In Northern Ireland, every person, every building, every rock had a story. So, after having spent one month there breathing in the history, I was prepared to miss the storybook atmosphere when I came home. And I do. However...
As I was walking through downtown Lincoln, Nebraska today, like I have hundreds of times before, I suddenly looked up and noticed a plaque on the outside wall of a building. Engraved on it was information about when the building was founded, by whom, and why. I smiled at the fun facts and kept walking en route to the new donut shop everyone was talking about. Then, I looked up again and realized that all of the buildings lining the road had mounted plaques with the same bits of history
That’s when I realized that my hometown has a story, too.
Cheesy, right?
Well that may be, but after noticing the plaques, you can bet that I spent an extra hour or so strolling through downtown in the wretched Nebraska heat, stopping to read each one that I passed, because my month in Northern Ireland has ignited my curiosity to look up, consider the history around me, and recognize its significance. I realized today that like Belfast, even though Lincoln looks like it has a short history, its story is longer and more varied than what appears on the surface. This newfound appreciation of history is not the only thing that I brought back with me. I have returned from Queen’s University Belfast with friends that I will never forget, stories that I cannot wait to share, and an obscene amount of knowledge about Irish history/culture that I will most definitely apply to my future.
It is nice to be back in the land of corn and football, but sure I do miss Elms Village, Lisburn Road, Tesco, Clements, Banoffee, Lanyon, Cafe Nerro, Banoffee, lecture halls, absolutely unpredictable weather, the Ulster Museum, soda bread, City Hall, double-decker buses, the Botanical Gardens, the Student Union, Cavehill, cobblestone roads, castles, banoffee.
I sure do miss home.
It was easy for me to find my home in Belfast among my Fulbright family and the QUB community. In fact, I definitely experienced much more culture shock upon my return to the US than I did upon my arrival in the UK. It was almost alarming to jump right back into reality like nothing had changed (I’ll leave out the part where I’ve been crying on and off). Because Nebraska may have not changed, but I certainly have.
I have emerged from Northern Ireland a little stronger, wiser, and braver. I have a heightened sense of wanderlust and feel incredibly humbled by how much of the world is left to explore and how much there is yet to learn about it.
Further, this has been the most humanizing experience of my life, and also one that has challenged and transformed notions of my own identity. My conceptualization of what that concept even means has deepened by studying it on national, personal, and emotional levels. I am positive that understanding how to reconcile identity crises on all three will provide valuable insight as I continue my path to becoming a psychologist. I cannot fathom how lucky I am to have experienced this. I mean - 4 whole weeks and I was not bored for a second PLUS I heard so much gender-neutral language in lectures that made my heart sing. In all seriousness, I fell in love with the UK, and I have every intention to visit Northern Ireland again in the future.
That being said I want to extend a huge thank you and all my love to Dominic Bryan, Matt O’Neill, Aline Muff, Stuart Irwin, and everyone at QUB. Thank you to my Fulbright family Jacob Nelson, Meredith Dickerson, Maggie Tucker, Julie Cravotto, and Rachel Schlegel, as well as all the friends I made through the summer school. (Don’t worry - I have already begun conjuring up extravagant plans to see you all again someday.)
Most of all, thank you to the US-UK Fulbright Commission for granting me this amazing opportunity in the first place. It is one I will never take for granted.
So until I find myself in the UK or Ireland again,
By the way, QUB has been keeping a blog of the summer school as well! It features some very thoughtful posts from other international students about our field trips and experiences. Check it out!
Today, after a few of us practically inhaled an entire pizza following our final reflection as a larger summer school, we made our way back to our dorms. Then, we suddenly realized that it would be our final walk up Malone Road, so we couldn’t help but take pictures of little things that we would miss, shown here. My nostalgia got the best of me today. But I am not emotional about it or anything.
On the first day of the QUB summer school, all 75 of us students broke up into small groups and answered “Pub Quiz” questions about Northern Irish politics, history, and culture - an appropriate (and friendly) beginning to a wildly fun 3 weeks ahead.
On the last day of the QUB summer school, things got more heated.
This quiz actually took place in a pub and featured questions on African geography, 80′s rock bands, the urban population of Australia, and other hilariously unrelated subjects. Even though some did pertain to Irish film, religion, and politics, this was less so a final exam and more so a playful competition and one last hurrah for the students of the summer school and its leaders.
I can’t believe I only met these people 3 (or 4) weeks ago. Together we have learned so much and grown so much as a group. We all came from different disciplines and different backgrounds, offering our own perspectives to the table at lectures. I have learned as much if not more from hanging out with them as I have in lectures, and it goes without saying that I will miss them like crazy.
This past month has been such a success. Every lecture of this trip has been engaging and every field trip unforgettable. I have learned more about Ireland than I every expected to and transformed my own perspective of conflict and peace.
So tonight we celebrated that with a pint and an evening of dancing (to everything from traditional Irish folk music to One Republic and Mumford and Sons). We even got to show off the Celtic “Waves of Tory” dance routine that we had learned in the beginning of the summer school. It was all good Craic and good vibes all around.
After attending hours of lectures, exploring all around Ireland and the UK, and meeting individuals from around the world, today was our final meeting, during which we reflected on our favorite parts of the summer school and discussed different ways that we can reconnect with QUB in the future. Dually noted.
(Photo credit goes out to the Irish Studies QUB Facebook page)
First of all, forgive me for hopping on to my soapbox with this, but I feel like it must be said...
Sitting in front a panel of ex-combatants from the Troubles, it was impossible to imagine what they had gone through. Further, it was sobering to hear a former IRA member ask us beforehand to be thoughtful with our questions because “There’s no stereotype here. We’re just human beings.”
Dom had spoken with us about the nature of this panel a few weeks ago, and he mentioned that it continues to amaze him every year how profoundly ordinary the paramilitary men seem even as they talk about committing acts of violence.
He’s got a point.
The ex-combatants were open about how there was a time when the men with whom they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder would have killed them without a second thought, placing a powerful emphasis on the importance of empathy in the peace-building process. Empathy has the power to dismantle ingroup/outgroup or binary thinking. It blurs the boundaries between “us” and “them.” It humanizes the “other.” So I think that’s why as humans, it becomes our obligation to develop a tolerance of all socially-constructed groups and realize that we are all capable of making change happen.
I swear I’ve got a point, too.
Within these last few weeks, we have learned all about the politics and the history of the conflict in Northern Ireland. It is messy stuff.
But one simple idea continues to strike me with each panel and every lecture perfectly summarized by the words of Ellen Degeneres I mentioned in an earlier post:
Be kind to one another.
This message resonated throughout the other two panels we have spoken with since - one with religious leaders and one with members of the Northern Irish Police Service. The religious leaders mentioned the necessity of communication between churches and breaking free from a society “overcome by small differences.” Likewise, the members of the police service offered potential ways to bring together communities - whether that be through integration, increasing the diversity of the policemen/women, or implementing community policing.
One of my favorite quotes (for obvious reasons) is by Bruce Henderson. He said “You study psychology so you won’t be a jerk.”
But after these panels, I am all the more convinced that “you study Ireland so you won’t be a jerk.” There is just so much to be learned from this island’s situation on a very human level.
Thousands of people poured onto Northern Ireland's beaches yesterday to make the most of the hottest day of the year so far.
Finally starting to get along with the weather here!!!
Only kidding, but we have been enjoying the generous amounts of sunshine as of late.
Side note: if you are planning on a trip to the UK anytime soon, I cannot stress enough how critical it is to pack an umbrella. (And wellies). Learn from my mistakes!
Today we paid a visit to Stormont! There, we learned more about the evolution of the Northern Irish government into the devolved system that exists today resulting from the Good Friday Agreement.
We also had the opportunity to ask a panel of representatives from a few political parties in Northern Ireland some questions. It was interesting to compare perspectives on each of the issues.
This weekend we made a London getaway to take advantage of our chance to experience as much of the U.K. as possible while we are here! (Plus the tickets were dirt cheap).
It became a test of independence and a feat of exhaustion, but above all, we had so much fun exploring together. London was beautiful... even though we had to wake up at 3AM to catch a flight to Belfast for our Monday morning lecture. So college, am I right?
While in the city, we walked a long way along the Thames River and found the London Eye, Big Ben, and the London Bridge (all of which I had only seen in pictures). Then we wandered down to Soho and did some shopping before making our way to Parliament Square to see Buckingham Palace.
However, my favorite part of the trip was after lunch, en route to Buckingham Palace, when we stopped at St. James’s park to rest our feet and catch our breath. We found a little nook underneath a tree and lay down, soaking up the very rare London sunshine and enjoying the togetherness while people around us walked their dogs and played frisbee. It was a moment when we all felt grateful that we harnessed our naive ambition and (actually) made it to London for the weekend.
From the bottom of my heart, and cheesiest sayings I can muster, I am so thankful to be here.
It is difficult for me to pick a favorite place in Belfast, but if I had to, then St. George’s Market would be a valid option.
Visiting this hidden gem of a farmer’s market every Saturday morning is a treat. Both literally and figuratively. “Literally” because the vendors serve banoffee EVERYTHING (a delicious blend of bananas and toffee sauce that tastes as wonderful as it sounds). And “figuratively” because there are plenty of little shops to buy souvenirs and the live music is phenomenal. Also banoffee.
The United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, 52 percent to 48 percent. But Scotland and Northern Ireland were in favor of staying — renewing talk about Irish unification and Scottish independence.
It seems as though with all of the connections being drawn to Brexit in lecture that it deserves a lecture on its own! Northern Ireland, unlike the majority of the UK, voted to remain in the EU. And now the north is out, and the south is in, and no one really knows what to make of it.
Brexit raises questions about the permeability of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It might have significant economic implications and affect trade with Northern Ireland and Europe. All of this introduces even more challenges to the devolved political structure in Northern Ireland.
So if this interests you, and you love NPR as much as I do, go ahead and give this a listen.
Welcome to Derry/Londonderry (these terms are differential to those with an affinity to either nationalism or unionism, respectively).
Throughout the 1960′s and spanning into the 1990′s, Derry was the site of several civil rights movements. In 1969, a violent encounter between Catholic protesters and Protestant police called the Battle of the Bogside is thought to mark the start of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Like Belfast, emblems of opposing identities are still evident throughout the city. Unlike Belfast, however, these emblems seem to have a longer (and in many aspects darker) history...
In a lecture we attended titled “Looking at Belfast: Traces of the Past,” Professor Sean Connolly stated that “at first, sight, Belfast does look like a city without a history.” Derry does feel different, much attributed to the remarkably intact 17th-century walls surrounding the city, originally as a defense mechanism. Today we were able to walk along these walls as we learned about the rebellions, revolutions, and political reforms that transformed Derry into what it is today. We visited moving museums and ancient cathedrals, all the while marveling at the gorgeous architecture. I wish we’d gotten more than one day, but thankfully it was a day “Derry” well spent.
Northern Ireland's new secretary of state says there should be no border controls with the Republic of Ireland
Brexit? What the breck is that?
We have been hearing a lot about the implications of Brexit for Northern Ireland in lecture, especially regarding its border with the Republic of Ireland. As it stands right now, maneuvering between the north and the south is no problem. Apparently, a lot of people want to keep it that way.
