“All my bags are packed I’m ready to go

I’m standing here outside your door

I hate to wake you up to say Good byeeee…”

 

Could somebody please get that song OUT OF MY HEAD?!!! Well, for one thing, my bags are NOT packed… yes yes I know it’s 2:00 AM and the first bus leaves in less than two hours, what am I waiting for? Our bus is at 9:30 but I want to get everything packed and ready soon so that I can just relax and enjoy the few remaining hours…

 

I’m sitting in the quiet room, because all the equipment and laptops have been brought in and packed so I can’t take this laptop out! I’m burning some CDs of Irish music and some of the music Ronnie used during worship in the Croi.

 

I don’t know how to describe today or what to write about it… I went running this morning, and this time stopped at the Marina and just sat there enjoying the fresh cloudy weather. There was an old man walking his dog (a sight I got so accustomed to this past week), and for some reason the dog didn’t like me the man kept trying to get his dog to stop barking at me, and we had a nice little chat – “So you’re not from around here?” is what they usually ask… that obvious, huh??

 

Dafna had this wonderful idea the other day (I just noticed something – if I may interrupt myself – in earlier posts I used to follow each name with “from …fill in space…”, it’s like, we defined each person by what country they were from, we’d say: Dafna the girl from Israel, or Basak the tall girl from Turkey. But now, 10 days later – we’re all one group, and seriously, I would be writing and it would not occur to me at all to add any form of introduction after the name… oh well, I just had to share this tiny observation, I know I know, Lina stop blabbering and go back to the original story please)

 

So what was I saying? Ya… Dafna… Sweetest Dafna was shopping at Ballycastle the other day, and found these really nice little notebooks at the One Pound shop, where you get something like a set of 6 notebooks for 1 pound. And she came up with the idea of buying a whole bunch of them for everyone at the camp so that we can all write little notes for each other before we leave. So today, you’d see everyone going around with them asking their friends to write something… you’d see people like Zandy sitting on a kitchen table pondering with one notebook in hand and a couple of others in queue, because he wanted to write something thought out and personal, not just the it-was-nice-meeting-you-hope-we-keep-in-touch stuff.

 

I realize that I never took the time to share my feelings about the exceptionally amazing Corrymeela – and I know I won’t be able to do at this moment. But I will tell you one thing, it’s incredible how we all made ourselves very much at home here; it was from the very beginning, but more so in the last 3 days – we became so hippie… I’d be walking around barefoot on the grass, not giving a single concern to what I’m wearing, people would be staying up late and then sleeping on any couch, leaving our stuff all over the place and not worrying about anything (the concept of trust is absolutely wonderful – there’s no such thing here as giving you keys for your room or drawers to protect your wallet or other valuables – we all trust each other). We’re all so messy – but in a good way (I’m not sure housekeeping and the kitchen staff agree though). Oh, and I don’t think they’ve ever had coffee consumption here like in this past week

 

The final celebration was very nice – especially the bonfire. Thankfully the rain held back enough for us to enjoy a brief time around the fire and roast marshmallows (and some of that dough Petra prepared, which you get to dip in honey or chocolate)

 

The Corrymeela staff and volunteers prepared a wonderful dinner, really grand and elegant. Speaking of dinner, I cannot begin to describe the appetite I’ve had during this camp – I don’t know if others share this feeling, but it’s like we’ve been eating continuously throughout the day. I smile when I imagine how my parents will see me at the airport when I get back; a contrasting image of the daughter they said goodbye to less than two weeks earlier: puffed red eyes, fuzzy unattended curls, and… an appetite for 7 meals a day! But my dad will be happy to know that I started drinking 4 glasses of fresh milk everyday

 

 

 

We had a sing-along with Deano, who played “Bye Bye Miss American Pie” on the piano, and then Basak performed a solo with an incredible voice, and I loved Shelly’s Donald Duck bit

 

The evening program had started with a little speech from Ross – for a moment, I didn’t think the applause would actually stop. I guess emotions were so charged up…

 

Ok I’ve been staring at the screen for like 2 minutes, the evening’s playback paused at the image of Ross, Nathan and Akram standing there, and the moment of applause for them and all the amazing people behind this camp – all the PA staff and the Corrymeela volunteers and the Northern Irish participants… and I just don’t know what to write! Come to think of it… this is not at all a good time to be writing journals that I know others would read, because I have such mixed feelings and I’m running the risk of getting too mushy!!

 

There’s just so much that I wanted to write and share… I wish I could describe every moment, every quirky detail, and every special thing we did… I guess this journal is more of a glimpse than a documentation, a peak into an experience that would officially be referred to as “the international youth camp – youth as evaluators, NI august 2005”, but that holds for those who experienced it an entire universe of meaning that cannot be pinned down here!!

 

I don’t know if I’ll get to write again before we leave, I’m going to pack and spend time with Petra and the group who are leaving at 4:30!

 

 

Saturday August 20, 2005

14:00

 

I had the most amazing 45 minute run this morning… instead of continuing on the beach as we usually do, I headed towards town but then made a turn left in the direction of the forest… and ran and ran and ran – past the golf course, past the stream (or river, I don’t know), past the green fields and the white sheep and the hills… this place is so beautiful! I can’t believe we’re leaving in two days – not even two days, we’re leaving Monday morning

 

The weather is so lovely today – very sunny and warm. Most people have gone to the beach after lunch to take advantage of this unusually nice weather, but I just felt like enjoying it here at Corrymeela – we’re sitting outside on the green lawn, working on our memoirs and goals following this morning’s session. What we basically did this morning was get divided into groups to work on setting concrete goals that this camp inspired. They can be personal goals, and action goals to pursue within our programs or with the group – to come up with projects or ideas… I guess this is the output of the camp, if one month or 6 months or one year from now there are programs and projects that have spurred from this experience, then those ten days will make sense and be a worthwhile endeavor. We all talk about keeping in touch… we all talk about organizing exchanges, but what we’re aiming at here is something specific. What exactly is the idea? What do we need to implement it? What resources and people would it take? What’s the time frame?

 

 

This morning we had a lady come in from BBC Ulster to do some interviews about the camp for a Saturday morning program called Your Place and Mine. It was our task as the media group to meet her when she arrives, give her a brief idea what we’re doing, and then arrange for the interviews. She was really nice – Basak talked to her about the general idea of the past 9 days (it’s already been 9 days!!) and then she got some audio recording of our goal-setting session, just walking between groups to capture the atmosphere – and afterwards we made sure she had the people whom she wanted to interview. I’m really looking forward to hearing the whole thing

 

Oh I didn’t tell you about yesterday evening’s cultural activities – we had the Finnish and the Dutch presentations… which were loads of fun, especially when the Finns did that mid-summer’s eve celebration, and performed their dance around the pole (played by Erik ) it was a very nice festive atmosphere, with such beautiful flower crowns (I don’t know if that’s what they’re called ;p ) and of course, no mention of a cultural night is complete without the food… the Finns served us a delicious sort of pan cake they had personally prepared earlier, and we enjoyed some exquisite Dutch cheese.

 

 

Ok I better go write my goals and memoirs!! Hopefully I’ll get to write again soon… most of us are going to the pub tonight – it’s disco night at the Central, and this is the last time we can all go, since tomorrow is the final celebration night here. I have to tell you about the great things the celebration committee are doing; not only are they making lots of plans for tomorrow, they’re also coming up with some pretty creative ideas along the way, like this mural that we’re all contributing to… it’s placed on a large table next to the smoking area and every time I pass by I just have to stop and admire the great vibe and energy it radiates… reminds me of the arts session on the very first day; the best thing is when you get to draw whatever you want without specific rules!!

 

Later…

 

 

2:50 AM

 

I’m in a very mellow mood right now, it all started to sink in while we were at Central’s. At first I was having such a good, dancing and laughing and enjoying the atmosphere – but then out of the blue, the fact that we were all going home so soon hit me… and I just wanted the bus to come so I could go back to Corrymeela!!

 

Anyways I don’t want to talk about this now – let me tell you about the Turkish and Israeli cultural presentations. They were very interesting, especially when explaining the relationship between food and history, and how influences from other cultures are reflected in the traditional food. Seriously, there was such a large variety of food introduced today… the Israelis had “Falafel”, which is also very popular in the Arab world – of course it tastes better when it’s fried in front of you and served hot and then they had these chips (crisps since we’re in Ireland) with a very interesting story explaining why they’re special – back in the early 90’s when they feared an attack from Iraq, all factories closed, except this crisps factory, which remained open and was a consolation to the kids (I hope I got it correctly)

 

The Turks have such rich history and culture – listening to them talk about how they relate to Europe, the role Islam plays, secularism, their long history and the influence from the cultures they mixed with… was all quite fascinating! I guess now when I hear in the news about the EU talks with Turkey I will see it in a new perspective, I will pay more attention, because you put a face to the story, and it makes more sense then!!

 

Ok I’m tired now and want to get some sleep… I have this knot in my tummy and the feeling sucks!!

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

23:00

 

So the count down has started… BUT this is where the exciting and important part of camp starts! Now is when all the evaluation focus comes into place and where a bigger picture begins to formulate!

 

Today we had a session on “Memoirs!” At first glance I had no idea what this would be about and how it related in any way to our camp… but well, turned out I was in for a challenging exercise! First Christine explained the difference between a memoir and a biography, and that what we wanted to do was look at our life journeys, and determine places, people, or things that have had an important effect in shaping us into who we are today! One of the most interesting things during the introductory session was when Christine asked “what is the question that 3 or 4-year-old ask all the time?” and all of us, unanimously, said “WHY!” Different cultures and backgrounds and characters, yet it seemed that this was a very basic human phenomenon

Anyways, the idea was for each one of us to first think of ten different places, people or events that had a mark on the path of our life… THEN we’d have to pick ONE of those, and team up with a partner, to whom we would tell the story, and explain why it affected us, and then this partner would ask questions – would ask a lot of WHY’s.

It was so difficult for me to reflect on my life and isolate particular people or events and know what role they played in who I am today… and even harder – Do I know who I am today? I mean like, can you follow the development of human character through a clear chain of causal effects. I know that wasn’t the intent of the exercise… but that’s where my mind started wandering!

 

The afternoon was spent in committee group work, and we spent time preparing for this evening’s open house! Guests were expected to arrive before dinner, but surprisingly, it turns out time is also a fluid concept in Northern Ireland, very similar to our part of the world

 

The whole thing we prepared came out so much better than any of us might have expected! It was just so genuine, so heartfelt, so honest, and so insightful! Six people from the evaluation committee gave personal accounts and observations on their camp experience… I particularly liked Bronwin’s, where she shared her reflections from the evaluation trip to Ballycastle. Then as part of the Future Directions committee presentation, Denise read a poem she wrote, which moved everyone close to tears!! To write a poem in a language foreign to you is really something… the main line said “without you I won’t die, but it’s just so hard to say Goodbye”

 

I was so happy when Robert – the treasurer of Public Achievement – got up to say a few words, and the first thing he said was that the moment he stepped in, he could feel the amazing energy! Which I think is so true, one thing I’ve been loving so much about this place is the energy it’s been giving me… the inspiration you get from being around all those amazing people, the ideas, the motivation, the lessons, the insights… and the radiating and contagious energy

 

In the media group, we’ve decided to get pictures from everyone who had a digital camera, and to burn as many as a possible on a CD for everyone to take home… Diana and Lenita have been working on this, selecting and sorting out the pictures, Deano and Roi are also working on this, and the four of them are pulling off an amazing effort, you know, to just go through something like 2,000 pictures and then sort them out and categorize them and all!!

 

…

 

I fell asleep on the couch for like 45 minutes, but that was really refreshing I’m trying to focus and write about all the things I’ve been dying to share!

 

I realized I didn’t tell you about Belfast! Well, I thought it was almost intriguing how when you’re around the young people from Northern Ireland you would never think their lives are affected in any way by such political conflict that’s been dominating their country for years and years!! When you’re in a place like this camp you think that everything is wonderfully normal. As foreigners we could never tell who’s catholic and who’s protestant, but you also come to realize that it isn’t all black and white… some people grow up in Catholic families but don’t think that Northern Ireland should become part of the republic, and some Protestants are not hard core unionists!! There’s a lot of grey area, and there’s also a lot of complexity and problems within communities and not just between different communities… In Belfast, away from city center, you can sense the tension! You go to Falls street and Shankill street, and you feel the tension and hatred and war impact around you! I personally found the use of visual art to be fascinating, on both sides… those murals have so much to say!!

But then it was ironic how you go to the main street next to city hall (I think it was Royal street) and you stroll past all the shops and hang outs, and don’t feel you’re in the same city you were just driving through!! Speaking of shops… we didn’t have enough time for shopping, barely 3 hours!!! Upon everyone’s recommendation we went to Primark (well, not everyone – sane people told us that it’s the kind of stuff that would be ruined after one round in the washing machine), but we went nonetheless… at first I didn’t like it but then I found the pajamas and figured they would make nice gifts for my sisters… try having 5 siblings you want to get presents for and then see what a pain shopping can be I really wished we had more time to check out books, CDs, and most importantly (you should be able to guess it by now) go sit in a nice café I really wanted to check out Common Grounds… but well, what can I do?! It’ll have to be next time (yes I’m already trying to figure out when I’ll be coming back to Northern Ireland). I did get to sneak into Bargain Books for 10 minutes… Deadly!! I got four very interesting books, some of which I’m sure my sisters would love, and a couple of CDs…

 

Going back to Corrymeela, Ivan and Michelle took us through the coastal road instead of the main highway, and we stopped a couple of times on the way to enjoy the incredible scenery! Aaahh how so peaceful everything looks on the surface! Sometimes when you’re talking to people, it’s easy to remain on the periphery… but what’s great in this camp is that most people are daring to scratch the surface, and ask the questions on their minds! I’m always trying not to hold back, and not to be hesitant… because if I have a question, the time to ask is now, and I have the most wonderful opportunity to get “first hand” information and experiences, worth tons more than any written book!

 

 

 

Time to hit the sac

 

We’ll talk later tomorrow, hopefully!

9:00 AM

 

Seems like everyone is catching a cold here! It started with Lenita, right on the first day I think, and then it was Karmel, and then I don’t know who… but today it got to my dear roommate! She woke up feeling very ill and couldn’t go for the run!

 

I had gone to bed at 4:00 AM, after the most wonderful night spent singing it started with Ellen singing some old Irish songs in her beautiful voice, with Paul and the rest joining in… then Ciaran and Colleen got those great song books for everyone there in the foyer, and we just went on and on singing all the favourites and the classics. Even yours truly who always considered her voice to be a public hazard, hopped in enthusiastically and went as far as giving a short solo performance of an Arabic song!!! Could it be the effect of the two Bailey’s?

 

Today during breakfast we sang Happy Birthday to Ana from Croatia! She’s the only person who’s celebrating her birthday during the camp. We were planning to bake a cake for her and have a nice little celebration, but she mentioned earlier that they’re baking cake for their Croatian/Serbian cultural night, which is this evening!

 

I have to get ready for the Belfast trip… more to come later!

 

 

23:00

 

I think it’s really fascinating how food is an integral part of any cultural presentation. The psychology and culture of food is really worth observing and studying, and I find it particularly nice when a group goes through the trouble of cooking the food themselves instead of bringing it ready-made! You know that stupid saying that goes something like “you eat to live you don’t live to eat”! I don’t like it (obviously!!) I think there’s more to food than just supplying our basic nutritious needs… a lot of soul, creativity, culture, and even history goes into it! That’s another reason why I hate fast food… because I don’t think food is just meant to be devoured quickly, but rather appreciated and enjoyed… and it’s more delightful when it’s prepared with deliberation! It’s interesting when you listen to each group’s introduction of the authentic food they’ve got; there’s always some sort of a story behind. I loved the herbal tea that the South African group had as part of their evening on Monday, and I really enjoyed the Croat/Serbian Cultural evening tonight. I found it interesting when Diana was explaining how people there ALWAYS greet each other with hugging and kissing, and that it is NOT sexual harassment just the way people are! It reminded me of the game we played the first day; Cultural Confusion… now that was a very very interesting exercise. We were divided into 9 tables, and each table had a set of rules for a card game. While playing no one was allowed to communicate verbally, then at the end of each round, the winner moves to a higher table (smaller number), and the loser goes to the next table. The trick that we weren’t all aware of at first, was that each table had rules with slight differences… so newcomers got very confused! Some would just play along like everyone else, but some others, like me, would assume that everyone on the new table had actually misunderstood the rules and would start using every possible method to explain to them that THEY GOT IT WRONG only to find out in the end that they were playing by a different set of rules which I wasn’t aware of!

 

 

 

 

 

19:27

 

Long time no write!! Oh I wish I could lock myself up somewhere away from everything and spend hours and hours just writing everything that’s lurking in between whatever is left of the grey cells up there…

 

I am dreading the coming Monday more than I could possibly tell through words.

 

Yesterday was the official Arab cultural night… where we collaborated with the Palestinians and the Arab Israelis and put together the LOUDEST show this place has seen since we got here. I just wasn’t sure people would actually show up at the cree for it or that they’d enjoy the dabkeh and the wedding and stuff… but it just surpassed my expectations. Us girls dressed in the traditional dresses, and we got all the food ready… and then everyone just started coming in, and the party got kicking oh we arabs are just so loud it was beautiful seeing everybody get up and learn the “dabkeh” steps, and I was so happy that they liked the “baqlawa” and the “ka3k b 3ajweh” my mom made, it gave me sheer joy to see people enjoying it. Although the music we played wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for, but the dancing was a lot of fun… them Finns sure know how to do oriental dancing and shake those hips ;p so does Teuta, who’s from Serbia. We had a nice traditional wedding celebration, and it included Henna, which we used to draw fake tattoos everyone with their names in Arabic.

 

Ok I have to tell you, I soooo want to go back and start that fashion line idea with my friend and fellow blogger Roba… you know, the one with all our traditional dresses and prints. Everyone was asking me as I was wearing my dress when and where I wear it back home, and they’d find it pretty surprising when I say “practically never”! They’d be like “oh what a shame it’s so beautiful”. And I know it, I mean, I love the dress and the material and the prints, and I’m telling ya; I’m going back home, getting a really nice traditional dress for the dressy occasions (one of those handmade), and then I’m gonna work on getting prints and embroideries on everyday stuff, and I will wear them everywhere… for all you know; it could be the next Ammani fashion ;p

 

01:03

 

Well, just so you know, it’s practically still Wednesday, and we all just got back from a wonderful Irish night at the pub. This was the Irish Cultural night. There was a local band playing, and we went in two buses… the place was full of us lively exotic young people up for a party! LOL

 

The atmosphere was really nice, class, grand ;p deadly… well ok I’m not using these words in their proper places but I’m too in love with Irish accent I have to pick up as much as I can before I go home, and tone down whatever American accent I have… just a bit this actually brings me to the whole issue of the language barrier… now a lot of people have been asking how come the Jordanians here speak good English, and the only answer I could think of was that schools (especially private ones) in Jordan teach good English, and that we get A LOT of English media – or American media to be exact!! In my case you could probably add to that the fact that my cousins came from the states a couple of times and spent summers in Jordan so we’d practice well and pick up an accent, then you could add all the books… because –sadly- in the past four years, I’ve only read about 5 Arabic books, and then a whole lot of English!!! BUT, as much as I am determined to re-connect with writing in Arabic and the beautiful material and literature we have, I am SO GRATEFUL for the fact that our English is good… Ah I soooo wish I could speak a few more languages, besides French – which I’m not getting to exercise and improve at all you just need to connect with people, and a basic knowledge of any language is not sufficient for you to get through and express what’s really on your mind. I look at some of the most interesting and most amazing people around here, and I feel so bad for not being able to really talk to them and listen to their stories and experiences and thoughts…

 

Before we went to the pub we had the American presentation, and this one was very interesting because Shelly preferred to give room for questions instead of just talking. People asked a lot of questions, and it was very valuable to realize that America is not just what we see in Hollywood movies and TV series in terms of social values and culture!! We all have stereotypes, and we all tend to be judgemental sometimes, but it’s great when you have the opportunity to ask whatever questions are on your mind and when you get someone who’s open and honest to answer and give you their first hand experience.

 

A quick note about today; it was a very rainy day! Our group stayed in Ballycastle, we had an evaluation session in the morning, and then we had booked seats on the ferry going to Rathlin Island. It was just seven of us who went, and even though it was raining the whole time, it was nice! We had lunch in a small restaurant on the Island. I had fish and chips even though I don’t eat chips The ride back to Ballycastle was just a wee bit uncomfortable because I was all wet and the weather was windy so it felt very cold!!!

 

 

I want to go see who’s awake and what everyone is up to, so I’ll catch you later!

 

21:00

 

In a little while our Arab Cultural Night will start so I don’t have that much time to write; but I have to tell you about today… it’s been quite an interesting day!

 

For a start, we got up very early this morning to go for a swim – it was Ross, Nathan, Petra, Jannika, Erik, Zandy, Fabi, Dafna, Cathe, Mais, and me! The early-to-rise people most of us had gotten wet suits yesterday night, because the ocean water is just freezing cold! I have no idea how Petra and Jannika jumped in with their regular swim suits… I mean seriously, I had a wet suit on and my feet felt like they would fall off from the cold water. But once you start moving, it gets better (eventually!!) and it becomes fun! That was a refreshing morning exercise and a nice way to start the day.

 

Today was the start of three days of trips; we’ve been divided into groups, and we’re going to Belfast, Giants’ Causeway and Carrick-a-reede, besides a day at Corrymeela and Ballycastle. I got to go to the Giants’ Causeway trip today, and it was quite nice...  the formation of the rocks there is fascinating, and the entire scenery is amazing! My favourite part of it all was when we were at Carrick-a-reede, we were all heading to the rope bridge to stand in line and cross it, and I was behind the group with Mais, who looked at the hilltop right next to us and said “I really want to go up there!” Now it looked like a very difficult steep hike, so I just dismissed the idea… Mais went for it while I sat pondering whether or not to catch up with everyone on the bridge, but then in a split second I made up my mind to hike up the hill!

 

It was AMAZING!! Lots of little bugs and flies, very slippery path… but absolutely wonderful when you get there! We could see the group down on the bridge looking so tiny, and we started waving and yelling for them to see us then we just sat singing and taking pictures, it was soooo peaceful! I loved the sight of the sheep next to us, and was about to jump over the fence to take a closer look, but the sound of a barking dog kept me in check!

 

 

 

On the bus each one of us was given a question that we were supposed to ask the person next to us, to start a conversation and learn more about each other’s cultures – I think this was intended for the bus going to Belfast but we got it instead (someone must’ve been too sleepy to focus what they were doing!)

 

Ok I really have to go now, so I’ll just mention a few points before I forget…

 

-I’m really enjoying the vegetarian food for Lunch and dinner

-Here at Corrymeela it is customary to ask for volunteers to help with the dishes after lunch and dinner, and I’m actually really enjoying it… I guess it’s a tiny way of helping and being part of this wonderful community!

 

-Most of the media group went to Belfast today, met up with Kamal (the person from BBC) and conducted interviews with young people in the streets about volunteering and youth work and how that could help make a difference! I really wanted to be there, but I felt it wouldn’t make sense for everyone from media to go on the same trip… the good thing is that Basak and Beyhan (from Turkey) decided to go again to Belfast on the Thursday trip and agreed to meet Kamal then, so I can be there and make up for today

 

 

Party time – talk to you later!

 

00:36 (August 16th)   I came into the room about an hour ago, hoping to spend a good hour writing and then go to sleep, because we want to go swimming in wet suits tomorrow morning. Oh the water is going to be freezing cold, but it should be fun… nothing like immersing yourself in the experience. Someone once said something about finding stories for film, and I loved the way she put it; you just have to make sure that in this digital age of ours, you still immerse in life with real contact; touch, taste, feel, smell… absorb things… make a real connection.   Today our focus was evaluation, we went on a very short trip to Ballycastle to observe and jot down reflections about the big picture and the close angle view… well let me tell you, Ballycastle is a very cozy small town, and I just love the feel of those (wouldn’t be able to live there all my life but for a while it’s absolutely wonderful)… so we walked; Mais and I, and I told her that what I would actually love to do is find a nice local café and get a coffee… she gave me that you’re-so-boring let’s-explore-town look Now it’s not that I really wanted to have coffee, but I just think there’s something of any town’s character and vibe in its cafes. I love cafes, especially if you get to sit with a view of the side-walk and be able to observe the people and the pulse of the town. I guess here it’s more the pubs that reflect a town’s character, but I’m still for a place where you can go during the day for a coffee. So anyways, we were joined by some of the others and got a nice window table. When that very old man came to wipe the table for us, I felt some form of guilt like “oh he’s too old I shouldn’t be letting him do this”. More people from the group kept joining in, among them Ellen and Cathe… and we got to talk a lot about Northern Ireland politics, which the more I hear about, the more I realize I don’t understand…   It was interesting to see how Megan (a 12-year-old from Missouri) would have fried chicken and chips (French fries) so early in the day!     The afternoon evaluation activity was to come up with interview questions – formal and informal – to ask to a person about their camp experience so far. Then each person was supposed to team up with a partner and ask them these questions. Colleen and I teamed up, but spent most of the time drifting away from the topic of the questions and talking and sharing experiences about our lives and different cultures… I immensely enjoyed and appreciated this, and wished we could have more time to just talk, and talk, and talk   When we all got back together again to share some of the observations and answers, it was worth noting that for the question “which person did you find to be the most interesting?” most people could not give a definite answer, they couldn’t name just one person

17:15   Wow I have no idea how the time passed since the last time I wrote!! I didn’t have any sleep last night, and so instead of running I just went walking in the morning before breakfast. At around 9:45, right after breakfast, we had a “general meeting”, which I actually really liked; the idea was for anyone who had anything on their minds to step forward and share it with everyone… so Petra started with two comments, one of which was that she and the Finnish group felt very offended by the fact that everyone was always late for meetings and activities. One of the girls was like “I even managed to arrive FIVE MINUTES late today and people were still not here”! I guess you kind of feel it when you interact with them; how so nicely disciplined and organized they are, I honestly wish I could change and make this a new habit! Her remark reminded me of something that I’ve known for a long time, just hadn’t paid the right kind of attention to… which is that time is very fluid in our society… you always have a delay margin and everyone knows it so there would be no point arriving on time since you’d just end up waiting for everyone.   The main activity for today was the presentation of the “Action Projects”, basically the youth work or community projects that each one of us is involved in back home. We had to reflect on these projects through a set of questions, and let me tell you, it wasn’t easy… when you have to think how you see your project, how it is seen by others, how do you assess the results, who it targets… and a whole bunch of questions like that, it makes you realize that sometimes we get so caught up in the actual work that we forget to pose, remember WHY we’re doing it, and evaluate it!   So many creative and wonderful projects were presented, I felt I was swimming in a pool of ideas; I particularly loved what the South Africans are doing; Bush Radio… a community youth radio initiative. I’m seriously thinking of how I can take this idea back home. I also found the WIMPS project to be inspiring, and the idea of the shadow parliament… I also really liked what the Serbs and Croats are doing... well, actually, I could go on and on with this. What I would love to have is some kind of a booklet with all of these projects and experiences to keep as a reference and resource, and I think Ross and Christine did mention a plan to do something like that!   I have to make a confession though, that I wasn’t fully focused the entire time, because the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll…   00:19   I went with the group to a pub tonight and had a Guinness. Most people warned me that it would be better to share it with someone because it’s too heavy and not very pleasant, but I actually liked it I loved the music at the pub, so soulful and so warm and full of spirit… At one point though I leaned my head against the wall and surrendered to the sleepiness!! I think I looked so funny sleeping in the midst of all the noise and vibe I’m starting to look like a zombie so I’m getting myself some decent sleep tonight. I want to maintain the energy because we still have an intense week left; and I want to enjoy it and make the most of it!   Nighty

9:55 AM   In five minutes we’re supposed to be meeting with our committee groups… We’ve been divided into six committee groups to get involved in running the whole show; Program, Activities (morning and evening), Celebration, Evaluation, Future Direction, and Media. I knew the moment we were presented with the choices what mine would be, no matter how interesting everything else seemed… MEDIA we’re supposed to use all the available resources to document and capture the spirit of this camp… whether in writing, still pictures, video, audio… you name it!   Today started out wonderfully… I woke up at 7:15, just in time for the morning run. The girls from Finland are awesome, they were all up early for this… Petra my roommate is a very nice person, and very athletic let me tell you ;p so anyways, it was them, Maiike from Holland, Roi and Dafna from Israel… I’m definitely forgetting people here but those were the ones running, and yours truly of course. The place is breathtaking, I mean, I’m running there with the green hill on one side and the sea on the other (still didn’t figure out what sea or ocean!!) and you have the most picturesque scenery engulfing you, and you’re just running, and running.   Our run continued on the beach, and Roi went in for a dip – which all of us said would do tomorrow probably, then the minute he got out it started raining! Did I say raining?? No I meant POURING!! It was gorgeous… we were all so upbeat about it – up to the point we got soaked and our clothes felt so heavy… but running back under the rain was just a very special way to start this lovely Irish morning   Just a few points before I go catch up with my group… The locals in this town are wonderful, quite often during our run we’d come across old people walking with their dogs, and they’d all smile and greet us with a warm “Good morning”. I guess it’s part of the countryside atmosphere, they tell me this is not something you’d see in the city.   Another thing… they have THE BEST MILK I’ve ever had. No wonder the chocolate tastes deliciously different! I’ve had two glasses already since morning, and the plan is to cut down on coffee (to a certain extent ) Talk to ya later 11:10 AM   Ok I’m back, it’s supposed to be coffee break right now, or no wait… tea break what was I thinking?   We had our media group meeting, and can I just say again that what we’re doing is great…so many ideas so little time! We’re going to have someone from BBC come and help us with the video cameras and give us some technical tips. We’re also thinking of doing some kind of a presentation for everyone with all the pictures that we’re taking… I personally love taking pictures, it’s so great when you can somehow capture the moment, and when you can document a whole day’s process through pictures. Lots of other ideas came up, like connecting with the local media, setting up a Corrymeela daily, getting people to keep regular journals (sort of like this )… we’ll just have to see how it all turns out!    our media group   I’m so excited about the cultural market place I really want our booth to come out the way we all anticipate… I don’t want us to be running out of time and then doing whatever! There are my mom’s yummy Ka3k b 3ajweh, and there are the packages and brochures and the music!! Oh you know what, today would be a good time to wear the traditional dress   I am so loving this place, and I so gotta run!! Catch you folks later   5:30 PM   That was pretty hectic… we had to prepare for the presentation of our youth issues, the ones we had discussed and agreed upon before coming here. We set up our booth with flags and brochures and posters, and we had to ‘draw’ posters that reflect the issues and ones that answer certain questions about where we’re from and what our everyday life is like… I think the dutch group did a great job by bringing that powerpoint presentation showing each one of them doing whatever it is they do in their everyday lives, work, family, sports… that was nice to see. But seriously now, what fascinated me the most was listening to everyone talk about the issues they feel are important for youth in their country; it came out so natural; “organic” as Nathan put it. Well, just an example was the South African group… first of all; the three girls are neither black nor white, and I never knew there existed other ethnicities there and that apartheid was not just against blacks. And then hearing young people talking about the problem of drugs, funny how this has always been something I’m warned against but never ever see in my surroundings and the Jordan I know, while the groups from Missouri, South Africa, and Holland I guess, emphasized the extent of this problem for youth in their societies.   The place that remains the most interesting for me is the Home Group… Northern Ireland; they have such a complex issue, such a rich culture, and they strike me as very smart open people. One of the issues they raised was alcohol and drinking… I kind of saw traces of that when we first got to Farset at Belfast, when we asked Nathan to “hit the town” he told us that the only places open there that late at night were pubs, and it was quite obvious he had no intention of taking us there. He took us for a walk near city hall, and we caught a glimpse of some seriously drunk people in the street. I guess I always thought that pubs were just so characteristics of British culture but I never really thought about the alcohol; which is what it’s all about. And it just seems like all the young people in this camp want to go check out the pubs at Ballycastle or Belfast, just for the fun of it… you know, trying something exotic or authentic if I may put it that way, but the thought of this being a lifestyle is.. well… let’s just say it is a big issue that they would probably love to see addressed!!   August 14th 2005 00:01   Well it’s practically still Friday, most people have gone to their rooms except for the Corrymeela staff, the arabs, and one or two other people after the games some of the Jordanians (myself not included, was working on something for the website with Paul) along with the Palestinians and Arab Israelis organized a nice informal Arabic dance activity (the only reason I’m not too upset I missed it is that I’m gonna make them do it again besides, I have the traditional coffee spice (cardamom) and the “baqlaweh”, and an Arab party wouldn’t be complete without them.                    Again, I didn’t go with the group to the pub at Ballycastle tonight… and again I told them that I’d probably go out tomorrow! I really want to, I was just not in the mood for it, and really wanted to do the website thing. My favourite uncle sent me an email saying “do not say No to Guinness”… not that I was planning to but now I’m thinking I can’t go back home from Ireland without having been to a pub and trying Guinness.

 

It’s 1:30 AM GMT (so it’s practically Saturday)… I should be going to sleep but I have no idea how I still have the energy to be up, given that I’ve been awake since 5:30, and that I’d had very little sleep these past three nights! We arrived Thursday evening (our group – the Jordanians and Palestinians – were the last to arrive) and spent the night in a hostel in Belfast called Farset International. Even though we were tired when we arrived (given that we had been travelling all day and that we had missed our original flight from Heathrow to Belfast and were lucky to catch the last one) we decided to go for a walk in town. Nathan seemed so tired but I guess he couldn’t say no to this over-enthusiastic group of young strangers so he took us walking around City Hall and surrounding streets. The streets were empty but it was all beautifully lit. That was around 11:30 PM or something. And then I didn’t sleep until 2:00 AM. I don’t know why I woke up early today but I got to see the sunrise, which was breath-taking.  Then in the morning after breakfast we all left for Corrymeela, 90-minutes by car north of Belfast.

 

Let me tell you… this place is awesome! Today was amazing, seems like we’ve done so much for one day… and it’s been great; the people are very interesting. We’ve got young people from 11 different regions, and most of them are actively involved in their communities, so each one comes with a unique experience and culture. The Irish are beyond words, their friendliness and hospitality makes you feel so much at home. Public Achievement’s team have been doing a remarkable job; Nathan, Akram, Paul, Ross, Kevin, Christine… and many others, besides the wonderful volunteers at Corrymeela Peace and Reconciliation Center where we’re staying. I absolutely adore the concept of the place and its spirit and message. You see lots of young volunteers, people in their late teens and early twenties, either from Ireland or other countries; I’ve met two German volunteers and one Swedish… they’re not yet 20 and they’re doing this before college, this idea never seizes to grip me, I guess because I wish young people in Jordan can do that – take a gap year instead of going to university straight out of high school!

 

Ballycastle is so beautiful, so peaceful… all the greenery, and the sea, and the weather – a nice contrast from our hot rainless summers!

 

Paul – director of Public Achievement – gave a very interesting opening speech this afternoon, and I really liked what he said about reconciliation (he was quoting someone but I can’t remember who) that it’s not about Forgive and Forget… but rather about Remember and Change!! Isn’t that so eloquently true? Something to ponder…

 

It’s almost 2:00 AM, I wonder if I’ll be able to wake up at 7:00 tomorrow and go jogging with the Finnish girls. I really want to, running is such a liberating exercise and it’s also a great way to explore the natural beauty of the surrounding area. I’ve had way too much coffee today… something like 5 cups, crazy I know… but that’s probably what’s keeping me up till now! There’s so much to see and do here, so many wonderful people you want to get to know, that you feel it’s such a shame that you need to sleep! But you can’t burn the candle from both ends, right?

 

I really should go catch some sleep…

 

Talk to you tomorrow!