Noticing the now

The past few days I've found myself thinking about life back in the States more frequently. Thinking about sprawling out in a comfortable booth in the Kletz, devouring a basket full of cheese fries with two of my best friends. Thinking about spending my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mid-mornings in Dimnet Chapel, light streaming into the stained glass windows. Thinking about being back home with a big bowl of chilli, watching the Packers game with my family. It's easy, at times, to want to be somewhere else.

Then, today riding the bus from Belfast back down to Dublin, a trip I've grown accustomed to over the past weeks, I found myself looking at the lush rolling sheep-speckled green fields with sheep with a renewed appreciation. I found myself taking in the beauty of the countryside, surveying the rows of houses as we passed through Banbridge, looking at the different styles of architecture, the different expressions on billboards, looking at everything with a new interest.

Although perhaps overused, the expressions "love where you are" and "bloom where you're planted" have behind them an important truth. As obvious as it seems, you can't be in two places at once. When you choose to commit to the place you're in (regardless of whether you feel like being there) it suddenly takes on a new meaning.

With so many fewer hours of class time here than at Hope, I’ve found some activities to involve myself in that add a bit of structure to my week. One is a weekly Bible study at a church just down the street from my flat. There are usually about eight or nine of us -a few more males than females, all Irish except for me, and all either college students or recently out of school. Over tea and biscuits we talk about life, study the book of Luke and pray.

Another more recent activity is getting involved with volunteering. Initially I wanted to work with kids in some capacity, but due to the need for extensive applications or extended periods of time commitment these options were a bit tricky to work out. Instead I ended up volunteering with YouthBank. YouthBank is part of the Irish Youth Foundation and it works to let youth (usually 13-20 year olds) help allocate donated money into specific projects in their communities. I’m going to be working with the communication side of things, basically conducting interviews and writing articles for the organization.

I have also begun to delve into the extensive reading lists for my classes with a bit more urgency as essay deadlines approach. The essay title lists from which students are required to choose an essay come out at the end of this week. Once I am able to choose a title working intentionally should become easier. My most interesting read as of late has been Voltaire’s Candide for my Enlightenment class.

I celebrated Halloween by watching a rugby match in the afternoon (it didn’t even rain!) and then watching a fireworks display in the evening, and making and consuming chocolate and marsh mellow covered apples and other treats. Oh, and observing some...um interesting costumes. Christmas is the next major holiday approaching here (Thanksgiving is not celebrated) and decorations have been appearing. Merry beginning of November?