Building Community Politics to Build-A-Bears

Our morning correspondent is Jessica Coleman:

Right then, hello you lot! Jess here to fill all you lovely people in on what is going on across the “wee” pond between us! In the tradition of nearly every conversation in Ireland, let me start off by commenting on the weather. It is impossible to predict and unbearably beautiful; however, none of us came prepared – it is sunny and hot!!! Not that we’re complaining. Another nugget about the weather is that it is a wee bit humid. Please note that when I say wee, I am not referring to the American word “wee,” which is usually associated with synonyms such as “small” or “insignificant”; rather, in the northern Irish context, “wee” is almost the complete opposite and is used to stress an importance. So, when I say it is a “wee” bit humid, I mean it is extremely humid. Excuse that wee digression :b

Today we met with Charlene O’Hara, the elected city council representative for the Sinn Féin party in Lisburn, a city adjacent to Belfast. A wee bit of background on her: she is the youngest elected representative from Sinn Féin as she “stood” for election when she was 19, and she represents the success women’s involvement in Sinn Féins’ political movement. Yes, Ms. Duarte is very proud. :b.

O’Hara commented that what makes Sinn Féin unique from all other parties, including fellow nationalist party SDLP (Social Democratic Labor Party), is their activist members. They are quite similar to the Obama campaign in terms of the total commitment of individuals to the movement at the grassroots level. They are constantly interacting within their communities in order to make life better for all those around them, although I’m not sure if they focus on flies too much. She noted that being considered an activist of Sinn Féin meant a 24-hour job. She used the example that one might work a standard 9-5 office job within the political party, then from 6-9 knock on people’s doors explaining their message. All this might be followed by being awakened at 3 A.M. to be brought on the scene of an emergency or gang activity within the community.

As with many young people, she is extremely idealistic and socialistic. Some of her ideas for social reform were admirable but not all were pragmatic. We enjoyed her insights into the education system in Northern Ireland and its need for reform; especially the 11+ Exam. In terms of economic reform her perspective was “each according to their needs” versus our American focus on “each according to his/her ability.” Her argument was not unlike James Connolly, whom we read in Mr. Bizga’s class, who made socialism a fundamental part of Irish republicanism. Connolly said:

If you remove the English army tomorrow and hoist the green flag over Dublin Castle unless you set about the organisation of the socialist republic your efforts would be in vain. England would still rule you. She would rule you through her finances, through the whole array of commercial and individual institutions she has planted in the country.

Connolly did make an interesting point since many unionist arguments for retaining the union with Britain are economic. The Rt. Hon Jeffrey Donaldson, MP MLA, make this argument to us yesterday during our visit with him at Stormont. Jayson respectfully reminded her Americans are very afraid of socialism for legitimate reasons; and as Pat, a little angrier, tried to explain to her why her thinking was unrealistic, Sarah was restraining Tom from pouncing. It was an awkward situation for all parties. As Americans we were attracted to her idealism but concerned about the practical social implications of some of the economic reforms she advocated.

Her colleague Peter, a Scotchman of Irish descent, then took the stage. His accent was hard to adjust to and made the Belfast accent seem easier to understand by comparison (if you can believe that). For these purposes, he will be referred to as the Scottish Dude and/or Guy. It was interesting to see his perspective as a native Scot about how attached he is to Ireland. That is about as far as my attempt of translating the Scottish Dude/Guy goes; I just feel I cannot do him justice. I apologize.

As an interjection, let me remind you that Raymond, our personal genius/tour guide/program coordinator, is still proud of learning the phrase “That’s what she said” from last year’s truly academic group. As a tribute, I will make a horrible joke. That’s what he said.

Moving on. As jet lag is still a serious affliction among us stupid Americans, (our excuse for every silly thing so far) we were off to our daily Starbucks fix. Just like America, there is a Starbucks on every corner. I love Ireland.

It should be noted that if you think Cleveland has bad drivers, you will have a heart attack if you come to Northern Ireland. Irish cabbies are not for the faint of heart. As we received our decadent frozen frappucinos and marvelous macchiatos, we made a deal with the Starbucks worker that we would move into his girlfriend’s house if she could live in our homes. We told her she was very welcome; her boyfriend was rather attractive on top of his irresistible accent and agreed to the terms. Mr. And Mrs. Belli, Ms. Melby, Mr. and Mrs. Coleman, and Mrs. Murray, don’t fret, she’s a nice girl :D.

We have also coined our group as “Dan and Liz plus 8.” We think we could be a great reality show on BBC or a variety of US networks. Well then, let me wrap this up. Dan and Liz Plus 8 miss everyone quite terribly. Much love!

Our afternoon correspondent is Gabrielle Belli:

After our mouths finished watering at the sight of our highly caffeinated Starbucks, we noticed that we had three minutes to get to class. That seems like a sufficient amount of time to walk a block or two, but only if you’re an outsider. Keep in mind that we four girls, in desperate need of foot massages, had to sprint back to the Irish Studies Department for our lectures. Making it back in time was a monumental accomplishment, but we felt like we ran our energy reserves dry. We feared that keeping conscious through the anticipated droning lectures could never work.

Our preconceptions were annihilated during the first few seconds of Dr. Dominic Bryan’s introduction. His mannerisms resembled Jack Sparrow’s of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and his booming voice made even the most insignificant subjects seem impressive. Now, not to mislead you all, nothing he said was insignificant. In fact, it was arguably the best lecture I have ever been engaged in. The subject we were learning about was “Northern Ireland: Peace and Prosperity or More Divided than Ever?” For most of us, it clarified the structure of government, or rather “confused” us more; thus, we learned something. Dr. Bryan elaborated on the peace process to a comfortable degree. He made the point that the root problem is the identity of the people. The majority of the population on the island of Ireland see themselves as Catholic and Irish, but the majority of the population of Northern Ireland are Protestant and consider themselves British. Dr. Bryan also made another point: everything from his lecture was open to discussion except for the school system in the north because of its controversial structure.

It’s called the 11+ system, whereby children at age 11 take two tests that determine whether they go to a university track grammar school or to a secondary school, basically splitting children from their friends and determining their futures. Dr. Bryan stuck to his word and just stated his opposition to this system, but Ms. Duarte asked him to summarize his position in a couple of sentences, not realizing what she had initiated. Being the loud, opinionated, sometimes obnoxious Americans that we are, this re-lit a heated debate we’ve been having about public and private schools in the US among the eight of us. Jayson, Sonja, Pat and Tom, all previously in the public school system before high school, had something to say about equality in the school systems. We all made sure this was not a formal, polite debate in any regards. Jayson offered the first heated statement in the middle of the lecture, and this set everyone up in arms. Being neutral in the situation, all I heard was people screaming, “OH MY GOSH THAT’S SO NOT TRUE! You don’t know what you’re talking about! You’re wrong! I’m right! No you’re wrong!”We quickly became a house divided, just like the Irish we were learning about. Fortuantely, the schisms we create end abruptly and are forgotten, especially in the presence of a character like Dr. Bryan.

Somehow, Dr. Bryan’s lecture turned to the subject of Build-A-Bears. While maintaining a reserved stance toward the American school systems, he abandoned this when talking about the godforsaken stuffed animals. Dr. Bryan’s position is as follows: “Build-A-Bears are exploiting children! You shove the stupid stuffing up the arse of the bear, its arms and legs go straight out, and then you pay a bloody fortune to dress it!!” Sarah had given a Build-A-Bear to her boyfriend before she left, so we all burst out in laughter but quickly turned beet red. We were the only ones laughing. To add to my embarrassment, Dr. Bryan went on to talk about how Americans think it’s so spectacular to have big cars all to themselves, ignoring the fact that they’re “terrorists to the environment.” I currently drive a big red Land Rover that gets 15.2 miles per gallon and I’m usually the solo passenger. With his expressive character and dogmatic personality, he made me want to trade my gas-guzzling tank for a cute little Vespa. I’m telling you, Mom and Dad, it’s the way to go.

Upon Dr. Bryan’s departure, Dr. Peter McLoughlin arrived. Sonja and I were the first to meet him. He reminded us of Ryan in 20 years, without the lingering cynicism. He lectured us on “John Hume and the Peace Process,” which connected everything we’ve been learning thus far. This much-needed lecture filled in everything we missed while napping during a grueling but highly relevant three-hour documentary we saw during our pre-departure course – Endgame in Ireland. Our sleepy eyes were reopened with Dr. McLouchlin’s lecture, as he knows more about John Hume’s politics than John Hume himself. When Ms. Duarte prefaced a question by stating that last year’s group had talked with Fr. Alex Reid (the person responsible for negotiating talks between John Hume and Gerry Adams and thus initiating the peace process), Dr. McLoughlin noted in amazement that Fr. Reid doesn’t meet with anyone anymore. Ms. Duarte assured him that the Walsh students had spoken with him and that we will meet with him in Dublin. Dr. McLoughlin was obviously impressed that we are able to have an audience with such a distinguished person. Raymond has known Fr. Reid for many years and has been able to arrange a meeting for us in Dublin with this reclusive character who has played a central role in the peace process.

While walking back to our dorms today, our conversations rivaled those of CNN. Our discussions about socialism, school systems, political parties, and the pure confusion that is the Gaelic language were nonstop and heated. In the words of Mr. Bizga, “Think of yourself like a sponge. All day you absorb information, and you ring your brain out on your blog and journal.” But because of our inability to contain our opinions and thoughts, all eight of us let our ideas flow out onto everything and everyone around us, potentially drowning our surroundings.

This includes our dinners, previously mentioned in the blog. Currently Mr. Bizga, the other girls, and Ryan are all in the kitchen dancing, cooking and screaming, not singing, to Gwen Stefani. I can hear their “beautiful” voices bounce through the hallway, penetrating my train of thought through the closed door. Hey, at least it’s better than Pat entertaining us with old-school Tupac, awkward faces and incredibly priceless dance moves. Although this may appear repulsive to most, I see it as a call to join the rest of the pack. I know deep down Tom does, too, but while I’m down the corridor running to our motley crew, he’s already doing laundry after only three days. Thanks for helping me stuff my suitcase beyond a safe capacity, Mom.

Dinner tonight could not compare to the adventure of last night. However, we did listen to Sarah’s ipod all night. Our sing-along started with “Taking Care of Business” and ended with “Jungle Boogie.” Sarah’s not too fond of our young people music, so we rolled our eyes and let her have control of the speakers tonight.

J’envoyer mon amour et prieores.

Quote of the day: “Victoria Square is NOT square, in any way.”