do schoolwork in their libraries.  Hopefully they come soon so I can start acting as if I'm attending those schools :) I've also been trying to figure out trips to take while I'm here.  There's so much to see and do, it leaves very little time for schoolwork :)  On that note, I'm going to go back to reading about humanitarian issues in war.  It's exactly how I like to spend my Sunday night (joking).

Cheers :)

My First Weekend in Dublin

Hello! I can't believe my first weekend has passed and I start with YAP tomorrow!  This weekend I was very busy!  My mom's friend took me out Friday and Saturday.  We went to Howth, ate fish and chips, walked around Dublin, and saw an Irish play at the Gaeity Theatre on Friday.  On Saturday I went to eat breakfast with her at her hotel, which happened to be where the English rugby team was staying (there was a HUGE rugby match between Ireland and England today).  I chatted with a few of them, and they were very nice!  I felt conflicted about wanting them to win, because I love England and they were so nice, and wanting Ireland to win, because this is my home base for the next two months.  We ended up running into the Irish rugby team on a walk later in the day, when we went to walk around the Shelbourne Hotel.  This is a famous hotel, where the Beatles and Stones have stayed, and also where treaties were signed.  There was a mini-Shelbourne museum in the lobby which had a draft of the Irish constitution and guestbooks from a long time ago (early 1900s I think).  We walked through the Horseshoe Bar where politicians tend to go during the weekdays.  Today I met up with a different family friend, who also showed me around Dublin.  Two of my roommates and I all watched the rugby match, and later three of my roommates and I went out for dinner.

To be honest, the first two days here I felt very lonely and missed home terribly, especially my Casey Boo Boo Bear, because I can talk with everyone else I miss, but I (obviously) can't communicate with my dog.  Today I felt more settled, though, I think because I walked around and got lost, which helped me better learn the layout of the city.

Here's my Casey Bear, in case you've never had the pleasure of meeting her.

I know, she's adorable.

I discovered a couple of things over this weekend I thought I'd share.  First, it's much cheaper to sublet a room than to stay in a hostel.  It's actually about half the cost or even less than half the cost.  I really do like the hostel I'm staying in; it's easily the nicest hostel I've ever stayed in.  It's also extremely close to the city centre, a really great location.  However, a more residential location that is nearly half the cost of staying here, with my own bedroom and en suite bathroom, kitchen, and I don't need to lock my things in a locker/live out of a suitcase, is pretty hard to argue against.  I'm slightly torn about staying in the hostel, though, because it is such a great location and a great way to meet people, but I think in the long run having a more (for lack of a better word) stable home for the next two months will be better for me financially and psychologically.  I think, also, that with a sublet I can be more confident leaving my things at home for a long weekend, instead of having to pack ALL my things every time I travel outside of Dublin/need to change living arrangements.  This week I'm going to look at some rooms, so hopefully I find one fast and can save some money on living costs ASAP!

Another thing I discovered is that Dublin and Ireland really does have social issues!  It's kind of silly that it took actually coming here for me to accept this, but even knowing for months I'd be coming here to intern as a social worker, it was hard for me to imagine that a place as beautiful as Ireland could actually have social issues.  The one I have most been confronted with is homelessness.  I was kind of shocked to see homeless people on the streets of Dublin.  I know about the financial crisis that is going on, but I think it was always a distant reality for me until I saw it with my own eyes.  I've also learned which areas are safer than others, which I'm happy to have found out so early in my time here.  There was even a protest here this weekend!  I thought protests were things that "the people" supported, but I learned from a few conversations that a lot of people actually don't support them, at least not this one.  Protests here are not typically violent, but they do shut down city streets, which means it's hard or impossible to get through areas of the city, taxi drivers lose money, and more money is spent on Garda for patrolling the protest.  It was interesting for me, though, because I've never been near an actual protest before. 

That was basically my first weekend here!  I'm looking forward to getting into my schedule, and I have a feeling that time is going to move too fast once I start interning and writing papers for class.  I'm hoping to be able to explore a place other than Dublin every other weekend. Wish my luck in actually getting school work done so I can accomplish this :)

Have a great week!