I was not sure what to expect when I arrived in Ireland. We have been very busy but I have learned so much in the three days that I have been in Belfast. I never imagined the experiences that were set up for us. I am excited to learn all I can about suicide intervention and how it can be applied to people in Belfast. There is so much to do that our day is never dull. Although I am tired I could not be more grateful for the opportunities that I have been given. Today I spoke with a person who experienced suicide in some form in her life. I came into this trip not having any experience or any idea what to expect. I was able to be a part of a powerful conversation and learn more than I ever thought I could learn. I am looking forward to what the rest of my time here has in store for me.
I began my trip to Ireland in Dublin where it appeared everyone was a tourist. As I made my way to Belfast, tourism was obviously rare form. It seems surreal that after four months of intense preparation I am already at the end of day 3 of my trip. Everyone said the time will fly while we are here and I now know that was an understatement. As the days fly by I am immersed into a wealth of knowledge from so many different people and experiences. The things I have learned in three short days are more than I could ever gain from a classroom and I am grateful for this experience. Not only am I given the opportunity to meet people and learn from them, I am able to grow as a clinician and learn from myself. I have been inspired by so many people in such a short time; I cannot even begin to imagine what other experiences are to come.
Courage can be seen in many ways. Some people think true courage is not when you feel no fear, but when you push forward despite your fear. Being here is for me a reminder of the second. With all the conflict over the many years the people of Northern Ireland seem to me some of the most courageous I have met. Despite The Troubles they remain open that caring. Underneath there are definitely scars, but in all my interactions so far there is a generosity of spirit that for me personifies courage. It is inspiring and amazing to experience, adding another dimension to an already incredible trip so far.
“It was the best of days, it was the worst of days…”
-Charles Dickens
I think that part of this experience in the past few days has truly reflected the nature of this old city. As a tourist, one could naively meander through the streets, see different flags, and think nothing of it. However, the past few days have been eye-opening in regards to how the people of Belfast truly live. Just yesterday, I observed how one of our new friends was completely uncomfortable walking through the neighborhood that our hostel resided in. This reaction is actually very common. I can only touch the emotional reaction, living in a rough part of Chicago, that Belfast citizens feel when walking down the street. The sectarianism is strong, and the people are still aware of it. Now, I do not want to paint the people as hateful, difficult, or rude. They are just the opposite, they actually love, and give graciously to us. I haven’t felt more welcomed into a country in my life (I’ve traveled a lot). But the problems that Belfastians have within their own communities are mind-blowing.
There are walls here that used to divide communities, in order to keep certain people within safe, and of course to keep other unwanted people out. These walls have been dubbed “peace walls,” but the connotation of peace is not readily available to the people dwelling near them. Apparently, some people have accepted the walls as a means of protection, and do not want them removed. Whereas just as many others, see the walls as a reminder of the Troubles that racked this city for hundreds of years.
I’m nervous but excited to see how people cope with this much animosity amongst them, especially when living at a time of peace. In America, we think of peace as something that is easy to comprehend and see on the streets. What we fail to note, is that even in our own culture, we are at peace, but we carry our grudges and our hostilities with us, over time, because our violence was limited. I’m not trying to go too far into our own history, but merely paint a picture of what it is like over here.
How does an individual, or a society for that matter, handle transference from outright sectarian war, to peace, and living amongst the same people they were raised to hate?
We’re finally here, after four months of preparation. It’s a little surreal. And it also feels exactly right. Yesterday we went through a suicide prevention training and then got to meet with some people whose lives have been effected by suicide. The beauty of Northern Ireland and the seemingly up-beat nature of the people do not match with the gravity of the topics. It’s a strange experience so far, but I expect we will learn a lot from it, even if I don’t know exactly what that is yet.
Yesterday we spent an hour talking with Brid Keenan. She told us her story of growing up in a Republican family and how she made the journey to becoming a psychotherapist. Many of us choose this profession so that we can help others heal, but Brid’s decision to become a psychotherapist was a deliberate political action to affect the marginalization of Catholics during The Troubles. Her story highlights how mental health professionals not only be powerful enough to help people heal, but that we can also use our skills to impact larger systems around us and help build peace in societies.
I am too full of today’s experiences to go to bed just yet even though I know I should sleep soon. We just had our first day hearing the stories of family members of someone who took his own life. Hearing how his mother coped and carried on with and for her family was a powerful experience. I could feel a lot of what she felt and yet I know that I cannot truly grasp the depth and complexity of her pain. It was humbling and, for me, a spiritual connection that tapped into my own experiences of loss. It was said today during the training that a problem shared is a problem halved but I don’t think we took on her pain so much as held it with her and were honored to witness some of its transformation into a source of meaning. This experience and the conversations I had during the training have helped confirm for me that post-traumatic growth is something I need to explore more. It occurs to me that the rainbow was a symbol for this family’s narrative of loss and is an apt metaphor for turning something horendous into something hopeful.
So when I first logged into this account, Sunday May 13, it said there were forty new posts! I thought I was well behind, even though I was the first student here, but that was not the case. All of the old posts from 2010 are here!
So I arrived early, and thus had to stay in a less than desirable hole in the wall. I say hole in the wall, because the only real perks to the Linen House are the cheapness factor, and the free wi-fi. I am currently paying 5 BP a night for my room, which I share with 4 other people (interchanging every night). So far I have shared the room with a couple from Iowa, a drunken lad from the area, and two norwegians who stumbled in last night at 3AM. Apparently there is no discretion for late check-ins here! I make it sound bad, but it has really been rather easy, and a cheap bed is highly convenient when you’re out all day anyway! I can’t deny that I am excited to move into the next hostel with my classmates. It’s always easier to sleep at night when you actually know who is in the bunk under you!
So, I decided to do a little bit of sight-seeing to pass the weekend. I went to Carrick-a-Rede to see some sights and walk a-or at least I was told it was famous-rope bridge. There were plenty of tourists there, so we can assume the legitimacy to the claim. Unfortunately, what they fail to tell you before the onset, is that buses are unreliable on the weekends. I came back to the base station to catch a bus on to my next stop, and instead found that there wouldn’t be another bus for three hours! I opted for a cab, considering there weren’t any other options besides walking, and made my way to the Giant’s causeway.
–I tried to upload a video here of crossing the bridge, but alas, fail. security reasons–
The giant’s causeway, is first and foremost, a sight well worth seeing. The story behind it, is “too long to tell” according to one senior Irishmen I met earlier. He told me it had something to do with a Scottish giant casting a stone at Ireland, and creating a lake, which angered the Irish giant, so he decided to build a causeway that would allow him to walk over and teach Scotland a lesson. Another story I have heard, was that there was a fight involving a woman-isn’t there always a fight when there’s two men and a woman involved?-and that the causeway was built for similar reasons. Wikipedia has a completely different story, involving fighting warriors, pretending to be babies, and the like, but how trustworthy is wiki?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant’s_Causeway#Legend
I finally made my way back via train to Belfast, had been gone for 12 hours, and warily crawled into bed. Only to be awoken by the two gentlemen in the night. But why should I complain? I’m in Ireland! Cheers!
Today we had a walking tour of East Belfast, along the Shankill Road, which the Loyalists and Protestants reside. Shankill runs parallel to Falls Road (Republic and Catholic side), and has seen just as many tragedies as the Falls. Our tourguide certainly made a sure to make a point of that and disclose his strong opinionated views too. I have to say it made for a quite interesting tour. He made it clear that the underlying resentment and anger still boil beneath the peaceful streets of Belfast.
East Belfast had murals and memorials as well. The main difference I saw between East Belfast and West Belfast was that East Belfast murals had more militant feel, which is understandable since many of the loyalists were part of the UVF and UDA. So several murals had guns and men in uniforms with ski masks (a/k/a “wooly faces”). Two memorials were for the people that died by bombings planted by the IRA. It was clear that both sides of the divide struggled to survive through the Troubles and no one was innocent.
We ended our afternoon at the Holy Cross with Father Gary, who gave us a tour of the small church, which few of our friends from Pips Programme belong to. Father Gary did not spare us of any of the tragic details that the church and the congregation has endured over the years, even as recent as 2001; yet, he was able to find the sliverlining to it all. Hope. He is one of the few priests left at Holy Cross. They are no where close to giving up on the people of Belfast and the community.
So it’s our last night in Belfast…I can’t believe it! My how 10 days flies. The people at Pips Programme and Belfast opened their hearts and homes to us and I will never forget their hospitality. They have made an imprint, one that I will not fully comprehend the depth of it until I get back home. I am sad it’s time to leave. 10 days just wasn’t enough time to hear the stories, the jokes, and share pints of Carlsberg (which I prefer over Guiness). I am certainly not in Kansas anymore and to that I am grateful because no where in Kansas could I get the best pour as I do here.
Jammie S. Rubio
We had an eye-opening meeting with some people from the Protestant Shankill community this morning. One of the men we met was an ex-prisoner and the other was a former para-military, in short, these men were intimately involved in the Troubles on the loyalist side. In the years since peace they have galvanized their passions and drive towards building a better community for the youth of Belfast. One man said “If we were a part of the problem, we better be a part of the solution”, an impressive statement for positive change. Both men expressed the importance of inter-community dialogue stating, “you may be in a room talking about peace with someone you know killed your uncle, but if that’s what it takes for peace – we have to do it”. Surprisingly it seems those most involved in the conflict are now the most involved in forming peaceful inter-community relationships and those who stayed on the sidelines can tend to become more militant. It seems as if they have seen enough fighting and are now dedicated to a more diverse and peaceful Belfast.
Katie Murphy
