Parking the Beast

This entry is entitled “Parking the Beast.” The beast is otherwise known as the 17 seat mini-bus Nigel drives us around in and to be perfectly honest, many of the funniest moments of the last month have occurred in the beast or, occasionally, at the beast’s expense. It’s been a crazy week as we all settled into our internships and spent some time exploring Belfast this weekend. Internship placements seem to be going okay for everyone, but it has definitely been a stressful week. Personally, I’m enjoying my internship so far- learning a lot and trying to get to know my co-workers and the feel of the place. Unlike most of the other placements, this organization has never had a HECUA intern so I think we’re all trying to figure out exactly what my role will be. Needless to say, there have definitely been some rough evenings coming home from work and feeling pretty unsure of the whole thing.

Wednesday we had our seminar day and the whole program met up for the day in Belfast; each week we convene either in Belfast or Derry (usually on Mondays) to discuss our experiences, meet with organizations, and of course, ride around in the beast. This week, we went to the WAVE Trauma Center in North Belfast, which works with victims and survivors of the Troubles. After Nigel expertly maneuvered the beast through some very tight spots, we spoke with one of the organization’s leader who lost his wife and father-in-law in 1993 in the (Protestant/Unionist) Shankhill Road Bomb that killed 9 people, including one of the IRA bombers. The event caused quite a controversy because Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein (the leading Nationalist party), carried the coffin of the IRA bomber who was killed.

We’ve talked a bit about a hierarchy of victims, the idea that not all deaths should be treated the same, and it was really interesting and clarifying to hear this man’s story and opinions on the relationships between victims. It’s truly amazing how many people’s stories we’ve been able to hear; I know each one gives me a whole new set of questions and brings a new depth to my understanding of the Troubles and this society.

After WAVE, we went to Northern Ireland Alternatives, an organization centered around the idea of restorative justice and also one of the HECUA placements. We spoke with some of the leaders of the organization about what restorative justice means and what they do to promote justice at the local level. Then we had a tour of East Belfast, a heavily Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist area, and got to hear a pretty strong Loyalist perspective, one we haven’t heard much from. It was interesting to walk around the neighborhood and hear how socio-economic deprivation affects peoples’ thinking about conflict and division. It was another pretty intense day that ended with a Q&A with a leader of the UVF (a Loyalist paramilitary group).

It’s been really nice having seven roommates having parallel experiences and we’ve definitely had our fair share of bonding moments in the flat and on some really fun city adventures. This weekend we were all in need of some good craic (which is what the locals call ‘a good time’)… Friday we went to a Mexican restaurant, which was basically a Chipotle and so, so delicious even if it wasn’t an Anna’s burrito or a Los Ocampo al pastor taco. We explored a few bars and did some dancing and all really enjoyed ourselves. Yesterday we explored the St. George’s Farmers Market, the City Centre, and Victoria Sq. Mall- it was a beautiful day and a lot of fun to walk around, people watch, and do a little shopping.


Tomorrow we’re off to Derry for a seminar day and then back to work on Tuesday. Last night, Erin (a fellow Mac student and one of my Belfast flat-mates) bought tickets for spring break to go to Istanbul to, among other things, visit our friend Joey! And next weekend I’m off to Edinburgh, Scotland to visit my friend Mary and try some haggis, or something…