It took a long 10-hour flight, a three-hour bus ride, two different airport arrivals, and the coordination of two different groups without data, but the Poetry & Purpose in Ireland group is finally all together and the experience is underway! The students coming directly from the US arrived at Dublin airport early Monday morning and began the sleepy bus ride toward Belfast City Airport to pick up the other half of the group coming straight from their Arts in London trip to our service placement at Corrymeela Community.
The US group on the (oversized) bus from Dublin Airport to our placement at Corrymeela! From front to back: Brenton Pham, Liam Morris, Wyatt Gauthier
When we arrived, we were greeted by the current Corrymeela leader, Alexander Wimbly, who set us up in our rooms and gave a tour and history of the community. Corrymeela is a not-for-profit community in the northernmost part of Northern Ireland. Since its founding in 1965, Corrymeela has served as a space for dialogue and resolution between groups of all different backgrounds – even providing a refuge for children during The Troubles period. They are committed to reconciliation through community, breaking down the “us” and “them” mentality, and embracing differences to achieve cohesion. They have hosted countless groups from around the world and we are so lucky to stay with them and explore peacemaking in Ireland.
The entire Northern Ireland group (finally) in one place. From left to right: (front) Friesen, Magaly, Lindsey, Kiara, Gracie, Lydia (back) Jessica, Liam, Mariana, Adriana, Madeleine, Hannah, Rolando, Brenton, Wyatt
FUN FACT: The founders of Corrymeela thought that it meant “Hill of Harmony,” but later discovered that its more probable translation is “Lumpy Crossing Place.”
The lodging area for Goshen College Students: “Davey Village.” The diamond logo on the left is the symbol for Corrymeela. The four separate triangles symbolize the unity of people without forcing them to share the same beliefs. Together they form a cross in the middle representing the Christian faith of the community.
The beautiful view from our backyard. In the distance is Rathlin Island where we will go during one of our field trips!
And though it may be lumpy, Corrymeela is located in a stunning area right by the ocean with twinkling, rocky beaches and endless grassy hills. We may have been jet-lagged and droopy-eyed, but the country landscape was too good not to explore. A group of students and our leaders Jessica and Kyle walked towards the center of Ballycastle and basked in the (surprisingly!) clear, sunny day.
Exploring the surrounding area and the gorgeous beaches!
Our amazing leaders Kyle Schlabach and Jessica Baldanzi leading the way to the city of Ballycastle!
We closed out our first day out with an Irish meal in Corrymeela’s cafeteria. If all our meals tasted like this one, we will be spoiled immensely during our time here.
First dinner at Corrymeela of roasted potatoes, green beans, beef pie, and coleslaw. Very delicious!
We woke up bright and early the next morning for our first full day in Northern Ireland. We began with a simple breakfast of fruit and cereal, a brief session of worship and meditation, and then headed for our class session with Alex. We spent the beginning doing icebreakers and hearing the stories behind each of our names. It was a fun and enlightening activity where we glimpsed into each other’s history, learned correct pronunciations, and got to hear from everyone. We then discussed about what makes a good home and the commitments we want ourselves and others to make for the group before breaking for lunch.
Some doodles and lists from group discussions from our first class session at Corrymeela.
After lunch, we had another session with a center program manager of Corrymeela, Iulia Picu-Iwaisi, We did another icebreaker where we shared out likes, future plans, pet peeves, commitments, and fun facts and moved on to a group team-building activity. The goal was to copy an existing Lego formation, but the catch was that only some people could see the building and the others were the ones allowed to touch the bricks. We split off into three teams and competed!
Second class session, where we learned to work as a team to replicate a Lego structure. From left to right: Lydia, Lindsey, Magaly
Well, actually, after we were all finished Iulia pointed out that she never said it was a competition and we could’ve worked together from the beginning to complete the task. The point of the game was not perfection, but cooperation and team management in a stressful environment. We were engaged and learned a valuable lesson; that being said, my team totally won.
After dinner, we were free for the rest of the night. Fighting the valiant fight against jet-lag, some students turned in early while others explored town and other others joined together for hot chocolate, buttered toast, and card games. Our first two days have already been filled with so much laughter, tasty meals, new connections, and jaw-dropping sights and we can’t wait to get to know the community, the city, and each other more in the coming weeks! Stay tuned to the blog for more Northern Ireland updates. Seamus Heaney Homeplace Museum in Bellaghy next!
–Brenton Pham
