"Work"

In Ireland, work isn't quite work. I am here to volunteer for a year, but before I can even get to September, I'll be taking three weeks of holiday! I'll work for two weeks, then take a week off, work for two weeks, then take two weeks off! This may make me sound lazy, but it's actually quite necessary. When we are working, we are working hard, even if that means playing hard.

Before I left for Ireland, most of you asked me what I would be doing while I was here. My answer was, "whatever they tell me to do!" That is still true, but now I can give you a better idea of what that means. This week I have been assigned to the rec team. This means that Iulia, Christian, Voite and I plan activities for the two different groups who are here to do. This week we have a group of kids who have moderate to severe asthma, alergies, or skin problems. They come here with volunteer nurses from the UK so that they and their parents get a break. The other group is a group of mums and their kids from Belfast. Half of the mums are Catholic and half are Protestant. They live on opposite sides of the "peace wall" in Belfast which separates the two communities. They meet regularly to help form links between the two communities. Both groups are here for a holiday, which means I feel a bit like a summer resort worker. The center director and I had a wee bit of a talk about this. It's true, in the summer this place is a place for holiday. But the groups we host do great work throughout the year. And in some cases, it may be hard to find a place for an integrated group to get away. It's helpful that Corrymeela welcomes these groups with open arms year after year.

So the rec team helped to set up a huge treasure hunt for the Belfast group. It took them two hours to find all the clues and do all the activities to earn their puzzle pieces of the map that led them to the beach where they found their treasure--ice cream! There's another huge cultural difference. It's summer here, and actually gets fairly warm--80 degrees F--but the water is not much above 5 degrees C. That's above freezing, but not by much! The kids love going to the beach and into the water. I don't get it. It's freezing! I put my feet in, and it HURT! It wasn't just cold, it was painful. So I don't go in the water. Tonight we are having a special dinner with all of the volunteers, then I might be going camping. That could be interesting.

I'm learning alot about Northern Ireland, working with people from Northern Ireland, and about myself. Don't fear--it isn't all work and it isn't all play. Keep the comments coming! I miss you all!