Scotland, Broken Chains and the meandering US Postal Service

The final retreat of the year was last week, which, in addition to being the last retreat, also marked the beginning of the "lasts" of my year.  With the end of the school year approaching, many of my programs are also winding down.  The last Flame session is coming up this Sunday, Parents and Toddlers and the Lisburn Sunday School are coming to a close as well.  The last episode of Lost has aired (and was fantastic).  The Base will continue to be open through the summer, so that won't change, but many other things will.  It really doesn't seem like I've been here long enough to be experiencing lasts. 

Anyway, a description of the retreat is, I suppose in order.  We were meant to fly from Belfast to Glasgow, then take a series of buses and ferries across Scotland to Iona, but the ash cloud stopped that.  Instead Doug was able to obtain the Garnerville minibus again, so we drove from Belfast to Larne, took the ferry to Cairnryan, and then drove up the west coast of Scotland to Oban, where we left the faithful minibus for a ferry across to the Island of Mull, took a bus across Mull to a different port for the short ferry trip to Iona.

Our lunch stop in Scotland

The ferry from Oban to Mull

Another picture on the ferry from Oban to Mull

The port at the second port on Mull

Doug and Elaine on the last ferry

All in all, we traveled 286 miles (only 125 miles as the crow flies) over about 14 hours, including three ferries, and about a mile and a quarter on foot.  That works out to an average speed of 20 miles per hour, making Iona possibly one of the last remote places in the western world.  It was delightful, and ruled by sheep.

Regal sheep surveying his terrain.

The Monday evening worship service in the abbey was Peace and Justice themed, and was largely good and thought provoking, I especially liked the way they invited worshipers to come forward and add a link to one of four paper chains in remembrance of trapped in human trafficking.  Sadly, for me, this moment was ruined when they tore the paper chains, it just came off as cheesy.  Tuesday we went on the pilgrimage around the island.  There are two options, a 7 mile, somewhat intense hike, and a 3 mile that is almost completely on roads.  The 7 mile was full, so Doug, Elaine, Nathaniel and I got bumped to the 3 mile, but then swapped on to the 7 mile where the two met up for tea and snacks because enough people had dropped out of the 7 mile along the way.  I just wish I had been warned about that possibility, since I had changed from my good, waterproof boots to just my normal shoes, which aren't the best option when you're walking through somewhat boggy terrain.  The pilgrimage did also give me the chance to talk some of the other people who were visiting the abbey, including several recent UNC graduates, including two who will be in Richmond next year, one at Union and one at U of Richmond's Law School.  It was a nice chat, especially as I have essentially decided that I'll be going to Union, pending financial aid (more later)

After Iona, we went to Edinburgh for a few days of just mild sightseeing and relaxing, which went well, aside from the crappy hostel mattress which likely dated from the Victorian era when the building was probably constructed.  After Edinburgh I split away from the rest of the group and went to see the Fyfe's, my sort-of cousins near Glasgow.  It was great to see them again, it was nearly 6 years ago when I saw them last.  They were also nice enough to take me to Kelvingrove, so I could have another look at my favorite painting--Dali's The Christ of St. John on the Cross.  We also went to St. Mungo's Museum, where I first saw the Dali 6 years ago (it was on loan from Kelvingrove) and to the Glasgow Cathedral.  I do think the return of the Dali to Kelvingrove is a bit disappointing, mainly because it is not very well displayed there.  At St. Mungo's it was the centerpiece of the Museum, at Kelvingrove it is shunted into a dark corner with one out of focus spotlight illuminating only the top half of the painting and a bit of the wall above it.  It deserves far better, and I wish Kelvingrove would give it proper placement, or at least light it well.  I also owe thanks to the Fyfe children for taking me to my first comedy club, it was a great time.

The paper chains from Iona were not the only broken chains in the past few weeks. On Wednesday I had the delightful experience of having my bike chain break.  While I was riding it.  It threw me into the wall of the church (thankfully it broke when I was almost to the church door and not still riding along the road, where I might have been tossed into traffic.  I came out fine though, just a few small cuts on my hand and a sore shoulder.  What most surprised me about the experience was the way the chain ended up binding the rear wheel.  I would have thought it would have just worked its way through and been left behind, but no, it brought me crashing (literally) to a halt.  

This brings me, finally, to the US Postal Service.  I implore you, USPS, to finally deliver my Financial Aid application to Union.  I mailed it from Lambeg on the 29th of April, and according to online tracking Royal Mail handed it over to the USPS on May 1st, in New York City.  Well done Royal Mail, my beef is not with you.  USPS, however, took until the 17th to get it from NYC to Richmond, and as of the 29th of May, it has STILL NOT BEEN DELIVERED.  The financial aid deadline has now come and gone twice (it was extended).  Come on USPS, you're killing me here.

Hopefully that will work out, and if not, at the very least tomorrow is the YAV youth group field day, including ultimate frisbee games, so that should be fun, and will hopefully de-stress me, assuming my shoulder has loosened itself up enough to permit me to play.

Lazy Saturday

As April is ending, my life is finally returning to normal, allowing me to have lazy Saturdays such as today.  It's been a good few days, and one of the only times that I have had two consecutive days off since I've been here.  I love it.

Normally, on Fridays, I go in to the church around 9:45 or 10 AM for the Parent's and Toddlers Group, which runs from 10 AM to Noon, then tidy up afterwards.  Then I go into The Base (which also doubles as John and my office now that the room that used to be our office was ripped apart--actually happened months ago, but I don't think I wrote about it.  There is a crack in the side of the church, which permitted rats to move into the space above the ceiling.  The ceiling was taken out to get the rats and rat related messiness out, and has not been put back in yet.  It's been months, but I'm ok with it, we put wireless in, so I'm not tied to that room for internet access, and The Base is more comfortable anyway, despite a lack of natural light since I keep the window shutter closed...but I digress.  The Base is open from 8-10 PM, so I usually just stay around until then.  This weekend is different.  John decided to close The Base down this Friday and Monday in response to certain mis-behaving youth hiding while we were closing down and letting everyone back in after we left.  Parents and Toddlers was cancelled because Harmony Hill Primary School was closed for the Bank Holiday (which is Monday, but the school gave everyone a four day weekend).  I, being me, forgot that Toddlers was cancelled, so I still showed up at 9:45 and started to set up, a little confused as to why no one else was there.  It was not until a few minutes later that I remembered that we were closed that day, and thus I had the day off.  So I played some Guitar Hero, because hey, I went all the way in, might as well make some good of it.

Around noon I went into Lisburn by way of the Lagan Towpath, got lunch and cash, and then cycled back home, also on the Towpath.  Last night I went to see the Scottish Dance Theatre with Patricia, who then came back to the flat to hang out with Andy and me.  Today we watched Firefly and I made banoffee for church tomorrow.  It's been a lovely weekend, and I have Monday off as well.  Tomorrow is a normal Sunday though, and I still need to plan Flame tomorrow.  The focus is to be on Mission, and I think I'll focus on small, everyday ways of doing Mission.

Also, on the note of Mission, I found out yesterday that Union is planning on demolishing Mission Court, and thus ending any possibility of three generations of Vaughan living there.  Truly a sad day.

Newsletter

So this is something of a cop-out post, because it was originally written for the Westminster Presbyterian Church newsletter, and was submitted with these edits to the PC(USA) site for the YAV newsletter section, and is now being posted here.  I've been super busy lately, but hopefully things will calm down a bit now that it's after Easter and I can get something a bit more current up for you, my devoted regular readers (all three of you).


Greetings from Northern Ireland! I am now over half way through my term of service here with the Young Adult Volunteer Program and wanted to update you all on what I’ve been doing since I arrived last September. I am working with Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, in Lisburn, which is just to the south of Belfast. Here at Harmony Hill, I work with their Parents and Toddlers group on Wednesdays and Fridays, help teach in two Sunday Schools—both the Harmony Hill Sunday School for 11-15 year olds, and assist with the Lisburn Inter-Church Sunday School, which serves children and young adults with special needs, and I am also a leader in Flame, the youth fellowship at Harmony Hill. Most of my time, however, is spent with Harmony Hill’s main outreach program, a non-sectarian youth drop in center called The Base. The Base, while based in Harmony Hill, is firmly rooted in a non-sectarian approach to youth work, and is open to and attended by youth from both the Unionist (wishing to remain part of the United Kingdom) and Nationalist (want to become part of a united Ireland) communities, and, importantly, is also supported by the local Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland parishes. This cross community work is of critical importance in Northern Ireland now, because, while great progress towards peace has been made, a peaceful future in Northern Ireland is still far from certain. The principal paramilitaries on both sides have now disarmed, but there are fringe groups still active. These groups are generally reviled by both communities, but there is a fear that they may prove successful at recruiting amongst youth, especially amongst those too young to remember the worst of the Troubles.
Despite the advances made, Northern Ireland is still a very divided society. In many places, so called “Peace Lines” divide Nationalist and Loyalist communities. These walls were first erected in the early 1970s as a means of stemming violence by making it more difficult for assailants from one community to get to the other, but continue to increase in height, length and number today. The walls vary greatly in nature, some are large and imposing, others are mostly wire fence, with plantings attempting to conceal them.

This wall to the left is a section of what is possibly the most famous wall in Belfast, the one that divides the Shankill (Unionist) from the Falls (Nationalist) neighborhoods. This wall is something like 20-25 feet high, and, as you can see, has been extended with wire mesh above the older concrete.

One of the great difficulties faced in Northern Ireland is the way in which the walls reinforce themselves. 50% of the population lives in an area where more than 90% share their religious and political background. In 2002, 68% of people between 18 and 25 reported having never had a meaningful conversation with someone from the other community. Just 5% of children go to an integrated school. In this context, bringing the youth from both communities together is of critical importance—as my sister once said: “it’s a lot easier to hate someone you don’t know.”

This is not to say that I am not still having fun. I’ve had a wonderful time taking The Base youth on various outings including a trip to “Planet Fun,” which is similar to the carnival portion of the Dogwood Festival, dressing up as a shepherd for the Carol Service at Christmas, and going on occasional retreats with the other PC(USA) volunteers working in Northern Ireland, especially when we went to see the Giant’s Causeway on the North Coast.

Martin Luther King's Easter message - CNN.com

Martin Luther King's Easter message - CNN.com

This year Easter also marks the 42nd anniversary of Dr. King's assassination. This is a good article by Eddie S. Gloude for CNN on Easter.

Half Time

A few days ago, Patricia asked Andy and I which of us was more manly. I didn't answer, but Andy quickly pointed at me. This is how it should be.

The purpose of the question was to determine which one of us would "help" change a light bulb for Patricia. She has had several near-misses while attempting to change light bulbs in the past few weeks, and has been ordered to cease bulb changing efforts, lest she bring death and destruction on the entire block.

The fact that I am of greater manliness than Andy is largely undisputed, but the bar is perhaps not as high as it could, or likely even ought to be. This is relates to the reason that Andy and I find ourselves out at Sally and Patricia's in the first place. You see, Andy and my building, officially named Riverdale House, but also known as 'The Tower of Darkness' was built during the 60s as public housing.



This year, it has been receiving several upgrades and repairs. It's been a fun ride. We've had hole's drilled in the poured concrete walls, a process which didn't take all that long in our flat, but lasted several awful, noise filled weeks as work was done through the rest of the building. The entire building acted as a sound board for the noise made from each hole, with the result that no matter which flat they were actually working in, it sounded like they were drilling through your skull. It was loud. It was annoying. But it was mostly during the day, and so mostly while we were at work, and thus was avoidable.

Now, however, they have received permission to upgrade the building's water pumps. Which means that there will be no water in the building tomorrow. Nor will there be electricity to the common areas. This means no functional elevator, which is annoying when you live on the 8th floor, but is worse when you consider that there will also be no lights in the hallways or stairwells. On top of no water.

So, we are spending the night at Sally and Patricia's. So we won't have to experience the mild inconvenience of not having water for one morning. So we won't have to deal with using the chemical toilets they set up outside, or go without a shower. This is the bar our manliness has failed to surpass. This makes me feel a little disappointed in myself, especially after reading blogs of some of the other YAVs serving in international sites, some of whom have no power or electricity regularly--for instance those in Kenya who face rationing of both due to the drought.

This post is titled half time because we have now entered the back half of my time here. In honor of that, we recently were asked to complete Mid-Year evaluations which asked us to reflect on how we are adjusting and growing during our time here. Overall, I feel I am doing pretty well, but I sometimes worry that I'm not growing enough, not being challenged as much as I would have been if I had gone, for instance, to Kenya. This isn't to say I regret coming here at all, I really do love working with Harmony Hill and at The Base, but the similarity of cultures is sufficient that this has been a generally easy transition to living here, and I wonder if I might have grown more if faced with more of a challenge.

Or, given the fact that I got a ride across town to sleep on a couch rather than miss a shower, perhaps this is the right place to be, and I would have folded under greater pressure.

Really though, I think I am underselling myself. The cultural differences between the U.S. and here might be subtle, but they are still pervasive, and at times more unsettling because they are so easy to overlook or forget about. The differences in our cultural taboos are very sneaky for their subtlety, and it can take a great deal more control than I'm always aware of to keep myself within the lines, especially when I don't always see them until I'm right on top of them.

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor - From Ireland to Israel - NYTimes.com

Interesting piece comparing the Troubles in Northern Ireland to the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict from the New York times written by Irael's Ambassador to Ireland

I.H.T. Op-Ed Contributor - From Ireland to Israel - NYTimes.com

Here is the video from the service. I had to split it into four parts to get it into manageable pieces. Please leave a comment if you have trouble viewing the video--it's hosted by facebook, and while I think I've sorted out any privacy restrictions here, if people are still having trouble I'll host them somewhere else.

Part One: Call to Worship and Opening Prayer



Part Two: Reading and Second Hymn



Part Three--Sermon



Part Four--Third Hymn thought Benediction