TriciAdventures

I have returned from my travels with just a day left in Belfast to re-pack the treasures and memories from this trip before heading home.

I have met lovely people and seen beautiful things over the past 3 weeks of travel. I have taken over 2400 photographs that now need culling and sorting, only about 150 of which are #awkwardselfies. I've had time to process some of the emotions associated with leaving Belfast and returning to the States, a process which I'm sure will continue for some time to come.

I will continue to write here occasionally: I still have half-formed ideas that I'd like to think-through in writing, and my time as a YAV is not quite over. This fall I will travel as a part of the YAV Itineration Team (otherwise known as YAVIT!), spreading the word about this program to Presbyteries, schools and churches around the country.

I'd still love your prayers and support as I begin this next phase. Returning home when so much has changed (for both myself and the people I love back home) is intimidating. I will step off that plane on Wednesday with no job, no car and no real home: many things associated with comfort and success in our society. Of course I trust that the Lord and my amazing community will help me through, but knowing those of you who have been my prayer warriors still have my back is a great comfort. If I've learned anything this year, it is that I have the most amazing support network on the planet!

Until next time, my friends!
Tricia

And now for the answer portion of our evening...

Awhile back I opened myself up for another question-and-answer session, and I've finally gotten around to compiling and answering a few of your popular questions:

How is Ireland? Shamrock. Leprechaun. Guinness. 
OK, I'm a little surprised to still be getting questions like this. Belfast is in Northern Ireland, which is a different country from the Republic of Ireland (for those who are more recent followers of my blog, I will direct you here for a more in-depth explanation).

Asking someone in Northern Ireland about living in Ireland is like asking a Canadian how they like being from the States. Same land mass, different countries. There is still significant Irish culture here - street signs in Nationalist neighborhoods are written in both English and Irish, and you'll likely see Irish tricolour flags flying in these areas... but since I work for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), my placements are in largely Unionist areas. In that case, the question might be more appropriate as, "How is Northern Ireland? Union Flag. Cuppa Tea. Bonfires..."

After all that, the answer, of course, would be that it's great craic (translate). I'm really enjoying the opportunity to be here, to spend time with the people I've met here, and to take weekend trips to places like the Giant's Causeway or Blarney castle.

Have you picked up any local habits or sayings?
Things I've caught myself saying (in total seriousness), and was completely surprised to hear come out of my mouth:

• I haven't a baldy (or a baldy notion). - I have no idea.
• Ach, she's a wee dote. Give us a nurse. - Your baby is adorable. Let me hold her.
• He completely does my head in, he's mustard. - He drives me crazy, he's stubborn.
• Dead on - all right
• He's always taking the mick out of her - He is playfully making fun of her.
• I haven't seen him in donkeys - it has been a long time.

I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I can think of for now. 

When are you coming home?
Well, it depends on what you consider "home"... I'll fly into the States on 7th August, and spend a few weeks at my childhood home in Orlando. I will then head back to my adopted home of Louisville - timeline is still TBD, but I'd like to be in O-town for my baby brother's birthday on 18th August and in Cincinnati for my niece's on 23rd August... so that's the general idea.

What will you do when you get home?
Yes, I am looking for jobs. Not-so-officially, since I'm still about 3 months away from being back in Louisville, but more like considering what the next year has in store. I may head back to the corporate realm as an administrative assistant (which I've done for the past 12 years), head back to school, or embark on some other adventure that is a combination of the above. Time will tell.

Special blog post, Momma-style!

As promised, I've asked my mom to give a bit of reflection on her whirlwind tour of Belfast (and most of the UK). So without further ado:


It’s rather unnerving to do a guest blog; Tricia does what I consider a fabulous job with her entries. She did warn me about this request but it just gave me more time to fret about it. Well, here goes:

Thursday: Being busy doesn't even touch on what Tricia had in store for my visit. After the bus ride home from the airport we got our first sign of how friendly Belfast can be. With only 2 blocks to go, Robert insisted on giving us a lift. As Tricia said, people are so friendly here you learn to just graciously accept these kind offers. We crock-potted dinner and were on our way for one of my few opportunities to see Tricia active in one of her normal weekly-duties—Lunch with the Pensioners. Julia prepared a traditional Belfast feast and everyone that works at the Vine had nothing but good to say not only about Tricia but also her work there. We went on the see so much of the city that Tricia has been calling home this year, (or she was keeping me on my feet so I wouldn't fall asleep). The Maundy Thursday service was beautiful and gave me the opportunity to meet some of the people who have helped Tricia feel welcome in this foreign country. Going out after the service with friends and fellow YAVs was very comforting and gave me peace. The plan for new YAVs on their first night in Belfast is to stay awake until at least 9:00 P.M. But no, normal bedtime back home for me is 9:00 PM, add those 4 hours for Belfast time, equals 1:00 AM in Belfast. We only made midnight, but still a very long 38 hours. Glad I squeezed in that 1 ¼ hours of sleep on the flight over.

Meeting David and Anna on Thursday

Friday: After a traditional Ulster breakfast we trekked to Belfast Castle. The castle wasn't the main attraction but the several-hour hike up to Napoleon’s nose in the snow, ice and cold was the naz. Fellow YAV David included us in his weekly hike, and was a wonderful guide—patient and tolerant of Tricia and my less than perfect skills and a Florida mom who had never frolicked in snow. We got home in time to change for the Good Friday service and my opportunity to get to know Lesley, the pastor at Tricia’s church, and to meet others who have helped Tricia feel welcome in Belfast. It was nice to see Tricia involved with the service. The evening outing gave me a chance to meet TJ, the final North Belfast YAV. Things closed early for Good Friday so we got to bed before midnight.

Our view from "Napoleon's Nose"

Saturday: Tricia has made the trip to Giant’s Causeway with friends from the congregation before but we got the full-day tour with many sights of this lovely country both along the way and on the return to Belfast. Upon our return we headed back to Belfast Castle, now the main attraction. It was odd hiking up the hill in the cold and dark to get to the castle, but was so worth it to see all the Northern Belfast YAVs as a group. The friendship they share is priceless. The support and camaraderie they have towards one another is invaluable.

Photo op with the Giant's Causeway in the background

Sunday: Easter Sunday was a peaceful morning, not having to get out of the house until 10:00. Maybe not as calm for Tricia with every alarm in the house set to make sure she didn't miss the time change. (What devices automatically change time, which don’t?) The service was lovely and I got to see Tricia in another phase of her work: keeping the service and all of its digital aspects in sync; a nice presentation of Tricia’s work with The Youth Club was included. After the service there was a chance to meet others in the congregation. Stewart who complimented Tricia’s help with The Boys' Brigade, and several young couples who love Tricia and value her relationship with their “tots”. After church we went to the City Centre. More was closed than expected on Easter Sunday so we missed St. George’s Market and our falafel, but this just allowed us to eat at Nando's, one of Tricia’s favorites. Easter and the time change combined had us miss our tour of Belfast but Tricia came through once again. We got a very special, first-hand tour of the murals in Belfast and the Peace Wall, the biggest attractions of the Belfast tour, from TJ, who does much of his YAV work in this area.

Monday: Well this brings us to the 7:00 arrival at the International Airport for our flight to Newcastle for our “whistle-stop tour” that Tricia mentioned in her blog. She makes it seem like a simple tour but seeing how my first 4 days went, I’m sure you can imagine the “tour” of Great Britain at times seemed more of an “assault”. We made the most of the vacation time and finished it with a wonderful meal at a winery B&B that Tricia tricked me into having her pay for.

Of all the wonderful things Tricia mentions in her blog, what does Tricia’s mom do? Hears anything that she could worry about--life is scary; no, it isn't easy; trials and tribulations; etc—often not even hearing the context is which something is said. But I guess we all can be proven so wrong. With my short time in Belfast I saw so much. Not only have I seen my daughter’s successes and accomplishments, I've seen and witnessed some of her trials and tribulations.Tricia has met some wonderful people, has had irreplaceable experiences and has learned volumes about herself. She now sees that she can do anything and that every cloud has a silver lining. A mother could be nothing but proud. Tricia has soldiered through her YAV year with dignity and grace—for that I am extremely proud of her and admire her. And for who she is I love her.

Aww, thanks mom - love you too! For more of our photos from the trip, click here.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love that I can look at my blog stats and see that there are people who check in regularly even when I don't write for awhile. :) Love you guys!

So yes, I've been gone for a few weeks and the madness has finally lulled a bit. The Artisan Christmas Market went off with nary a hitch yesterday (raised over £480!), so I've finally had some time to recharge my batteries and catch you up on the holidays here. So, without further ado, here's a peek into the lead up to Christmas here in Belfast:

Christmas Dinners
I have been to several of these at this point. While there is variety in the setting or the people you're with, a few things stand out to me as constants: the menu and the crackers. At home, people might eat turkey or ham or goose or lamb or... whatever for their holiday meals. Here, you will most likely receive stuffing sandwiched between a slice of ham and a slice of turkey, brussels sprouts, carrots, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes and cranberry sauce. Sometimes cocktail sausages as well. Wrapped in bacon if you're lucky. Christmas pudding is always an option for dessert. I did find an entire tumblr dedicated to Christmas dinners in my search for a photo, but apparently people who post pictures of Christmas dinner on the internet haven't had the exact same meal I've been served 3 times (and offered the option of at least 4 others) in the past 2 weeks.

Close enough. Found on mychristmasdinner.tumblr.com

Notice at the top of the plate a Christmas Cracker. Everyone here is SHOCKED that I've never had one of these at Christmas (I did get one at NYE ~ 1995, though...). Inside will be a novelty toy, joke, and paper crown. You pull either side with a friend and the one who gets the bigger part wins its contents. I kind of rock at that part.

Sherrie rocks the moustache from her Christmas cracker

  

Paper crowns for everyone!

Christmas Jumpers

EVERYONE seems to think this is an American thing. I don't understand how this is possible since they are widely available in stores here and you have to scramble through Goodwill to find one at home, but still. I have been getting good use of mine this year. Also, I learned to call it a Christmas jumper rather than a tacky sweater... because many people do not consider these tacky and I may or may not have insulted someone with that statement (much like my aunt's festive vs. tacky debate last year). A small sampling of the opportunities I've had to wear this already (and it's only the 16th!):

Fortwilliam and Macrory staff dinner - How sweet,
Mark actually thinks his counts as a Christmas jumper...

The boys' Christmas jumper party

Christmas decorations

Belfast really does it up. The entire city centre is absolutely covered in twinkle lights. I haven't managed to get a good shot of the festivities, but Beth has:

Anna and I did manage to find some time to decorate our tree. I'll post more of our fab Christmas decor later...

I've had many people ask what I'll be doing for Christmas. I will stay here in Belfast. The YAVs have planned a Christmas movie night / sleepover this week, and we'll all have services at our own congregations in the days leading up to the 25th. On Christmas day I have been adopted by a family from church, so I'm looking forward to the craic that comes with a big family. Speaking of big family, there will obviously be skype involved as well... so don't worry, I'm being well looked after!

Until next time,

xox

A Brief History Lesson (a.k.a., What's with the new name?)

I know, after making a big deal about Katie winning the blog naming contest, I went back on my word... I still think she is exceptional and talented and lovely, but I realized that "Irish you were here" was a little misleading.

For one thing, several incredibly smart people I've spoken to didn't actually know that there's a difference between Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (it's not just like in the States, where we refer to things directionally, e.g., "Up North", Midwest) and I feel like having "Irish" in there just added to the confusion.

I'm also trying to be careful about the words I choose as I learn about the politics of everything... I'm not going to walk you through the hundreds of years of conflict (not today, at least), but you can brush up on Wikipedia if that's your jam.

By contrast, Norn Iron "is an informal and affectionate local nickname used by both nationalists and unionists to refer to Northern Ireland, derived from the pronunciation of the words 'Northern Ireland' in an exaggerated Ulster accent (particularly one from the Greater Belfast area). The phrase is seen as a light-hearted way to refer to Northern Ireland, based as it is on regional pronunciation." (Wikipedia)

Don't you feel smarter already?

Living Simply

Becoming a Young Adult Volunteer means that I have committed to spend the next year as a part of an intentional community, dedicated to living simply, growing in faith and discipleship and serving God. 

Living simply means so much. Not only does it require the obvious step of living on a limited income while I'm abroad, but I have been preparing for it in other ways as well. As a part of the fundraising process, and in preparation for a year away from home, I have been sorting through my possessions to sell or donate the things I can't use anymore. My pack-rat tendencies are fighting it, but I figure that's better than paying for a huge storage unit! 

On that note, does anyone need a washer and dryer?

I think it's pretty well known that I'm a first-rate worrier. Trust me, I've considered everything from whether I'll need that shirt again to whether I can find a job when I get back (yes, more than a year in the future). I've heard it said that the YAV experience makes you "rich enough to be poor for a year" - so I stand here at the beginning of this process excited to be in a place where I can give up my concerns and truly put others first. 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Matthew 6:25-27

P.S. - congrats to Katie for winning my non-contest for naming this blog (both of the top vote-getters were her suggestion)! Visit her at http://www.ampersandanddash.com/.

Thank you!

Oh, wow.

I knew that there would be people out there who would be excited for me to embark on this new adventure, but the outpouring of love I've received is just overwhelming.

Thank you SO much for your support. Check back often for details as I prepare for this exciting adventure! I must say, I'm really glad I have the next few months to get everything completed....

Today's adventure #1: renewing the passport. Pretty exciting! The forms were easy, but the hard part will be decommissioning my beloved first passport. I've been reassured that they will send it back to me, so I guess it's time to work on getting some new memories stamps!

Adventure #2 of the day is a little less exciting: beginning the process of fundraising for my trip. Each Young Adult Volunteer at an International site is responsible for raising $8,000 toward the costs associated with their YAV year. Step one is meeting with my pastor (which I will do this afternoon) to work out a few details before I post a more detailed summary of the process.

On a much less paperwork-focused note, I have had some incredibly amusing suggestions for the title of this blog, and so now I will put it to a very unofficial vote. I can't promise that I'll actually use the winner's title, but I have some remarkably creative friends who deserve some recognition (and friendly competition). Enjoy!

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Setting up a blog

Believe it or not (depending on who you ask), I'm supposed to be a millenial.

Photo from nightclub.com.

Yes, I taught myself to write HTML in High School. No, I don't remember much of it...

Yet this is the first time I've set up a proper blog for myself. I've spent a couple days playing with link colors and fonts (which are likely to change), and enjoyed the process of getting my thoughts ready to GO LIVE!

A note to my coworkers:
I love you, I really do. It's gonna be really hard saying goodbye to such fun, dynamic people who are far too cool to put up with someone like me who still uses Internet Explorer half the time and whose primary email address is @yahoo.com (I promise, I will eventually switch to that gmail account I set up 3 years ago... but by that time, everyone will likely already be at the Next Big Thing).

But then I had a scary thought... I work with the web team and a slew of Mission Communicators. This is what you do for a living! This is not what I do for a living!

So in that vein, if you do decide to stop by my blog every once in awhile:

- Please be nice. Don't judge me too harshly for using bad fonts or colors or grammar or anything.
- If you think I'm making poor choices, please just visit Yvette's Bridal Formal and forget about little old me.

Back to the beginning

Hi.

This is me.

...or at least it was, about 22.5 years ago.


Floridian by birth, Kentuckian by choice, I'm about to begin an adventure that will change my life forever - a year abroad with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)'s Young Adult Volunteer program.


Right now, I'm playing the waiting game. All of my applications are complete, recommendations are in, and I have 6 weeks to go until the site interviews will determine whether I get it. All of this waiting is driving me crazy - I can't make my decision 100% public until I've actually been accepted, so even after months of personal discernment and applications... I wait!

While YAV encourages participants to host a blog during their year in the program, I decided to start early. During the past few months of researching the program and sites that I find appealing, I've found the blogs by other participants to be really helpful. I've really gotten excited about my decision, and at this point I feel like I know the people I'll be working with at my top choice sites!

Here's a look at the process up to this point:

About about a year and a half ago, I started to work for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I love my job... so don't take the fact that I'm applying for this program to mean anything but! Being in the national headquarters, however, opened me up to the programs that the denomination offers. YAV is one that I had never heard of, but really appealed to me. I began to wish that I'd heard about it when I was just out of college my life was still more flexible. While I was packing up my apartment last fall, I realized it's not too late to make a change.

So I went for it. I put all my stuff in storage and worked up the courage to ask my parents if I could {gulp} move in with them for a year until I left (for the record, I didn't really need all that courage, they are totally supportive and cool about it). I began to talk to my friends and coworkers that had been involved with the program, and they suggested that I start researching sites I was interested in - particularly by reading the blogs of participants.

I started working on the application and rounding up recommendations, which were due mid-January, and had my first round of interviews with the YAV staff. I told them about my first-preference sites (India and Northern Ireland), and they gave me a few suggestions as well based on my interests and strengths, which was really interesting - since they know the site coordinators, they suggested things I might not have originally considered (Guatemala and Kenya).

Now that the hard work is over, I've begun to get a little nervous about the change.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11