Acting As Tour Guide

My friend Annie is in town and I'm super excited. Here's a pic of us in front of a nice ol' pub in Belfast. Since I was the driver, I enjoyed a glass of Diet Coke. How very Irish of me.
Tomorrow I am coordinating a video shoot at our work-site. I'll take pics of the homes we're finishing in Downpatrick for ya. Since that's why I'm actually here (or so they tell me).

A Saturday At The Coast

On Saturday I had to drive to Newcastle (Northern Ireland not England) for a work retreat. The retreat was to train leaders of teams going out to build homes around the world. Anyway, the trip involved a drive to Newcastle. Alone. In the Fiat. As the departure date grew closer I psyched myself up and tried to take little trips in the car.

Saturday morning came and I got in the car. Since we park on a "wee" hill, going in reverse can be a "wee" bit tricky. The first few tries led me slowly down the hill to the backdoor of my neighbor. Eeek. Finally, park brake in place, I reversed up the hill and out onto the Falls Road. Thankfully the drive was uneventful (no stalls or drives on the other side of the road).

Since I didn't present until the late afternoon, I made what seemed like dozens of pots of tea and instant coffee (the second bev is gross, btw) and got to take a few walks with my coworkers. Since my poor lil' blog is in desparate need of some photojournalism, I've included a few pics of Newcastle.

Also, I have decided that Rugby ain't half bad. Ireland beat England on Saturday and provided much entertainment during one of our many, many tea breaks. Good times.

And if anyone knows how to keep the captions with the pics, gimme a shout. The captions are in the same order as the pics. Sorry I didn't catch these images during the 15 minutes of blue skies.

This is the costline just south of New Castle


I like old hotels and this hotel, the Slieve Donard, did not dissapoint. Too bad it is out of the "Habitat" retreat budget.


Look, palm trees! In Ireland?

Americans On Tour

How'd We Live Without The World Wide Web?
Today my Internet was finally activated at home. Now I can finally use my Skype account on a regular basis and update my blog. These past few weeks without Internet left me feeling as though I've been missing a limb. One of my housemates (The Gramps-but more on that later) is a little bit addicted to the Internet. Everyday she complained about how lazy the people in the office are because they've been no help getting us online or how badly she can't wait to check her email while sitting on the couch watching terrible cable TV. No more! Now she can email until her heart's content and I can reconnect with the outside world. If there were testimonial ads for Sky (our cable and Internet provider), I would be first in line.

Ah The Gramps. Also volunteering, The Gramps are a retired couple from Fresno, CA. They are here until November while Mr. Gramps assists with the 4 U.S. teams coming over to build in Belfast. I could fill a novel with talk on my housemates but for now I will say that they are nice people but very set in their ways and very American. You frequent travellers to Europe know what I'm talking about. In a very loud voice, they seem to announce "Well, they don't do it like that back in The States" before entering any public place. In restaurants I have watched in horror as teenage waitresses are lectured about how a hamburger should be prepared or the incorrect naming of things like chips or crisps. I kid you not, once Mr. Gramps translated all of the menu prices into dollars for a waitress and then told her the restuarant was over-charging.

I'll stop here for now. A fourth roommate, another retired lady, moves in next week. Golden Girls, anyone?

A Wee Car For A Wee Road

Thankfully I can report that I have driven the city streets of Belfast several times now and no one has been injured. Habitat provides a car for the long-term volunteers and this year we are lucky to have a brand new Fiat Punto (an ad featuring my "wee" car is to the right). It's not glamorous but it sure does smell good. And it's a good thing the lil' Punto is a "wee" car because the roads here are ridiculous.

First, there is the obvious task of retraining yourself to drive on the left-hand side of the road. Then you are thinking about roundabouts and shifting and clutches and not backing into the car behind you. Once you think you've got it covered you take a turn and discover that you've got to navigate a "wee" road full of "wee" cars, children and the ever present stray dog.

I thought driving in LA would prepare me for anything, but I think Belfast has SoCal beat.

I also never thought I would hear so many adults use the word "wee" so often.