Tuesday

August 15^th, 2006

Today was a very different experience from the rest of the trip. This is because today was designed as a free-form day in which you could shop or hang out at YouthCom. If you hung out at YouthCom, you could play pool, nap, or play ping pong. I however, had the unique experience of wandering around downtown Belfast, shopping.

A group of us Belfast shoppers learned more about the world of sports here in Europe. With our guides of Declan and Connor, we explored the many shops. They also lead many of us to purchase a variety of European football (soccer) jerseys.

In between all of this shopping, we had a wonderful lunch at YouthCom. After the lunch we went through a tour of the Belfast City Hall. This tour however, was especially unique. This is because the tour was lead by none other than the Lord Mayor himself. It was an exciting experience.

All in all, today’s adventure of downtown Belfast was an extreme success in so many different aspects.

-----Kyle Glovak-----

15 August 2006

“I believe in a mighty God and in the dignity of all human beings”, said Bishop Donal at our concluding Mass. This holiday has reinforced that belief in me where I was strong and created new belief in me where I was weak.

I have become a lover of Belfast and of all County Antrim. I am a Republican who has befriended Loyalists, an American who has befriended Germans, and a young adult who has befriended teens and learned from the greater experience of my elders.

Like Montreal, another city among the hills with its share of cross-cultural barriers, I will always keep Belfast and its people in my mind. I hope that I return someday and humbly repay all that we enjoyed.

And where to begin saying thanks? To Brian McKee, to Anita, to Paddy and Gemma, to Claire, to Bishop Donal, to all those people who traveled on our bus, prepared our meals, played music for us, worshiped with us, entertained us, welcomed us, and watched over us, I give thanks in communion with everyone from our church.

~Jason Ardanowski~

And with these eloquent words, we sign off until we meet you again in the United States!

LOVE TO ALL!!!

Monday...

Hi Guys back home!

This is Matt. I wanted to apologize for anyone who was expecting to be getting regular e-mails home. We have had a really interesting time trying to get internet here everyday. In fact, I am currently typing this on someone's wi-fi that isn't password protected in a neighborhood. Crazy. Hopefully this website has been doing a good enough job of keeping you informed as to what we have been doing. The teens are all having a great time and we are looking forward to coming home soon. Here are the entries that we weren't able to upload yesterday...

8-14-06

Today we took a ferry to Rathlin Island. The island was very beautiful; there was a lot of plant life. We had mass at St. Mary’s church. The church was located at the top of a monstrous hill. The mass was very good. There were roses outside of the church and they were some of the biggest roses I have ever seen. Afterwards, we went down the hill to eat our lunches and explore the island more in depth. A bunch of us went up to see the light house (and the beautiful scenery). When we got to the light house we found a trail that was off of the road (which we have been following) and found an amazing cove thingy. (Dinner just arrived so Tom Liptak signed off…)

Tom

8-14-06

This morning we had breakfast, and we met with Germans on the bus. So we had arrived at the boat that took us to the island. We went to St. Mary Church and the church was on top the mountain so we have to walk all way top and we have to wait like half hour. At 11:30am, we went to in the church. After church, we had lunch so after that we went play so football like “soccer” that was really fun time. I think every one is enjoying the time here. When we got back to the main land, we went shopping.

Mike Robinson

We had a nice meal at the Cushendun Tea Room and Restaurant. Then, we enjoyed some great traditional Irish guitarists and vocalists lead us in song. It was very festive. We are so happy we had the opportunity to come here! We are about to load the bus to head back to Belfast now.

Sunday

Sunday August 13^th, 2006

Today was a lovely day. We spent time with Irish families and did a variety of things. I personally had the chance to get fresh coffee in town, see a hurling match, and walk around the Belfast Odyssey. My tour guides were two Irish girls about the age 20, Catherine and Claire. Other teens had the opportunity to swim, bowl, shop, visit the beach, etc. For the first time in the week, an entire parish turned out for our mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Belfast. Mass was very pleasant and now we are drinking tea and having biscuits in the cathedral’s social building. All and all today was a relaxing break from the city tours and has all of us eagerly waiting for tomorrow.

Christine Kwiatkowski

Sunday August 13^th, 2006

So today was a really great day. Tessa, Josh, Tom and I got to spend time with Gemma and her family. Some of the other people were Michael, Declan, and Eimear who are Gemma’s siblings. We first went to their house where we learned how to make St. Bridget Crosses, and where we had Irish Stew; it was delicious. We then went to the Valley Leisure Centre where we swam. From there we went to Odyssey where we went bowling and Declan dominated the lanes. It was a lot of fun!! After bowling we went to mass which was absolutely beautiful. I had a lot of fun today getting to know Gemma and her family better. I hope the rest of the trip is just as great. God bless all of you at home.

Megan Glovak

Saturday

Saturday 12^th, 2006

What can I say about St. Cooey’s Well, it was an amazing and extraordinary experience. They have a mass once a year and 4 weeks before we came they planned a mass but it was rained out and canceled. When Brian told them that the Americans and Germans were coming to Portferry, they rescheduled the mass for today just for us. The mass was a once in a lifetime chance to see this with all the Irish, Germans, and Americans praising our Lord God. After the mass finished, the priest told us the local people came out to make the whole area quite beautiful. We then met some of the local men in Ireland and they showed us what to do at the Well; Wash, Eyes and Drink. This was not a normal Well but more like a stream, and it was really cold. It was one of the best masses so far here in Ireland.

Tessa

Well Tessa forgot a few of my favorites from mass: One-we walked up a mile long driveway with shrubs on both sides. Yes this seems normal but these shrubs were freshly cut. And I know from the little shrub cut/clean up that I do at home that cutting shrubs is a pain! We later found out during mass that maintenance men came to Cooey Wells at 7:00am to finish the entire lawn and all the shrubs for the mile long driveway! As we walked down the pathway to the mass, we heard a rosary being said on these HUGE speakers at the top of the hill. Some people at the top sat through mass in their cars or on benches at the top. Just imagine hearing this:

Priest: “Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee, Oh….i see people!.......I think they’re Americans!!, I see people!!!”

(Keep in mind this is in a very deep voice of which we cannot see the man!) You’ve got to admit that when you can’t see them this was a little scary! A rosary was interrupted for the priest to say “I see people, I think they’re Americans!” We still had to walk about 50 feet before WE could actually see him! We were greeted by an amazing area of land with beautiful landscape in the background and an exquisite alter. There were about 75 people from the nearby town of Portaferry which was nice. The mass was wonderful and after we took pictures with the people and thanked them for all the clean-up and warm welcome.

After mass we went to the aquarium park to eat lunch and walk around. We didn’t go into the aquarium however because we can do that at home. Instead, we decided to do something really cool! We got onto the bus and pulled up to this ferry that takes you across the water to Downpatrick. We pull the bus up to the chained fence. Most of us think it’s the type of ferry like Mackinaw where the humans get on the boat. When we pull up to the fence, there are cars on the ferry and you just pull up and load about 12-15 cars and they take you across and you just drive off. You don’t ever get out of your car. Well Brian makes the comment about the bus actually going on the boat. A sign nearby says limit 8 tons. Well what do you know? Brian goes up to the guys by the ferry and within seconds we get a wave to pull the bus through! Let me just paint this picture for you: Our charter bus with 22 Americans, 16 Germans and a few Irish was driving onto a ferry. So we were on a bus on a boat on the water!!!! How unbelievably cool is that? Some got off and others stayed on the bus. I stayed and I’m glad I did because we all got to watch Tommy (our awesome bus driver for the past week) turn the bus wheel and pretend to drive the ferry, and Fr. Brian narrated our crossing. The sight of a charter bus and 5 other cars on a ferry must have looked pretty cool from far away. We approached the water and turned the key and drove onto the road right off the ferry! Never thought I’d be doing that ever in my lifetime! After a few stops we drove up to the statue of St. Patrick and walked up a huge hill to stand next to the statue which was put there in 1932 in commemoration of his stay in this area. From there we got fantastic pictures of Ireland and Downpatrick! It was absolutely b-e-a-utiful!!! After the pictures and great view, we all took turn rolling down this humongous hill! Tessa & I then went down the biggest hill of all and did a few somersaults, which eventually turned into sideways rolling down a hill. After that we drove to the church where St. Patrick was buried. We saw his grave and shopped in the gift shop there and enjoyed learning about St. Patrick’s life. We are now back at St. Malachy’s College having tea and snacks. Some are playing cards, reading and playing games in the basement. I’m off to unpack my things from the day and play spoons! Cherrio! (Yeah that’s our new phrase!!! Oh and Matt wants to bring back a phrase to everyday use in America. It is: “Shiver me timbers!” Pass it on U.S.A.!)

Beth Menestrina

More Friday Stuff

More about the August 11^th…

After the loveliness of this morning and our pizza dinner we were able to attend a marvelous concert. The performance was done by both an excellent guitarist Colin Reid, as well as the 12 person ensemble, Anuna hosted at the Clonard Monastery. The music performed was unbelievable, unimaginable even. The guitarist played both slower music as well as exciting ballads. The choir also had a very unique sound, most of the pieces had a middle-aged ring to it. The acoustics in the church were picture perfect! The Anuna choir also made a special point to sing using varying techniques to make the sound bounce and flow throughout the church. Most of the pieces had a soloist and there were six men and six women in the traveling ensemble. An experience of true Irish culture to be remembered by all… P.S. We all stayed awake! J Oh and did I mention a few of us met Gerry Adams AND we all had the opportunity to be greeted by the US Consulate of Northern Ireland??!?!? It was the coolest thing ever!

Love to all, Miss you Mom and Dad Give my Love to the Family,

Christina Fitzpatrick

Friday...

Friday 8-11-06

Is anybody ready for some football? Not American football though. Last night we had dinner at Father Raymond’s house after he said mass for us. Following the dinner was a game of football, the Irish and Germans versus Americans in an exciting game. The game was very close all the way through, but in the end the Irish and Germans won with an impressive move by Brian McKee, scoring the winning goal by hitting the ball with his head. Everyone had fun either watching or playing the game.

In the morning we all piled back on to the bus to spend another day with our faithful bus driver Tommy. He droves us to Woodhill were we would spend half of the day team building. We split up in to several different groups and we did a ropes course. Everyone had different tasks to do but everyone had a great time. Every group had a mix of Germans and Americans. The different tasks were problem solving and team building. It was hard at times because of the language barriers but we all got past that and had fun.

After the teambuilding we had a barbeque. Afterwards we had the opportunity to go in the water. At first everyone was a bit apprehensive because the weather isn’t very warm, but in the end everyone went in. We were nicely attired in wetsuits, lifejacket and helmets. We looked ridiculous, but it was well worth it. We had the chance to go kayaking or going on the banana boat (a large float that held six people kind of like tubing). In order to avoid your body from going in shock you had to jump into the water before you were allowed to go on the banana boat. It was rather amusing to watch peoples faces when they jumped in. The water was extremely cold, but the wetsuits kept you warm.

We are currently sitting at St. Malachy’s College and playing card games waiting until we go to mass. Following mass we will have a pizza party and go to an Irish concert. We are all looking forwards to this. Ireland has been a great learning experience thus far.

~Kris Kleiner

Thursday...

Thursday August 10, 2006

This morning, we woke up and ate breakfast and St. Colette’s planned the prayer for the group today. We all went up to the chapel and said morning prayer together. It was planned by Dan, Christina, Megan and Tessa. The theme was change. Through 2 songs, they taught us that we should make peace between one another and learn to get along. We had a moment of silence in memory of and to pray for the troubled times that Ireland is going through right now. After prayer, we all got on the bus and headed for the Northern Coast of Ireland. We learned American, German and Irish songs with lots of hand motions. After about an hour on the bus, we drove up a hill to a school in northern Ireland where every student must drive to, to be able to attend. After that we stopped along the way at a few places to take pictures and stretch our legs. The BEST PLACE so far was the Giant Causeway.

Beth Menestrina

The Causeway was a fantastic place to spend some time together on the water. Most of us climbed on the rocks and enjoyed the great landscape! Some of us walked up 162 steps after walking along a beautiful hill. We are off to a bbq now hosted by a local priest. (He just celebrated mass with us at Star of the Sea Church – Port Stewart.) More will come later. You would all love it here. We are thinking of you, and are keeping you in our prayers.

Photos tomorrow

Hi there!

Just an FYI regarding the photos for today--we took a bunch of them, but weren't able to load them. I promise to have them up by tomorrow. Sorry!

Matt

Day 2

August 8, 2006 – Evening

Wow! St. Colette has truly made its way into Ireland! We enjoyed an Irish-style dinner, and we made our way to mass. The whole group was a little jet lagged, and heads were nodding throughout the day. We made it though! The mass with the Bishop was nice, and it was nice to realize that Catholics all over the world, whether you’re German, American or Irish, can come together to celebrate faith. After mass, there still was more fun to come, an Irish band featuring a fiddle, banjo, flute and other instruments played music to keep us awake! Not only did we dance to the authentic music, and mix with the German and Irish kids, we also introduced the whole group to the great American card game-Spoons. Between wrestling over spoons with people we had just met, and trying to keep up with the game, we definitely got to know all of our new foreign acquaintances on a whole new level. What better way to get to know people? Anyway, it feels like the whole group is already having a blast here in Belfast, and I cant wait for all of the crazy and exciting experiences yet to come!
Peace and love,
Kelsey Ralls


August 9th 8:00pm

Lauren and Jenna are here coming to you from Northern Ireland. Haha. Today we started off taking a bus tour all throughout Belfast. We saw a lot of murals depicting the “Troubles". Some murals were just showing the beliefs of the different religions, but others were pretty violent. “Belfast Wall” was a very tall wall built between the different housing communities to keep the Catholics and Protestants separate. There were many British flags hanging along the streets in the Protestant area to show their loyalty to Britain. The gate door separating the two communities is still closed at night to keep the violence out. We then took a tour of the Stormont government building. They told us how it was used as a secret meeting place during World War II. They disguised it by covering it with black paint which took seven years to remove after the war was over. Some of us have been eating a lot of lasagna and potatoes here. They also keep serving us this juice that is quite unique. Currently we just got finished with dinner and are waiting for the Irish dancers to arrive. They said it should be an early night for us and we will be back around 9:00pm. Good Day!!!

~Jenna Zuccarini and Lauren Glovak

We Made It!

August 8, 2006

Good Morning from Belfast, Ireland. It is about 9:25 here and the weather is pretty cool compared to back home. We are on a bus on the way to Belfast from the Dublin airport. Some of us got a lot of sleep on the planes, but some of us did not get that much sleep. We got a late take off from Detroit because of a problem in Chicago. We are much energized about this trip. If any of you guys back home want any info about the weather in Belfast, it is sunny but like 65 degrees out here.

Sincerely,
Dan Lehr

Well Hello readers! I’m typing to you from the bus… isn’t that awesome?! We made it, after almost missing our connecting flight; it was a treat! It is now 6hrs later!! We left our jet plane and now are thrown head first into a full day when at home it’s about 4 am …woo whooo!!!! Much awaits us, and as Dan said “The excitement is over whelming!”

P.S. Did you know the Irish drive on the left side of the road…. The wheel is on the right too, it’s a bit odd. Mmm Culture! Write more later.

Love to all,
The lovely and eloquent Christina Fitzpatrick

Quotes as of now:

“Hi, would you like some fred (intending to say bread)”

“OMG I woke up in Ireland”

“Smile its really 3 in the morning”

“cow down”

“He’s acting like we’re in the middle of nowhere… we’re like 10 feet away from the airport.”

“We just arrived after spending the last 6 hours in a giant green metal tube in the sky.”

Sorry if no one else derives any amusement out of this… its 4 in the morning and I’m on a bus;-)

The eloquently lovely Natalie Colletti

*** Since "unpacking" at the College, we have joined the German group. We ate lunch, visited a museum, walked through an amazing botanical garden, and visited Queen's University. We are now at YouthCom awaiting mass and dinner. Tonight we will be listening to live music which will certainly liven up a tired group. Everyone is in great spirits, though! (Despite the lack of sleep and rain...) Tonight we will rest very soundly. :)

Hello!

Hi there--

Just a quick note to let you know that this is indeed the website to hear about everything that we are going to be doing in Belfast for the next 9 days. We are really looking forward to sharing the thoughts of all of the participants through journal entries and photos on this site. Please check back everyday for updates.

Important note: To access the pictures, please click on the "Flickr" image on the right hand side of this page. There is a temporary photo there right now because I had to put one there to create the folder. It will be updated when we have a chance to post new pictures. Enjoy!

Matt