Here and there

Well I now have lived in Belfast Northen Ierland Long enough to have picked up the slang words and some times the ascent. I have been here long enouth to fall in Love with the people I work with and another church family. I have been here long enough to miss my friends and family back in the states desperately but also dread the idea of leaving behind my new friends and home here in Belfast. It's an unusal feeling really.

I had a fantastic January becoues I had the best of both worlds. One of my best friends Meredith who is a sophomore at Hollins this year came over for the month she was doing an indapented study for her H-term she wrote a play based on the Dockers strike in 1907 it like 120 pages long it ver impress and smart. I got to not only got to spend time with her but I also got to show off all the things I love about Belfast and my church family here. Having her here help to high light all the things I knew I loved, but I could really seen them when pointing them out. I took her to church where she got to see me give a some what descent retelling of Horton hears a who for a childerns sermon. Also she went to bowling club with me and got to meet the group of peopl who have really adopted me. She really left an impression on them when she bowled by holding the ball with both hands and swing it between her legs. Also I was able to bring her to a SN@G meeting.

SN@G is our youth fellowship group at Grenville SN@G stands for Sunday nights at Gernville. It was named SN@G more becoues the youth wanted to here SN@G said in church it is a slang word for making out in Briton. All of the leaders are volunteers and have to be under 30 there are 5 leaders including me Jenny, Carline, Gram, and Karen. I became close to them on a weekend retreat we took the youth to. I also love the kids we have about 10 to 15 youth that come each week and we have a lot of fun. We play games including Wah, and a game called the moo game. Than we have a Bible study. There is always a lot of laughing.

I loved having Meredith here we went down south to Cork and Dublin. She also spent her 20th birthday whith me. She got to meet all of the other YAVs. Some how me being here is more real now that she has seen where I am, and meet my friends. I put her on a plain to go home on wednesday and I am heart broken. I realized as I put her on the plain how much of my heart is back in the states with her,my family, Rachel,my other friends dancing at Hollins, St. Andrews, and the list goes on. At the same time I realized in July I will have to leave another part of my heart in Belfast with the Bowlers, SN@G members, Peter adn Alsa, the community centre kids, and my students in my dance classes. So for now I am telling my self that time with Meredith was so worth the heart ace of another goodbye and in April I will have the nest of both world's when Rachel visits, and than in the summer when my family comes to visit. Than I am not sure what I am going to do becoues I will miss my Belfast family just as much.

Love you all where every you are

Patricia