The Routine: Tuesday

C'mon In Cafe

What could be more interesting than knowing my day to day work routine? NOTHING. THAT'S WHAT. And so the saga continues. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you...Tuesday!

My, my! What fine dining you have!

Every Tuesday morning I walk into Woodvale's hall that hasn't fully heated up yet to some delicious smelling food and some very pleasantly set tables. Oh la la! I start my day off with C'Mon In Cafe! An outreach program for anyone in the Shankill area to come on in to a cheap yet quality meal.

Lesley and I

It was started by Lesley, my favorite "wee" woman other than my mom and my old roommate Cat. She went around pubs, diners, and events in the community, asking the locals what they needed from the church and just in general. What she took away from her conversations, basically, was that the locals wanted a place to be and socialize for a reasonable price. And then C'Mon In Cafe was born!

Carol Ann and the Dish Area

Carol Ann and I do the dishes. She usually washes and I usually dry and put them away. For the record, there are days when I do the dishes! She's just a lot faster than I am so she prefers to do them.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it!

Jim the Chef

Jim was a chef in the army, I believe it was. He and Lesley cook the meals together and he dishes them out to the waitresses to serve to the customers.

The Kitchen

Jim in the Kitchen

Tea, Coffee, and Juice Area

Waitress Mode

Ray Soupin' It Up:
Ray's in charge of serving the soup and stew.

Helen Enjoying Her Meal

The second part of the day is spent at the 174 Trust with the Disability Club (though I refer to it as Special Needs Club due to Greenwood's Special Needs Camp title).

Steady Eddie

Linda, the frontwoman of the Disability Club, and her husband Patrick take one minibus for pick ups, while I go with Eddie in another. We pick up kids from all over North Belfast and either return to the Trust for games, snacks, crafts, and activities, or go somewhere unique for the evening. We've been to the library, we've gotten a behind the scenes tour of a beloved local sweet shop (candy shop), bowling, Funland, and so on and so forth. It's a great program and a highlight of the week. The kids are always funny, genuine, kind, and ready to have fun. There are actually three separate disability clubs on three separate nights. One for kids in Primary School, one for kids in Secondary School (the one I help with), and one for Special Needs Adults out of school.

Linda, Patrick, and Judith

I really enjoy working with the three pictured above. Patrick is a really caring man, and I learn a lot from Linda during these Tuesday sessions. She's lead the disability clubs for a while now, and she's won some kind of award for it, too. Judith, originally from Poland, is a volunteer who is currently taking classes so she can work with youth as a profession. Her name isn't actually Judith. It's a long, super awesome Polish name that is difficult to pronounce and spell. For that very reason, she likes to be called Judith. Haha.

And that's Tuesday.

The Routine: Monday

The 174 Trust:
Where the Gods of Cross-Community Work Dwell

I recently received an email I'd like to share with all of you:

"Dear T.J.,

I am constantly in awe of your blog posts, pictures on facebook, and how handsome you are. Your life is just so intriguing and hot and I want to know more about it. Please, PLEASE tell me allllllll about what you do in [Northern] Ireland. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Seymour Butz"

Well Seymour Butz, honestly, I found your email horrifyingly on the stalker side, but since you are such a true supporter of my volunteer work in Belfast, I have decided to document my day to day work life for you. Godspeed, Seymour Butz.

Technically, my Monday usually starts out with a YAV meeting in City Centre that lasts about 3-4 hours or I have a one-on-one with Doug. But then by about 2:30, I'm at the 174 Trust. Here's some pics of the place (thanks again for letting me borrow your camera, Courtney). You can also take a tour of the 174 Trust on their website.

John, Me, and Geoff (My supervisor at the Trust)

I luckily ran into these two awesome dudes while I had my camera. Naturally they joked and said "Let's get this over with."

Some pictures of the lovely office. After School Club often sends me here on Fridays to let parents in. I know, I know. Already talking about Friday. Could I jump the gun any sooner?

The Trust is currently expanding.

The Stairs:
My Most Fascinating Caption Yet

The Meeting Room

Hangout Area

Kitchen

More Kitchen

The New Lounge:
Pool, Table Tennis, and more!
...I'll take a pic of the inside another day. The key was being funky :/

Playground

At that time there was actually snow in Belfast. That much snow was a big deal to them. Like, everyone freaked out and panicked. Anyway, this playground has football goals/nets, a jungle gym, a slide, and a climbing wall.

The Irish School:
For Kids!

Cool Artwork

I do a couple of things with the After School Club. I do pick-ups with Charlene, I play with the kids (anything from "cooking" to playing with action figures), and I help with snacktime. Playing with the kids is my favorite. They all have big imaginations and great senses of humor.

Anyway, so when I first arrive, Charlene and I pick up some of the kids in the 174 Trustmobile. Everyone else calls it "the minibus", but I, starting now, call it the 174 Trustmobile. Look at it! It's green and it has the 174 logo on it! It's like their Batmobile.

Then we all go inside to the After School Club room.

Aisling, my coworker, is embarrassed by how the bulletin board in the background is falling down in the picture.

When all the homework has been finished, we usually give them time in the hall to play. The hall is a place where they can run around and be crazy. They ride bikes in there, kick the football around, shoot hoops, etc.

I love the After School Club. It's one of my favorite programs I get to volunteer for. The kids are always hilarious and fun, and the people I work with are all super cool. Their names are Nuala, Aisling, Patricia, and Charlene. They all live in Catholic neighborhoods, which helps give me perspective on that community, a nice contrast from my work at Woodvale Methodist on the Shankill Road (a Protestant area).

Patricia, Me, and Aisling

AGAIN!

I leave the After School Club at 4:00 and join up with the cross-community football club, where both Catholics and Protestant boys play together on integrated teams. The age range has been from 9-17, as far as I've noticed. Every Monday, we are taken to an athletic club called The Hammer, where we play football, which of course, is soccer.

The Hammer

I kid you not, on the other side of this picture is a guy, with a jersey number of 11, scratching his bum. I couldn't get a whole pic of it from my angle, so here is just a photo of number 9.

Northern Ireland Team Pride:
Artwork Inside The Hammer

Me and Andy

The football club is lead by Bill, who also runs the 174 Trust. His son Calum also comes and volunteers. Andy is taking youth worker courses and has been placed at the Trust, so he helps out with the club, too. Usually when we're done playing football, we'll go do something else like swimming, bowling, ice skating, banana boating, or the driving range, and then we'll go out to eat at KFC or make pizzas at the Trust.

What I've really enjoyed about the club is how it doesn't really focus on differences. The boys just come together and play football. The club builds friendships and it is as simple as that. Not to say they skip over differences either, though. Bill has moderated a couple discussions with them about the protests and riots going on right now. The Catholic and Protestant boys had different things to say about it, but it didn't affect their friendship in the slightest.

And that's Monday.

Double Day and Birthday Photos

Happy Birthday, Mr. Piccolo!
Woodvale Methodist Church surprises me with a cake on my birthday.

So in my last blog, The Long Blog About Christmas and Overcoming Homesickness in Belfast, I refer to "the family" that took me in on my birthday and on Double Day (Christmas and Boxing Day). This family also takes me in just about every Sunday for dinner. Vera, the mother, jokes that I am her "adopted son." They're a real Belfast family: honest, blunt, loud, and loving. My year wouldn't have been the same without them.

So, even though my birthday was waaaaaay back in October, I thought I'd share some photos from these holiday events I spent with that family. For those of you who are unfamiliar with blogs, you can see bigger version of the photos by clicking on them.

DOUBLE DAY

Simon and I celebrate Christmas the only way we know how, by being overbearingly manly.
See? He's even holding a small dog named Toto.
Courtesy of Holly

In my last blog, I wrote about crackers. If you look carefully, I'm holding the gift you get inside.
Courtesy of Holly

Jaime, Leanne, Holly, and I
Courtesy of Holly

Samantha, one of the four sisters, unfortunately was at work during this picture. I believe she's studying philosophy at a local college her. She's hilarious and likes South Park, so we get along well.

Holly, the farthest sister on the right, is currently a member of the Methodist Tom Travelling Team. They are a mission group that travels the island of Ireland, bringing programs and happiness to all the churches and schools in the area they stay in for a week. Yes, they are kind of like Christmas. Later in the year they will be visiting Woodvale Methodist.

BIRTHDAY

Simon, Granddad Billy, and I

If you look closely, Granddad Billy is sticking out his lower jaw, displaying the only two teeth he has left. He often jokes about his teeth and pulls on them to gross the family out. He's hilarious.

Simon, who is married to Jaime, is a really funny and intelligent man. He's quite knowledgeable about the Troubles and current politics, so I learn a lot form him. He also loves Father Ted. 'Nuff said.

Vera and I

In the best of ways, Vera epitomizes a woman from the Shankill, one of the locations I work in. Unfortunately, Shankill can sometimes still get a bad reputation for all the stuff that went down during the Troubles. It's people like Vera that disprove this bad rep without compromising any of her Shankill heritage and culture. She'll tell you exactly what's on her mind and what she likes and doesn't like, and she'll pile mountains of food on your plate while making it clear she's glad you came over for dinner. Without a doubt, she and her husband Sam are two of the most caring and hospitable people I've ever met.

On a side note: Shankill has come a long way since its turbulent history during the Troubles. Currently most of the riots are taking place in East Belfast (Shankill is in the West). Barely any riots, if any at all, have occurred in the Shankill these past months.

Vera made me a cake!

Jaime and I

Jaime is a gifted teacher and our current head Sunday School leader. I love working with her in Sunday School because I learn something new from her every time. The kids all love her and she has a unique, organic way of nurturing their development without babying them. She's a very genuine person, and, like Vera, is also a great cook that will often have me over to eat. It's always great to sit next to Jaime at Bible Study or Young Adults because she'll crack jokes and get away with it.

Leanne and I

Leanne is a nurse and is one of the strongest Christians I've ever met. She's constantly thinking up ways to further unite the Woodvale Methodist community. For example, she had our Young Adult group that she leads put together sketches and dance performances for the church's Christmas dinner. The people at the dinner loved it, and want an encore for next year.

But she also finds ways to reach out to the Greater Shankill area. With her leadership, our Young Adult group were able to deliver Christmas ornaments to a nearby elderly home. She's recently taken a leadership position in a community cafe project at Shankill Methodist Wednesday and Saturday nights. Even with a busy schedule, she rarely misses a church event. I can count on her to pray for me, to give me lifts to church, and to just be there for me if I'm having a low day. She's a great friend and I can't wait to see what Christian endeavors she accomplishes in the future.

The Long Blog About Christmas and Overcoming Homesickness in Belfast

City Hall Christmas Market
Courtesy of Courtney

This Christmas was a different one. No one here watches Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. Some of my favorite Christmas carols have different lyrics here (singing Silent Night was NOT the same). I wasn’t with my family. But you know what? It was an AWESOME Christmas, and it’s one I’ll remember for a long time. Gather round children, and I shall tell you the story of T.J.’s Very Merry Belfast Christmas Special!

Merry Christmas, Belfast!
Courtesy of Courtney

I couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong during December, you know, thee month of holiday cheer. The thing is, I was so wrapped up (unintentional pun) in the Christmas chaos, I didn’t even realize I was feeling that way.

Streets of City Centre
Courtesy of Courtney

One day I was at City Centre and stopped to think about how I was actually feeling. After some processing, I realized I felt empty and like something was missing. But why did I feel that way? I was having a great time in Belfast! I helped with a couple different Christmas dinners. I saw Santa with Little Steps and Special Needs Club. I even had a place to go on Christmas and Boxing Day! Why was I upset? So then I thought about it even more.

I had graduated. I wasn’t stressing over finals, exams, and school projects. I wasn’t going to the Chicago Christmas Market with Mike. I wasn’t participating in Secret Santa with my old roommates. I wasn’t going to my summer camp staff Christmas party. I wasn’t texting friends to work out times to see them over the break. I wasn’t purchasing train tickets back from Chicago to Michigan.

Heck, I wouldn’t even be in Michigan. Which meant…

I wouldn’t help with the weird tradition of wrapping unique meats into stocking stuffers for my dad’s stocking. I wouldn’t see mom staying up extremely late to wrap presents she hadn’t gotten around to yet. I wouldn’t be making my sisters laugh during the Christmas Eve service when we should have been paying attention.

I was homesick.

As soon as I realized that, I became very homesick for a solid two days. Didn’t sleep well. Wasn’t energetic. Petty, depressing thoughts kept creeping into my mind, like “Are people going to realize I’m not home?” and “Who will still be my friend when I get back? They’re changing. I’m changing. A lot. Will I be too different?” and “I don’t really know what’s going on in certain people’s lives that I miss.” Even with the solid support system here that I have with Doug (the site coordinator), the YAV’s, the Trust, and Woodvale, for the most part I kept the homesick feelings private. I didn’t want to draw attention to it. I missed family. I missed friends. I missed stupid things like driving mom’s minivan with the Mickey Mouse antenna topper to McDonald’s at midnight with Jessie or Preston.

It could have went on. And on. And on and on and on and on. But I prayed about it, had a wake-up call, and realized it wasn’t going to go away until I nipped it in the bud. So I started thinking about Christmas with the family from Woodvale Methodist that invited me. I realized how God blessed me with them. They feed me just about every Sunday, they had me over for my birthday and baked me a cake, they tumble dry my bed sheets because it’s a total pain to wait for them to air dry.

That made me feel better.

Then I thought about how the church and 174 Trust were really awesome about making sure I had somewhere to be for the holidays. They also gave me a slew of cards, sweets, and biscuits! It was incredibly thoughtful. Bill and Geoff had gotten me a gift, and so did Lesley and the volunteers from the café. Doug even got us Kraft Macaroni and Cheese based on an inside joke from the retreat we went on! I participated in two different Secret Santa games, one with the YAVs and one with the café, and both of those were really fun.

That made me feel great, too.

Good friend and former YAV Sarah also sent us a gift. David and I sent her this beautiful picture in response.

I continued to choose to find all the great things about Christmas in Belfast. All the good things God blessed me with. David (my flatmate) and I ran into a family the North Belfast YAV’s have befriended. They chatted with us and gave us a card and a tin of biscuits. David put up lights and even managed to grab us a small, live tree. He and I opened one present each on Christmas Eve (technically Christmas morning). David, Tricia, and I went to Anna’s church for Christmas Eve that she and her youth put together, and it was fantastic. And I should mention that City Hill had a beautiful Christmas Market with a big tree and that the entire City Centre area was decorated. It was just great to walk through.

With prayer and a positive attitude, I beat the homesickness. Sure enough, soon after, it was Christmas/Boxing Day (which I officially call “Double Day”). Oh, and it was my first Boxing Day. Boxing Day is basically just an extended Christmas. Originally, I think it had something to do with giving gifts to servants, but no one here has really given me a straight answer. I probably should ask Doug...

Anyway, so I went over to the family’s for Double Day and it was definitely one of my favorite holidays for sure! We had the infamous Belfast Christmas dinner! See, over here, no one plans Christmas parties like we do in America. It’s all about these magical Christmas dinners that everyone eats during the month of December in preparation for thee Christmas dinner. They are everywhere. Every church, organization, and charity has them all over the country. They are big, three-course dinners with ham, turkey, gravy, juice, peas, carrots, mashed potatoes, and my personal favorite, roasties (kind of like roasted potatoes and fries, but not quite). The portions you get are massive, by the way. People here like to tease me about the fast food industry in American and how much we consume over there, but you eat dinners with these guys and it’s like eating a tiny mountain. Also, every Christmas dinner has a cracker, which are in America but aren’t nearly as popular. Basically you and another person pull on both ends of a wrapped container. The container pops and whoever has the bigger end…wins? Loses? I don’t remember, but you do get a joke and toy on the inside!

So on Christmas we ate, watched A Muppet Christmas Carol, went for a walk, and played Monopoly and Cluedo (Clue). I, of course, skyped with my family when I got home. On Boxing Day, we did more of the same and it was wonderful. Vera, the mother and chef goddess, made a wonderful meal yet again that had lamb, beef, and a ton of different desserts (including Bailey’s Cheesecake—yum). We laughed a lot those two days, and had a lot of, as people here would say, “good craic.”

It was a refreshing holiday season. After being so homesick, I felt extremely loved. I was definitely where God wanted me to be: with a caring family. Not a bad way to spend my first Christmas away from home.

Now if you’ll excuse me, that last paragraph was so sincere and corny I need to go throw up. See you next time with a shorter blog!