Cheers

Well here I am finally. My apologies for taking so long telling you all what things are like here. But there's a lot in this post so hopefully we can make up for some lost time. So here we go!!!!

This is our house on Thorndale ave in North Belfast. We live in a predominantly catholic neighborhood that is lined on both sides by protestant areas. As you can see its that common UK row style housing with common walls shared by neighbors. Its a pretty nice house. Funnily enough its a bit nicer than UCSC on campus housing. Actually a lot nicer.




This is the view either way on our street. More row houses and dreary weather. Its good that overcast santa cruz days cured me of any seasonal affect disorder. Its going to be a dark winter. The spire at the end of the road is the 174 Trust. It used to be a church but now it is an cross community center that I work at. They have tons of programs but I mostly play football with some of the neighborhood kids. Ill give you a more detailed post about my work later in the week.


I realize that I look incredibly goofy in this picture but I was trying to show you how low the door frames are here. I hit my head almost every morning before I am totally awake. The standard door here is lik 6'4"! BOOOO

There will be more posts more frequently now that I have a routine going. Im gonna get pictures of the places/ people I work with in the up coming. Know that I am well even if I am still a bit thrown for a loop about what i am doing here and things such as this. Feel free to email me and let me know how all of you are out there in the blog-o-sphere

Stay tuned...

Hello folks, Just thought I'd throw something up right quick and let you know that in the next few days I will be putting up a big post with lots of photos of where l like and where I work. Soooo stay tuned.

ALEX

PS my flatmates make fun of me because I'm picking up the accent so look forward to that when i get home!

Belfast

I've been in Belfast for a few days now and I have to say that things are so overwhelming I bearly know what to post. I live with 3 other volunteers in a house in North Belfast between a majority Catholic/Nationalist area and a mixed area. It is an amazing house, traditional red brick row housing. It is very much an urban setting. There is something that I precieve as very strange about the area that I can't quite put words to yet. Overall I am well but generally dumbfounded as to what I am taking in and seeing. Dispite the recent news of progress in the peace process here these divisions are very very deep. The word I have been thinking about most as I see the city is stark. The more I type the more mixed up I feel. I can't really articulate anything yet. Just know that I am well and covet your prayers.

ALEX