Bowls

I spend every Thursday night playing Bowls, a Northern Irish game, with the Bowls Club at my church, Regent Street Presbyterian.

Holding my bowls.

 

Bowls is a game, popular throughout Northern Ireland, which can be played indoors or outdoors.  I play the indoor version.  As the picture above shows, each person has two bowls (similar to very small bowling balls) which then are thrown down the green (or mat) with the goal of getting as close as possible to the jack, a small yellow metal ball. To make things more complicated, each bowl has a bias in the inside of it which causes the bowl to arch when you throw it.  The key to playing good bowls is a soft, but accurate throw. As someone coming from a bowling (or ten-pin bowling, as it’s called here) background, it was very hard for me not to lob the bowls down the green. I have gotten better as the year’s gone on, but it’s still hard to resist the urge to throw the bowl as hard as I can.  

Part of the fun of being involved in the Bowls Club is the game, but most of it is the “craic”.  Craic is a word used often here and it means “fun, entertainment, and/or enjoyable conversation”.   Common expressions are “What’s the craic?” and “Good craic”.  

Most (actually, everyone but me ) of the people who participate in the Bowls Club fall under the category of Pensioner (or, Senior Citizen).  Despite the age difference, everyone has welcomed me and not made too much fun when I butchered the game.  It’s also been a way to get to know a lot of people in the church I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

While it’s not necessarily how I would have chosen to spend my Thursday evenings, I’m really glad it’s where I ended up.  

 

 

Two of the greens.

 

Bowls, next to the jack.

 

Taking a shot.

 

A bowl up close.

 

The winning shot.

 

Playing bowls.

Cuppa Tea

 

Tea!

Since tea, and more specifically, the drinking of tea, has become a regular part of my life here in Belfast, I felt it deserved a post.  

I’ve always had an ambiguous relationship with tea.  Growing up in the Southern United States meant sweet tea was served at almost every social occasion.  I can remember numerous church functions where sweet tea and lemonade were the only beverages of choice.  I always opted for the lemonade.  In fact, drinking sweet tea was so prevalent, I almost felt I wasn’t truly “Southern” because I didn’t like it.  Every now and then I would try to drink some, hoping I had changed my mind about it, only to discover I still thought it was disgusting. 

Having been warned beforehand about the vast amounts of tea people drink in Northern Ireland, I was a little apprehensive.  Granted, this was hot tea, not sweet tea, but I still wasn’t looking forward to it.  

So, it was a nice surprise to discover I not only don’t hate hot tea, but I really like it! The best part about drinking tea in Northern Ireland is you aren’t just served tea. There are always (and I mean, always) biscuits(the Northern Irish equivalent of cookies) or traybakes, or some type of sweet served with it.  This fact is actually a point of pride in Northern Ireland.  People have said to me on many different occasions something to the effect of “You don’t get just a cup of tea here, not like England or Scotland…”.  

Tea drinking is such a part of life it has altered the local vocabulary; “cup of tea” has been shortened to “cuppa tea”.  Yes, “cuppa” is a real word; it’s in the dictionary. There’s even an application for the iPhone called the iCuppa to time your tea while it steeps.

There is something really nice about a hot cup of tea on a cold, rainy day (most days in Belfast) that just isn’t the same as any other drink.

Tea, apparently, is so fantastic it has inspired some super ridiculous quotations. I leave you with several of those:

1) Tea does our fancy aid,
    Repress those vapours which the head invade
    And keeps that palace of the soul serene.
   ~Edmund Waller, “Of Tea”

Tea affects the soul? Who knew?

2) Tea, although an Oriental
    Is a gentleman at least;
    Cocoa is a cad and coward,
    Cocoa is a vulgar beast.
   ~G.K. Chesterton, “The Song of Right and Wrong”

What does G.K. Chesterton have against hot chocolate?

3)  Tea! thou soft, thou sober, sage, and venerable liquid,… thou female tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart-opening, wind-tippling cordial, to whose glorious insipidity I owe the happiest moment of my life, let me fall prostrate. ~Colley Cibber, Lady’s Last Stake

…huh?!

 4)  And, my personal favorite:

The first sip of tea is the always the best… you cringe as it burns the back of your throat, knowing you just had the hottest carpe-diem portion. ~Terri Guillemets

A Word About The “Been”…

 

As most of you have probably noticed, my blog is titled “Ballybeen’s Blog”.  

Ballybeen (pronounced “b-alley-bean”) is the name of the public housing estate in which I live.  Public housing estates are most easily defined as government subsidized housing.  They are the rough equivalent of the “projects” in the States.  That being said, most, if not all, are much nicer than their American counterparts.  

The estates in Northern Ireland are significant because of the cultural role they have played in the conflict here.  They are a place where one can see, most clearly, the deep divisions that still exist in Belfast and the rest of Northern Ireland. Each estate can be associated with either the Protestant or Catholic side of the conflict.  Clear visual clues throughout the different estates make it obvious which group the residents belong to.  

Ballybeen is a Protestant, or Loyalist, estate.  For more information on the history of Ballybeen, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballybeen.  

Below are some pictures of the estate.

 

This sign stands at one of the entrances.

 

This sign, on one of the apartment buildings, makes it very clear what type of estate Ballybeen is.

 

Davarr Avenue! My house is the third one from the left, behind the flag pole.

 

A close-up of the house.

 

Red, white, and blue, the colors of the Union Jack, are painted on light posts and street curbs, making it clear Ballybeen is Protestant.

 

Union Jacks are flown around different parts of Ballybeen.

 

More red, white, and blue.

 

A red, white, and blue street-curb.

 

Red, white, and blue pennants.

 

The field in front of my house.

 

Most estates have a memorial similar to this one dedicated to people who have lost their lives during "The Troubles".

 

A poem at the memorial.

 

An engraving at the memorial.

 

Bird's eye view.

 

I hope this has given everyone a better understanding of the cultural context in which I live. Thanks for letting me share Ballybeen (or, just the “Been” as my flatmate, Madeline, and I affectionately call it 🙂 ) with you!

The Gospel in Conflict

The following video clip is from The Gospel in Conflict, a resource which was produced by Laura Coulter on behalf of the Peacemaking Panel within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. 

This resource was created as part of a movement within the Presbyterian Church of Ireland to facilitate the process of peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.  

I hope you watch it! It explains things better than I can.

Below, I have defined some terms used in the video that might be confusing to those of you back in the States.  If you have any questions about anything, post on here and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.  

“The  North“:  used to refer to Northern Ireland, which is still a part of the United Kingdom

“The South”:  used to refer to the Republic of Ireland, established as a separate country from the United Kingdom in  1937

Sectarianism:  (according to Wikipedia) is bigotry, discrimination, or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion or the factions of a political movement.  *In the case of Northern Ireland, the conflict exists between those who want a united Ireland and those who think Northern Ireland should remain a part of the United Kingdom.

Copy and paste this link to watch the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGHEWyl2xZc

Hello from Northern Ireland!

 

Most of our group in the Belfast Airport

It has been about a month since I first arrived in Belfast. Because of our busy schedules, time passes very quickly here. To give you an idea of what life is like for me in Belfast, here is a break-down of a typical week.

Monday:  YAV meeting with Doug (our site coordinator) and the other volunteers in downtown Belfast.  This usually involves breakfast and lunch and some type of group activity.  Activities can be anything from structured reflection time to a group outing.

 

Tuesday:   On Tuesdays I work at The Link Family and Community Centre.  The Link is a youth drop-in started by Regent Street Presbyterian Church in Netownards, Northern Ireland.  The main purpose of The Link is to be an intentional Christian presence in the community.  One of the ways The Link fulfills that purpose is by  providing a healthy environment where children and youth can have fun and be kids.  Children  and youth here have especially been affected by the long years of fighting between Protestants and Catholics (or the “Troubles” as people here refer to them).  Although there is an agreement to “peace”, many paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland are still recruiting, and youth are usually targets.  If you’d like to learn more about the The Link, go here: http://www.thelinkcentre.org. 

 

The Link

 

 

 

Wednesday:  On Wednesdays I work at Regent Street Presbyterian Church. There I am involved with the youth and children’s ministries.  As mentioned above, Regent Street is the church that started The Link.  

 

Regent Street Presbyterian Church

 

Thursday and Friday:  On both these days I’m back at The Link.  Below are some more pictures.  **If it seems like there aren’t many kids in the pictures, it’s because only a few of them have parental consent to have their picture taken.  We usually have from 18-25 kids at a time during drop-ins.  

 

Ryan and Gordy, my two co-workers

The Pool Room and Coffee Bar Area

 

Stuart, playing pool

Stuart and Graham playing Guitar Hero

 

Saturday: Saturday is a free day! The past few Saturdays have been spent exploring St. George’s Market in downtown Belfast with the other YAVs.  

 

Sunday:  Sunday morning activities vary according to the Sunday.  Some days I assist with children’s Sunday School (which takes place during worship, unlike back in the States) and other days I attend morning worship with everyone else.  After church, I am usually taken back to a church member’s house for Sunday lunch. (which is delicious, but usually involves 2-3 different types of potato dishes… all in one meal. 🙂 ) People have been so friendly and hospitable; they really try to make you feel at home!

Sunday afternoon is free and in the evenings, I help lead Youth Group from 7-9PM.

 

Symbol of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland

 

 

 

"The Cabin" where the youth meet

I hope this has given everyone some idea of what I’ve been doing for the past month or so!  I am going to try and keep posting here at least once a month, maybe more. (We’ll see…  🙂 ).   Many thanks to everyone who has supported me, whether financially, spiritually, or emotionally, etc.  This year wouldn’t be possible if it weren’t for you!