Week one:
Arrival/Orientation
When we first arrived in Northern Ireland I did not know what to expect. After a short bus ride to Corrymeela, we settled into rooms and got to unwind and adjust to the time difference. Some people chose to sleep on the first day while a small group decided to explore the nearby town of Ballycastle. The next 2 days we started to become accustomed to the Irish culture and took a walking tour of Derry. We also made visits to some very interesting places such as the Giant’s Causeway and a very long rope bridge.
Kyle Lentz
The Corrymeela center at which we stayed for the first few days of the program had a relaxed atmosphere and was very welcoming. From Corrymeela we had a beautiful view of the ocean and the green hills of Northern Ireland……Before I came to Northern Ireland, I knew about the ‘Troubles’, but I did not realize that they play such a large role in the society even today. As we passed areas where the British flag was waving, I realized that both Unionists and Nationalists give their political beliefs prominence in their lives.
Melanie Murray
Well, here I am in Northern Ireland. If someone would have told me at this time last year that I would be here this year, I wouldn’t have been inclined to believe them…….After an interminable plane ride high about Canada and the icy waters of the Atlantic, we arrived at Heathrow Airport. But there were only a few hours to do some over-priced airport shopping and then it was off again, this time to Belfast…….We were whisked away to a beautiful seaside retreat called Corrymeela, where one can stand on the cliffs overlooking the blue water and see Scotland’s Mull of Kintyre………
Zach Burton
Now I am settled in Londonderry/Derry and starting classes at Magee. While the location has changed it seems as though the people have not. Everyone is still out-of-the-way helpful. The city is not at all what I expected, in that, for a place where so much violence and turmoil occurred it is incredibly peaceful. Children are everywhere walking home from school, the streets are lively with people late into the evening, and it really seems sometimes the that only indication of Londonderry/Derry’s violent past and divided present is the graffiti on the walls.
Marissa Buckles
As for the people here, it has been quite what I expected and yet I still find myself surprised. I’ve hoped for so long to come here and experience a different way of living. Even though it is quite different, it is also the same. Perhaps the same TV shows or brand-named products are not available, but peanut butter is peanut butter no matter what brand and the BBC has interesting shows of its own. All in all, although Derry is a large size-wise, it has the welcoming, friendly atmosphere of a small town.
Mollie
Northern Ireland is so beautiful. This is what you first notice. You notice the differences from back home and enjoy them; there are no sights like the sights we’ve seen here. But as things go along, you go to class and out with friends and hang out with “the natives”, you notice the underlying tension. Attempts can be made to try and ignore this, but it’s still there. Well, of course we American students cannot even try to ignore it—this is what our studies here are all about, the focus being Northern Ireland and the Troubles. Classes here thus far have been good—lot of information to soak up. But then again, Northern Ireland has a lot of history—good and bad, as we are learning.
I can’t decide yet if I enjoy class. I enjoy class as it is interesting in subject and direct relation to our lives. This is an entirely new situation, where the classes we take deal with everyday life here—history, culture, and politics. 
Very much unlike classes back home, where you are learning for your future, not for your successful cohabitation with a new culture in a different country. It makes the subjects seem much more imminent. But, class is still class and that simple fact makes this seem more like drudgery than intellectual stimulation. I’ll try to work on this lack of enthusiasm, as it is directed more towards the word “class” than the actual matter. Oh, great…more homework.
Deborah Armstrong
After being here for a week and a few days, I am feeling more ‘at ease’ with my surroundings. This is not to say that I have even begun to understand this place or its people, but I am sure with time this living arrangement will become another place I can joyously call ‘home.’
A usual day entails rising at a decent hour in order to have some breakfast and possibly read a bit before dashing off to class. Our classes follow an ordered pattern: one hour of lecture, a small break, and then another hour of lecture to conclude. This is sometimes followed by grabbing a bit to eat at school or venturing home for a meal. After our formal instruction and masticating session is complete for the day reading and studying material for our five courses commences. In the evening some of us go out, relax and watch a little T.V., continue studying, or engage in various activities. The day generally concludes with a little pillow talk with a roommate, chat with a housemate, or discourse with members of host families, and then it is off to count sheep.
Galen (Doug) Alexander
Week three:
Bus tour
Last weekend we went on a bus tour of the Northern Coast of Ireland. We had all been very excited for it, as it would be a break from school work that we've all been concentrating on completely and totally (not much sarcasm intended), and we were all very excited to look at more beautiful scenery after being cooped up in this city for a few weeks. But I'll be the first to admit that the bus tour was rather disappointing.
