Hahahaha. I’m so funny. Today I thought that the people in the german movie (it was Tatort actually) would get in an accident because they were driving on the wrong side of the road. Looks like I finally got used to the traffic here in Ireland. Only took 5 months!

The first cold since I stopped working with children last summer. That’s not so bad. I’ve never been so healthy!

After about 2 months I have my bank account back.

A while ago my bank here decided that the letter from school was not sufficient and that I needed additional proof of my Irish address. (The same letter worked for all of my classmates). So my bank from Vancouver sent an account statement to my Irish address and now I can finally access my account and don’t have to go into the bank to withdraw money at the counter.

The funny thing is that internet banking needs to be reactivated and they are sending the code to my old address. I’ll have to get my friends to check the mailbox, because I have moved to my new home already.

I am so happy when this is finally sorted out.

This photo makes me happy. Gorgeous friends & scenery.

On Monday we took a Black Taxi Tour to get a different view of Belfast.

Wikipedia says: The peace lines or peace walls are a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface areas in Belfast, Derry, Portadown and elsewhere. The stated purpose of the barriers is to minimize inter-communal violence between Catholics (who are mainly nationalists that self-identify as Irish) and Protestants (who are mainly unionists that self-identify as British).

The barriers range in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles (5 km). They may be made of iron, brick, and/or steel and are up to 25 feet (7.6 m) high. Some have gates in them (sometimes staffed by police) that allow passage during daylight but are closed at night.

The first barriers were built in 1969, following the outbreak of the 1969 Northern Ireland riots and “The Troubles”. They were built as temporary structures meant to last only six months, but due to their effective nature they have become wider, longer and more permanent. Originally few in number, they have multiplied over the years, from 18 in the early 1990s to 40 today; in total they stretch over 13 miles (21 km), with most located in Belfast.

I was shocked to see this scene: The beginning of a huge bonfire. They are built in Protestant areas all over Northern Ireland and often close to Republican areas. The Irish flag is placed on top and gets burnt.

I’ve spent the day uploading photos to facebook and cannot the believe all the things I’ve seen these past few months.

Our trip to Belfast this weekend was absolutely amazing. Our tutor Cathy gave me a few tips before we left (I see her almost everyday because her office is next to mine at DIT where I am doing my internship). She has lived in Belfast for a few years and recommended lots of things to do.

Once we arrived things just worked out for us. We found the hostel, had a walk to the Titanic museum, found a nice pub in a side street (I thought I was in a movie that was filmed in Ireland, it was amazing). At night we didn’t sleep much and should have probably joint the party at the hostel rather than trying to get a least a few hours of beauty sleep.

The next day the lady at the reception phoned the tour company for us to pick us up at the hostel for our trip to the Giant’s Causeway. Wow! Just wow (Doug, 2010). It was so beautiful.

And we got to see the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Very beautiful as well.

At night Natalia had to go back to Dublin to meet her family (so excited for you, my friend!), while Adriana, Olivera, and I stayed for another day. We found another nice pub in a side street and stayed until they closed. The night at the hostel was better, no parties and no teenagers “sleeping” in the hallway…

On the weekend some of us went to Belfast. We had a fabulous time. Everything just seemed to work out for us. I’ll post some pics later, just wanted to let you know that I am back home safe.

Oli and I have moved into our new home. We’ll stay here for the last few weeks before we go back HOME.

It’s lovely here. Anna (from the first IMEC cohort) is still here for two more days and is taking care of us. Last night she put us to bed & in the morning she made breakfast for us. We are so happy.

Oli is on top, I am at the bottom 🙂