The other day we made the half hour drive from Corrymeela to go visit what in Northern Ireland they refer to as the 8th wonder in the world. it is called the Giants Causeway and was formed when volcanic lava cooled down rapidly when it met at the ocean and cracked into geometrical shapes that are stacked up in pillars. some of the pillars have fallen over and others are still erect but it is a pretty amazing spectacle to say the least. when we got there our program directer Myrven, told us the folk tale of how what the locals say formed the causeway. they say it was formed by a rather large giant named Finn McCool who in a fairly funny story ends up defeating another giant from Scotland to protect Ireland. as we climbed down the 162 steps to get to the causeway down by the ocean we couldn't help but take pictures of the amazing way nature can marvel us. once down to the bottom of the stairs we all had fun looking at things like "Finn McCool's boot" which is a large boulder in the shape of a foot. If you were wondering he wears a size 80. as well as some of us decided to climb around and have fun. knowing me this was like a huge new jungle gym and it became a game of trying to hop from place to place, rock to rock, as fast as I could and I am sure that the Irish tourist couldn't understand what that wierd American was doing jumping around like a monkey.
So after a day of exhausting hiking and jumping around like a fool, naturally the next day we went on a walking tour of the walls that surround the city we are going to live in. Londonderry/Derry is one of only 2 stilled completely walled cities in the UK. the walls are from way back, like I mean way back. I don't want to throw a date out there because I know I will be more than likely way off. I believe I remember the tour guide saying that the walls were built some 400 years ago and everything about them is original except for the top walking path which has been redone. Before we went on the walking tour though, we got to meet the Mayor of Derry and ask him a few questions on the way politics work in Northern Ireland and sadly i think i was one of the only people who asked any questions. the people in our group are kind of quiet and i don't mind that as i can be quiet too, but in a situation of trying to talk to a delegate like this it comes in handy to have chatty people. Oh and the political system of Northern Ireland is crazy. the cities elect "consulates" and then those consulates then elect a mayor from the group. also because of the Belfast Agreement in '98 they have to have the equal amount represented from all political parties in terms of departments and higher up positions but not in actual number of representatives. for example, if the mayor is from a Unionist party, then the Deputy Mayor(second in charge) is from a Nationalist party, and also the next mayor has to then be from the Nationalist party.
Our director was talking to me about how one another "sizes" each other up in Northern Ireland and i thought it was really in
teresting. He pretty much explained that the first time people meet each other they ask questions to try and find out what political party they might be from or what religion they are without actually asking those questions as it is rude for them to do so. things that i thought were so trivial like asking someones name or where they are from or what school they went to can be seen as invitations to "banter". banter, as explained in one of our orientation books that we read last semester, is the art of skillfully arguing with one another on intellectual basis. which means for me it would be like getting into an argument with one of my uncles or grandpa about political issues, but for people in Northern Ireland, they can turn the craziest issues into issues of great importance just by changing a few words. I never really thought about just looking at someone for signs of where they are from or what they might agree with politically just by looking at them until a man from Fort Worth, Texas came to CorryMeela today and it was obvious where he was from. He had the cowboy hat, and everything and then i realized that we do the same thing in the United States. Just for us it is not about politics and religion.
teresting. He pretty much explained that the first time people meet each other they ask questions to try and find out what political party they might be from or what religion they are without actually asking those questions as it is rude for them to do so. things that i thought were so trivial like asking someones name or where they are from or what school they went to can be seen as invitations to "banter". banter, as explained in one of our orientation books that we read last semester, is the art of skillfully arguing with one another on intellectual basis. which means for me it would be like getting into an argument with one of my uncles or grandpa about political issues, but for people in Northern Ireland, they can turn the craziest issues into issues of great importance just by changing a few words. I never really thought about just looking at someone for signs of where they are from or what they might agree with politically just by looking at them until a man from Fort Worth, Texas came to CorryMeela today and it was obvious where he was from. He had the cowboy hat, and everything and then i realized that we do the same thing in the United States. Just for us it is not about politics and religion.
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