Galway.

Right now I am in the 'internet cafe' of my hostel. I've been roaming the streets of Galway all morning, and luckily made it back to the hostel right before it started pouring. I had my raincoat with me, but I'm still really glad I got back here dry.

People are seriously getting on my last nerve. There is an American (I think) girl sitting here cracking up at something on her laptop. She's really fucking bugging the shit out of me. Unfortunately, I have locked myself out of my room. How that happened, I'm not sure. So now I have to sit here and listen to her shit. Seriously? Who the fuck are you? Ugh.

The girl that is running the desk right now is a relatively unfriendly French woman, and I'll have to ask her to let me back into my room. They said to keep keys on you at all times, I guess I should have paid attention. But I just went to the bathroom!

Okay, this silly bitch is about to get backhanded. More later, I'm sure.

Some more.

This morning I went to my favorite place in Belfast, Saint George's market. It was nice, but I have to admit, I like Saturdays better. It was a madhouse in there. It might have been partly due to the statutory holiday and more people being off. Regardless, I enjoyed it. I bought some feta-stuffed olives--they are SO good. I'll probably go there tomorrow, too, and get a crepe with ham, cheese, pesto, and onions. MMMMMMmmmmm. After the market I went to the bus station and figured out that there is only one bus to Galway on Monday because of the holiday, and that's at 345pm. It doesn't arrive in Galway until 1030. Maybe that's just enough time for a beer, a little planning, and a good night's rest. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Last night I went to church at Fitzroy Presbyterian, which is right next to MNI. It's where Brent and his wife's family are members. It's a small congregation, much different from First Pres back home, and I have to say that I enjoyed it. Although I don't know what to think about religion anymore, it was nice to feel a part of a community like that even for one night. There is a service at 8pm tonight that I may go to, but I don't think I'll make it. I'm for sure going with Brent and his family on Easter, and maybe having a meal there afterwards. I hope the weather is nice. Easter is always better when it's beautiful out.

Yesterday when I got up to my desk at work, I saw that Alex had left me a little thing of mini Cadbury eggs from the "Easter bunny." It's nice to feel so welcomed into groups. And the smallest things can be the biggest surprises.

ugh

I am in a state of exhaustion. I just about had a breakdown today, and I think it was because I am so tired.

Also, I am TERRIFIED that I may have to get dental work done here.

I am off tomorrow so I will go buy bus tickets for Galway and head down to Saint George's market for a while. Then home to chill out. Good Friday services at 8? Not sure yet...maybe.

Deduced to:

The police, the security, the traffic cones and no parking signs, the helicopters, the black Range Rovers....
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THE QUEEN IS HEREEEEEEEE! (And, no, I'm not imagining it)

Tea time.

Whole office tea time is one thing the Brits really have right.

A walk to work

This morning, my walk to work was interrupted many times by policemen and women sauntering down the sidewalk near Queen's University. Now, the sight of police officers has never made me feel safer, no matter where I am or where I am living. I don't know who would feel safe if their walk to work or school, normally completely policeman-free, is one day dotted with figures donning bullet-proof vests. If this were to happen at Macalester, I feel that it would be just as out of the blue, but my comfort level with the neighborhood would allow me to rest assured that if anything bad were about to go down, I would at least understand something of it from context clues.

The fact that I'm starting to become more comfortable with this area helped me to notice that there were academic-types looking at maps as though they were trying to navigate the uni and get somewhere fast, and that uni security was also really beefed up. I've deduced (mostly from reading someone's folder or something) that there was some sort of conference at the university. Though I was completely safe the whole time, the presence of the police made me extremely uncomfortable. Part of it was because of the naturally on-edge feelings I get from the presence of police officers in general, and part of it was being here in Belfast and knowing the place of the police here. Honestly, to see a bunch of men and women dressed in a hybrid of a normal uniform and military riot gear is unnerving. Policemen here are not the same as policemen anywhere else. The service is probably more contentious than a lot of different things (i.e. flags, parades) and that makes me even more wary of their presence (en masse) in the streets of Belfast.

Also a thought on the situation: Why would an academic conference at Queen's University Belfast need at least 50 uniformed police officers mulling around .5 square miles and a similar amount of campus security? Tell me if you'd feel safe...

Quiet day.

Sometimes it's really nice when your first day back from the weekend is nice and quiet. I know that I probably should make myself busy, but I like to work on things slowly sometimes. I'm such a bad procrastinator, though, and I'm worried that I'll just get tired and not be in the mood to do my Independent Study Projecct proposal later this afternoon. I don't want to wait until tonight to do it though, because I have the opportunity to talk to Mike for a long time.

I booked my hostel for spring break in Galway last night. I still have to get my bus figured out, but I spent less than €45 for three nights on accommodation, so I'm not too worried about it. I also have £20 of stipend money left over for food. Unfortunately, my bank has frozen my account for the time being because I used it this weekend. I don't really understand why they wouldn't have frozen it sooner, seeing as how I pulled a chunk out of an ATM in Coleraine when I first got here, spent a fortune at TopShop in Edinburgh last weekend, and spent $20 at a tourist center here this weekend. It doesn't make sense that they would do it now. Idiots. Also, they won't let my mom figure it out for me and I can't call internationally on my cell phone, so we have to really figure this shit out. I'm sure I could call internationally from work if I really had to, but the dumb bank should pick up the charges, not me. I'm pretty excited about my spring break. I really want it to be nice and relaxing and a little adventurous. When I get back from Galway, I will plan my May vacations and buy the tickets. I can't wait. It'll be great.

Today I had a meeting with my supervisor to go over my midterm evaluation. Every time I meet with her and have a conversation, I like and admire her more. It is obvious that she is very good at her job and very well-respected within the office and the broader peace-building community. She's a great lady and I feel fortunate to build a relationship with her.

Okay, now I'm off to do a little bit of research on American involvement in the Northern Ireland conflict and peace process. mm research.