Take me down to the little white church...

by Little Big Town- I've been listening to a lot of country since our move.  I think music must be one of those things you hang on to.  Anyway...

Allen was a visiting professor once before at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology.  It was a short course and before we had children.  We lived in a dorm in Alexandria, Egypt for 6 weeks and then traveled around for another week before going home.  It was an interesting experience and we did get a strong taste of Egypt but it was certainly not as immersive an experience as this one.  We were escorted by students or faculty a fair amount of the time and got good advice the rest.  I wore long skirts and head scarves as much as possible off campus to avoid attracting too much attention but no amount of "protective coloring" was going to fool anyone for long.  Assimilation wasn't really an option.  Everything was just too radically different and we didn't have enough time.  

In Ireland, we are largely able to blend in.  Most everything is at least somewhat different to how it is in the US but it's similar enough to be a stretch rather than a cliff.  While I expected us to run into various walls, I hadn't expected the main one to be finding a church.  We really like the church we attend in the US and weren't expecting to find a perfect match here but thought we had sufficiently broad enough expectations to find one without great difficulty.  We were mostly looking for an entry into community and the additional structure going to church on Sunday brings.  I have regularly attended services in the United Methodist, LDS, Baha'i, and Lutheran faiths so it seemed like this shouldn't be all that hard.

The thing I hadn't really thought through was that we are Methodists going to a Catholic country in Europe. While Methodists are ubiquitous in the US, they are a rare breed in Ireland.  It's fairly common for various Protestant denominations to unite here.  The combination of Irish independence and a general severe downturn in church attendance making it rough going.  I've also apparently gotten rather more opinionated about some tenets of my faith since college- notably that children should be able to take communion.  The US branch of the United Methodist Church takes a love all, serve all perspective that I embrace.  You can read more here.  This is apparently at odds with a fair number of Irish Protestant churches.  While I certainly expect different rules in different denominations (i.e. I wouldn't wander into a Catholic church expecting to take the Eucharist) I assumed that Methodists and Presbyterians were pretty much the same the world over.

We finally landed at Abbey Street Methodist.  It is unlike any other church I've attended but somehow seems completely comfortable.  It's an odd mishmash of very traditional and very not.  The sanctuary has plaques memorializing Very Important members from the early 1800s, stained glass, a large cross, and a once grand building.  At a rough estimate, about 75% of the congregation is international.  The praise team features a man who is from the Indian subcontinent who plays harmonica to contemporary Christian songs (something I never thought I'd see) as well as another who plays guitar and interjects heartfelt prayers between and among the verses.  I don't think any of the praise team speaks English as their first language.  Their bravery to not only speak but sing in front of a congregation in a foreign language is impressive.  We regularly have groups from various cultures sing songs in their native language.  Songs and prayers are kept fairly simple and are projected onto a screen at the front.  It is about as far from the clean cut WASP comfort zone as you can get.  But, the battered hymnals, fading grandeur, and warm smiles speak to us and make us feel at home.

peace and the still, small voice

Today I am venturing far afield from pictures of my kids frolicking amongst the ruins.

I am the guest blogger at The Smitten Word writing about hearing Holy Spirit whispers in the din of life with littles.

To quote Suzannah:

At the smitten word, we celebrate grace, dabble in poetry, and write love letters to the broken, beautiful Church. We're passionate about justice and issues affecting women. Mothering,culture, and natural living round out the menu.

I always enjoy spending a little time with her and hope you will, too!  :-)

pretty, funny, happy, real

Pretty

It's time to change up the flowers here.  The pansies and geraniums are still going strong but the window box impatients, stock, lobelia, and petunias have finally given up the fight.  I had to begun to consider just doing a nice, avant guard cultural statement with nursery six packs but we finally got a fairly pleasant afternoon where everyone was in a quite good mood so a-planting we did!  The major winter window box plants here are cyclamen, pansies, and tiny evergreens- boxwoods and the like.  Of course, the day after we got this done, I picked up 2 more six packs and some anemone, paperwhite, and crocus blubs/corms which will sit in an artful arrangement for another 2 weeks.  :-)

Funny

This is me at Newgrange.  I apparently look pretty Irish.  I'm actually quite solidly Scots and English- at least based on the highly reliable source of last names.  Based on a couple of my uncles and a close connection to sailing, I'm also betting on some Scandinavian hanging about in deep background.  But, they do all share a pretty close gene pool, so, here we are.  Anyway, this means I spend a fair amount of my time completely confused.  With no visual cue to remind people that I'm not actually from around here, they forget to modify their speech.  Generally, people with pretty heavy Irish accents are really kind about the issue of intelligibility.  They tend to be aware that even their fellow Irishmen may have trouble following them and make a conscious effort to slow their speech as long as they know you need them to.  But, if you look Irish...  I keep having this overwhelming desire to run over to the many international nannies I see at the park and say "I have no idea how to tell which one is the 1 Euro and which is the 2, either!  I don't know which train to take to get anywhere!  Take me in!"  It's a new experience, but really eye opening.

The kids run into similar difficulties at school.  Charlie came home excitedly telling us that Ms Swanton told him that they "only needed to wear jumpers in the yard."  When asked what she meant he said "I don't know!"

Happy

It took a year or so but Allen and I finally figured out that I am a much better mother if I take a Sabbath.    I need a block of 2-4 hours a week where I am alone doing things that pretty much only directly benefit me.  I read, I watch True Blood, I drink a cup of tea while it is still hot.  I often sneak in a bit of laundry, grocery ordering, etc but it's mostly time just for myself.  I get the impression this is what happens for other mothers during nap time.  Around here, nap time (no longer in existence) is instead known as "why mommy drinks."  My children are many wonderful things, sleepers is not one of them.

In the US, we often got a babysitter for a few hours on the weekend to facilitate this but we don't have those resources here.  So, Allen takes the kids out and about on Sunday afternoons when we aren't touring about and the weather is decent.  The big thing they do is go to the zoo.  We got a family pass for the year and I think it may have been the best investment EVARRR.

Real

This is my very sad coffee cup. (artfully backlit at model's request)

You know how pinterest is bursting at the seams with pumpkin everything right now?  Everyone is sipping their pumpkin lattes and eating pumpkin bread and all manner of apple products.  Not so much, here.  There is rumor of pumpkin spice lattes at one of the Starbucks but I have yet to lay eyes on one.  I don't usually get them too often.  The way they stain everything bright orange slightly freaks me out.  But there are also no pumpkin displays at the grocery store; no pumpkin candles at Yankee Candle; there are no overwhelming apple and cinnamon scents wafting about.  I have a plan involving combining various scented tarts to make a counterfeit American fall I'm putting into place this weekend.

To add insult to injury, not only is my mug bereft of synthetic pumpkin, it also doesn't get any cream either.  Refrigeration seems to be treated as more a suggestion here, even by the grocery stores.  This is fine in many cases but it means that my cream goes bad before I can possibly make it through a halfpint.  So, milk it is.  Rich, creamy, overflavored coffee will have to wait until we get back to the US.  Until then, I will have to console myself with thickly buttered, freshly made soda bread...

Trim Castle

We visited Trim Castle today in a very Irish drizzle to shower.  The children took it in turns to express their lack of team spirit so I missed a good bit of both what the tour guide was saying and reading the placards.  Since this is a far from rare occurrence, we've started springing for the 50 cent visitor's guides put out by the Office of Public works.  We can then later find out what it is that we saw and wholeheartedly endorse this strategy if you find yourself touristing with children.

The thing that keeps knocking me in the face is the saying about how "100 years is old to an American and 100 miles is far to an Englishman."  This church from the 1700s (I think) would be considered highly historic in an American town.

These shops are built on the doorstep of a 11th century castle.

I saw cross country practice next to the ruins of a medieval Abbey.

N R 1771

This graffiti from inside the keep is older than the Constitution and was written AFTER the castle was re-built 3 (or maybe 4) times, hosted 15th century Parliaments, and was abandoned to Cromwell's army in 1649.

Cambell 1743

Obviously, the best part of a castle is jumping on the drainage grate.

While touring, the big kids lead the way...

while Noah brings up the rear.

We had to wait for about 30 minutes, huddled under the trim gate which used to be where they pulled up the drawbridge, for the official tour of The Keep to begin.  Megan and I decided to venture out and I couldn't help but imagine what an incredible backdrop the ruins of the Barbican Gate would be for a small wedding.  I keep being surprised we don't see more bridal photo shoots at all these picturesque castle ruins but I suppose I can understand why outdoor shoots are rather rare in Ireland.


I did get to listen to the tour in the chapel.  These were 2 openings to keep the holy water.  After it was used, there were drains that made their way to the outside of the castle walls where they then drained down the walls to return to the earth- the only acceptable disposal of holy water.  Interestingly, the clergy would accompany their lords in battle.  However, they were not allowed to draw blood.  So, they were only allowed to use clubs and maces.  Inflicting death via concussion was apparently fine according to the powers that be.

I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty...*

Sorry for 2 tech posts in a row.  Trim Castle is coming next with plenty of misty Ireland images!

I have come to a whole new level of appreciation of my electronic gadgets in Ireland- especially my iPhone.  I don't actually use it to make calls since I don't have the international thingy that makes it work here.  Also, iPhones have a tendency to get stolen in Dublin.  Allen had his taken in the first few days we were here.  Someone in need of quick cash (often a person addicted to something) whizzes around on a bike and plucks phones out of people's hands- even while they are talking on them.  They then take it to someone else who wipes the phone and sells it.  So, Allen and I both have fairly cheap phones that we use for actual phone calls.  Anywho...

I didn't bring any paper books to Ireland. (gasp!)  Before we moved, I checked to be sure I could use the Dublin library system and planned to just borrow books.  But, I haven't been terribly impressed by the library system here or, more precisely, the librarians.  Never have I had so many encounters with people working at libraries that make you keenly aware that they are in fact civil servants rather than people who want nothing more than to unite you with the perfect book.  Using the local library tends to make me more homesick than just about anything else.

Luckily, since we are still residents of Blacksburg, I can check out e-books from our library back home.  They have a fairly good collection and it's growing by the month.  I also downloaded the free kindle app so I can buy books from Amazon.

I already really appreciated my phone as a book while I was rocking and nursing Noah- it's much easier to hold a phone than an actual book and no page turning to distract the baby!  But, it's been even more helpful over here since Noah is sleeping in our room.  An eReader means that I can read in bed without waking him.  Plus, any book I buy can come home with us without me worrying about weight restrictions, etc.  I'm getting a kindle for Christmas and can't wait!

The second thing I have really found helpful while abroad is twitter.  I can manage to read 140 characters while also caring for 3 young children.  I have it set up as basically a personalized news service through some fairly selective "following."  This allows me to keep up with what's happening in the US and even Blacksburg without wading through a bunch of newspaper homepages or a clunky rss feed with all sorts of poorly formatted news that I'm not interested in.  The very short nature of tweets makes it easy to skim and I can still click a link to read a full story.

A few follow suggestions for those that are twitter unsure :-)

The only news feed I follow is the BBC World service.  I've found this especially helpful with the political races heating up.  But, since it is the world coverage I also get links to bits and pieces of news all over the world.  It's not enough if you're a political junkie but tends to be as much information as I can really process at this stage of my life.  It's a strategy worth considering if you want to stay informed but not overly informed and one that I had already started employing back in the US.

The town of Blacksburg isn't unique in using twitter.  I subscribe to their feed and stay up on the biggest happenings.  When we live there, it lets me know where there will be road closures and the like.

I adore tweets by Neil deGrasse Tyson.  He's an astrophysicist with a magpie mind who is always putting out little science nuggets.  He is totally worth following!  I also follow a few museums.  The Air and Space is always sending out "on this day" sorts of things and the other Smithsonians will often link to unusual or interesting collections and the like.

A fair number of countries have national twitter accounts that are curated for a week by different people.  It's a fun way to find out what's happening in everyday life around the world.

*It's from the Little Mermaid

Keep them busy!

One of the things that we have struggled with a bit is the combination of not really knowing anyone, rain, and limited space so the children have been playing on the iPad quite a bit.  I tend to be pretty picky about what I'm willing to let the children play and I know the quest for decent iPad apps for the under 5 set is eternal so I thought I would share our top 5 picks.  FYI, Charlie is 6, Megan is 4, and Noah just turned 2.


First is anything by Shoe the Goose.  We have cookie doodle and donut doodle and the children spend ages playing them.  The children can pick from all sorts of dough, cookie cutters or types of donuts to decorate.  Or, they can make them from scratch, cracking eggs, shaking salt, cutting butter and then baking or frying before making them lovely.  Noah took a little while to get the hang of making them from scratch but can now do the whole process independently from start to finish.  The older children caught on right away.


Another family favorite is Robot Lab by Toca Boca.  The children build a robot and then fly it around a maze to collect stars.  At the end of the maze, it's wisked away by a giant magnet.  Noah does well with the robot building but the maze section is usually a joint effort between Noah and one of the older children.  It's a great way to allow your children to play collaboratively.

Farm School and Earth School are both put out by Yateland games.  Farm School is a great choice for under 3s- Noah loves it.  It has a bunch of very simple matching and find the animal games.  Earth School is better for slightly older children.  Children play a series of games that progress from the big bang through the evolution of dinosaurs- FYI this isn't a great pick if you are a strict creationist.

Make Me Music by FeeFiFoFun is a simple app where the children can "play" all manner of instruments varying from digeridoos to pots and pans.  It sounds like it would be misery on a parent's ears but it's not bad at all.  The children can even save their compositions and send them off to their grandmother.



Finally, a tie in the least likely contender category.  Both Spanish Cards by eFlash and Cula Caint are basic language flashcard apps.  You would think they would be the dullest "games" ever but the children actually really like them.  Spanish is, um, Spanish and Cula Caint is Irish.  The first several times, Noah kept arguing with the iPad about what a "bus" or whatever was called but he eventually came around.  The children pick a category (transportation is a favorite), touch the screen and a voice says the word in Spanish or Irish.

Come on over, come on over, baby.

Now that I've gotten some Christina (or if you prefer some Rosemary) stuck in your head...

I get a lot of comments about how jealous people are of me.  To be honest, I'm jealous of me!  Well, except for the last couple of days where it's been around 7 (45') and pouring.  It's supposed to clear today due to the "fresh to gale force" breezes.  So.

I think Ireland makes a great tourist destination for Americans especially if you've always dreamed of going to Europe but cost and language have held you back.

• In my experience, Ireland is a European country that really likes Americans.  This is a country with a long memory which mostly works to our advantage.  Among other things- we both fought our way out of colonialism and the US was the first country to establish diplomatic ties with Ireland.  America is still a land of prosperity and opportunity where young people think about going to start a wonderful new life (Friends is popular here)
• The Irish tend to be astoundingly friendly, helpful and kind- unless they are driving and then a friend summed it up best.  "Well, if a driver actually hits you he would definitely be in trouble."  Generally, though, they exhibit a depth of good grace while you figure out which one is the correct coin; they tell you the best place to get a pint; or they take your picture in front of a statue/building/scenic view.  
• The country is around the size of West Virginia so you can actually see a pretty big hunk of it in a week or so- especially if you take some of the great rail tours. 
•  The costs in Dublin are a little higher than in my small town but aren't out of line for big cities.  I find most of them reasonably commensurate with New York city pricing.  Plus, the Euro is on the weak side of the dollar at the moment.  
• Being lost is a part of the local culture and won't mark you for a mugging.  Dublin is over a 1000 years old and the layout of the city shows it.  The only place I've been with more odd twists, turns, and alleys that don't go anywhere is Cairo which is, notably, even older.  The streets and "corners" (it's rare to find a 90' angle here) aren't terribly well marked, the bus schedule is considered to be fairly inscrutable and the local rail system only posts the final destination for the trains.  This means that anyone who isn't hyperlocal is often slightly lost.  I get asked regularly what the next stop is and how to find XYZ street by people who are clearly native.  Bus drivers, train staff, and locals on the street would find it odd if they didn't get asked for help.
• The fare to Ireland is not a pittance but it's not completely out of reach if you plan and save up- think once every 10 years sort of trip rather than never in this lifetime.  It looks like a fare of around $800 is pretty achievable and it occasionally dips into the 700s.  That's more than a week at Disney (for one person) but not that much more and about the same if you fly to Florida rather than drive.  It runs neck and neck with prices for flights to Hawaii and I'm reasonably certain hotels and food are a lot less expensive here.  I get the impression that Ireland will be pushing for more flights (and perhaps a drop in prices?) for the next year or so in anticipation of The Gathering  If you don't ever take a vacation, maybe now is the time to start.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Dream big and pack an extra sweater!

and maybe some long underwear

yes, even in July

seriously