Greetings from Nashville!

Courtney, Kathryn and I have made our way to the deep south of Nashville, TN for the last few weeks of our YAVIT! tour. So far we've been able to see quite a bit of the city - from honky tonks on SoBro to a night at the Opera! We've had quite the tour guide in (Belfast YAV-turned-Nashville YAV) T.J.

He also gave us a tour of his current placement, Room in the Inn. It was really impactful to see his relationships to the participants at his site. Many former Nashville YAVs have even stayed on as employees. 

Don't worry, it hasn't been all fun and games - we've done some outreach, too. ;-) Last night we met the campus ministry at Vandy that I think deserves its own post... so keep an eye out for that!

We've just got one more night here in our "Cave" - the youth room at Westminster Pres that has been our home for the past week - before we head to Cookeville for the Middle Tennessee Presbytery meeting tomorrow. I can't believe our tour is almost complete!

YAVITs on Tour!

Courtney, Kathryn and I are in Colorado!

Airport stylin'!

It's really beautiful here, our hosts have gone over-the-top to make us feel welcome, and the Presbytery folks we've met so far couldn't be nicer. We have a few days up front to work a little more on our message and do some sightseeing, but we'll be polishing up our presentations in front of a (hopefully understanding) public audience soon.

Some of our engagements are for specific groups or require RSVP, but if you live in the Denver / Boulder area, here are a few places you can stop by and say hi to me in the next few weeks!

Sunday, 29 September (Boulder, CO)
10:30 am - St. Andrew Presbyterian Church

Friday, 4 October (Denver, CO)
9 pm - Salsa dancing at Blue Ice

Sunday, 6 October (Denver)
10:30 am - Central Presbyterian Church

Hope to see you soon!

YAVA

So apparently I'm not a YAV anymore.

Now that we've successfully survived the altitude at Ghost Ranch, the men and women with whom I've served for the last year are officially YAV-A... Young Adult Volunteer Alumni!

We graduated!
(OK, so maybe the caps are photoshopped...)

Please enjoy a few scenes from our retreat last weekend, where we came together to remember our year of service and work through the issues that come with reverse culture shock!

An update - and a new adventure!

Well, the time of sitting around waiting for the "next steps" is over - tomorrow, I will finally fly to Abiquiu, NM for the YAV transition retreat and reunite with the whole gang I haven't seen since last August (minus a few who will be sorely missed)! I am really, really excited.

After a week in New Mexico, I will head to Denver and Nashville for a few weeks to share my story with local churches and presbyteries. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to spend time in each of these cities - so if you're in the area, drop me a line! I'll do my best to update here during my time on the road.

In other news:

I was interviewed! Read it here:
Following God's call as a Young Adult Volunteer: Young adults find their voice and their place in the church

What I'm listening to:
I love this song. A friend posted this today on facebook, and even though I hadn't heard it since leaving Belfast, I've probably listened to it at least 10 times today while getting ready for the next stage of my journey. Enjoy!

Lyrics below:

Quest Physics

Several years ago, I read the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I imagine most of the people who are reading this have maybe at least heard of it...

Not long before deciding to begin the process of applying for a YAV year, I finally rented the movie version on Netflix. At the time, I wrote down a quote from the movie and kind of forgot about it - until this evening, when I caught the movie again on TV. It felt a little like coming full circle:

In the end, I've come to believe in something I call "The Physics of the Quest." A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.

Attraversiamo.

What I'm listening to: Hopeless Wanderer

I share this today:

1. Because I like this song
2. I feel a bit like a hopeless wanderer, recently... but mostly
3. This music video is hilarious

 

(The real band vs. the fake band)

Lyrics below:

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

On Holiday (celebrate!)

I mentioned earlier this year that I will be traveling at the end of my YAV year. I forgot to put up this message before I left, so greetings from Istanbul!

Full-on blogging is tough from an iPod, but I'm posting photo updates each day (when I have Internet) on Instagram (@pdcentre) and Facebook. I'm also trying to cross-post on twitter (also @pdcentre) for those that don't have one or the other.

I've included the hashtags #TriciAdventure and #awkwardselfie in most, if that gives you an idea of what you'll see there. What started as physical proof to my family that I made it on the next leg of my journey has become a bizarre trend of awkward self-taken photos of yours truly. Obviously the real ones will come later. With stories, etc.

Back to the states on 7 August - check ya on the flippy-floppy!

Reflections from Scotland

We returned from our final YAV retreat earlier this week, and after some consideration I don't think I can do it justice with one of my typical rundown posts. In short, I LOVED Scotland... which surprised me for some reason. We spent time as a group in Edinburgh and Iona, then the boys and I spent some extra time in Glasgow. Each city had its own flavor and special moments, so I will just pull a few excerpts from my private journal:

On a train, click-clickity-clacking through the Scottish countryside. I love it here.... I have this intense desire to never leave this place. 

Kathryn and I at the Storytelling Centre

We spent the past two days in Edinburgh. I never really left the touristy areas, but loved the city all the same.  ... The city itself seems to have pride in storytelling. Kathryn, TJ, David and I went on a ghost tour last night, after a day that involved hiking Arthur's Seat, learning about a social enterprise for homeless people in the Grassmarket, lunch at the place where J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, ... and an afternoon exploring Edinburgh Castle.

Even with my camera there's no way I could adequately capture fields of wildflowers against a soft blue sky. Grass so green. Do these colours even exist back home?

(OK, you caught me: this photo isn't from Scotland)

(after a service loosely based on Ecclesiastes 3)
We went to the evening service at the Abbey, and as a part of the prayer the officiant read out the familiar "a time for..." and we were meant to add our wordless prayers. So when she said something, I tried my best to feel it - as a way to see what I associate with that emotion ... A time for gratitude: C.'s smile. 

I sit now on a ferry, watching Mull slip into the distance as we return to the mainland. Iona was like a dream.

We took a trip today through the Scottish Highlands to Glen Coe and Loch Ness. The thought of following in the footsteps of my ancestors on this trip (first Iona, now this place) is so strange, but incredibly powerful.

Photo credit: David Mills

As we entered the bus terminal, we saw a chilling sight: groups of well-dressed men and women with signs and brochures proclaiming the gospel - ignoring the shivering, barefoot man sitting just feet away. How often do I do the same - literally, or figuratively? 

To see the rest of my Scotland photos (warning: there are several!), click here.

Welcome to Thirty.

It's official. I've been "in my thirties" for a week now, and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who made it so special!

Although my birthday was on Thursday, I felt very lucky to be celebrated all week by the people I've held nearest and dearest in my time here. Kicking off the week on Monday with a red velvet cake Veronica baked for our Bible Study was certainly a great start! Everyone was so kind and generous.

I got to spend the actual day at the Vine - lunch club with the pensioners and homework club with the wee ones - an hilarious balance of those who consider 30 to be very young with those who consider 30 to be very old!

After work, my friend David and I rushed to the bus station for our 5.5-hour trip to Cork. We spent the next two days exploring the city and incredible grounds at Blarney Castle - yes, I kissed the stone!

We made it back to Belfast for work on Sunday, but my special birthday treats were not yet over! Last year, when my friend Bill learned I would be spending the year in the British Isles, he told me about Scottish singer Julie Fowlis - who some might recognize from the soundtrack for the Disney movie Brave. So when I heard that she would be performing in Belfast, I was sold! What a great show - it was held in a tent with little twinkle lights dancing in the breeze, and the whole thing was just a bit magical. Here's the end of their set: 

and the song from the movie (the only song that wasn't sung in Scottish Gaelic):

While my life has now more or less returned to business as usual after 2 weeks mentally dedicated to Derby and birthday, in the end even though hitting 30 was a scary milestone... it's not so bad on the other side! 

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.

Holy, Wholly, Holi...

Bear with me on the obscure title, hopefully it will make sense shortly... 

The past few weeks have been extremely full in real life, which makes for figurative crickets on the blog end of things. As I was thinking about everything I had to update you on, I realized that two of them were pronounced \ˈhō-lē\... so I just went with it and stretched the other update to fit the theme.

HOLY
Holy Week was March 24-30. Since many of the local kids were either off school or preparing for break, many extracurricular events were cancelled - leaving me more time for the Church side. We participated in a joint communion service with Cave Hill Methodist on Maundy Thursday, an intimate service at Fortwilliam and Macrory on Good Friday, and of course the typical Easter Sunday festivities.  My special guest for these events was my mom, who flew in on Thursday morning. It was great to see her after almost an entire year apart, and I was glad to give her the opportunity to experience such a full time at the church (although it meant she missed out on a few of my regularly scheduled activities like homework club and Boys' Brigade).

WHOLLY
This one is clearly the stretcher in the theme, but nonetheless... as part of my mom's trip, we decided to take a road trip! The week after Holy Week (Easter Week) is fairly quiet at both my sites, so we hopped a flight to England and did the whistle stop tour, hitting highlights in England, Wales and Ireland. So while we did not hit the entire British Isles wholly (see what I did there? Also: sorry, Scotland!), we did make a noble attempt.

Our road trip - covered all this (plus Dublin) in 5 days!

View Larger Map

We had a great time visiting new places - and my mom even managed to hold her own with driving a manual transmission on the opposite side of the road! She will be writing a special "guest blogger" post within the next week or so to give her perspective on our time together and my work in Belfast, so keep an eye out!

Dinner in Dublin
View more photos from our trip here.

HOLI
My mom left on Saturday, and by Sunday I was deep enough into my "introvert recovery" that I considered skipping out on the Belfast Colour Festival that was taking place that afternoon. However, I decided that I would probably regret it if I didn't attend, and of course I couldn't let my £3 ticket go to waste, so I talked myself into putting on my ratty jeans and a white T-shirt and headed to the City Centre.

For those of you who have never heard of Holi, it is an Hindu festival marking the beginning of spring. (Please note that I am SO vastly simplifying this holiday!) It is typically celebrated in part by throwing colored powders at each other, which has been the inspiration for events like the Color Run. Since I love just about anything from India and I hate running, this was the only way I could hope to have mass quantities of colored powder thrown in my face. ;-)

Immediately after leaving the ring

While the event was definitely commercialized and I spent an hour crammed into a line with hundreds of strangers for just 10 minutes of color throwing, I was really glad I attended. Mostly, because it reminded me of my life back home. "Cross-cultural" here is mostly confined to Protestants and Catholics. I rarely have the opportunity to experience other religious traditions or dance like a fool to Jai Ho (which they played no fewer than 3 times while I was there). Plus, I love the concept of celebrating Spring. While it's still been unseasonably cold here, there's something to be said for shaking off the winter blahs and bursting forth in a blast of color!

So in that spirit, I charge you now to go forth and celebrate! Jesus is risen and the world is blooming!

Happy Holidays!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Well, I survived the holidays away from home thanks to a festive roomie, adopted family and lots of Skype.

Opening gifts via Skype

Anna and I decorated the tree together (shown in the last post), then I left her to her own creativity to decorate the rest of the house. As promised, a taste of the holidays in our home: 

  

Handmade decorations and lots of cards from friends!

The YAV bunch celebrated Christmas together with a sleepover in East Belfast. As always, it was nice to have the opportunity to all get together for some fun. 

...because we are so normal.

I actually did something this holiday season I haven't done in over a decade: sing in front of other people. It was fun to learn the traditional songs that are so different from what we would learn at home as I sang at both the Carol services at the Vine and Fortwilliam and Macrory. 

On Christmas Eve, we went to the midnight service led by the youth at Anna's church. It was fun to meet the people she's talked so much about, and to see all the progress they made on the play they wrote themselves. I came home and skyped with the whole McClan for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner at Grandmother's house... what was 1 am for me was just after dinner for them so I got to participate in (/ take) the annual family photo from 3750 miles away! 

Anna and I woke up and did Christmas together before heading to our respective churches for the Christmas morning services. I skyped with my mom as she prepared for her Christmas feast (it was still too early back home for anyone else to be awake), and then made my way over to the home of the family that hosted me for dinner. 

 

They made me feel right at home as we hung out, exchanged gifts and ate WAY too much food together just like I would have been doing at home. It made being away from my family a whole lot easier.

My friend Steph and I rang in the new year in Paris, standing in the rain at the Arc de Triomphe as the Eiffel Tower sparkled behind us!

    

   

Now I'm resting up, working on getting over the cold that inevitably follows a NYE spent standing in the rain... and getting ready for whatever 2013 sends my way!

Lots of love,
T.

Peace and quiet (retreat days 3 and 4)

After the first two crazy-long posts about our retreat, I thought I'd give you a break and do a quick roundup of the rest of the retreat...

The 3rd day of the retreat was just a chill day at home. I napped while the others went into the city, but otherwise it was more of the glorious same: sit by fire, play cards, cook food, read and repeat. It was Halloween, though - and I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I bummed around the house in the festive socks and earrings sent to me by my darling nieces. The boys conned us in to watching Cabin in the Woods that night by saying it was not really a scary movie. I beg to differ. Joss Whedon was the only reason I watched it at all, and the concept was interesting... but I maintain that with that much blood and jumpy-outy things, that's a scary movie.

Our last day of retreat began by packing up our little (big!) house and heading back to Murlough National Nature Reserve for the Bathgate group's Bible Study (we visited it for the first time during orientation), so it was nice to have a place feel familiar.

This time, the tide was high, and the sound of the waves beating the rocky shore made for a peaceful time of personal reflection. A nice end to our first retreat. 

And end it did. We arrived home to the realization that by turning off our boiler while we were gone, the gauge went crazy and we were now without hot water. Which heats our showers AND our radiators. So that was a fun re-entry to reality. Thank goodness for a quickly-responsive landlord!