How Do I Even Begin?…

I’m sitting here, with a half finished cup of coffee, and still don’t know how I am going to sum up this experience in one blog post. This trip has changed me in ways that I can’t explain. It has opened my eyes to a country’s experience with trauma and pain, and how individuals and organizations have begun to cope with that. It has shown me a group of truly authentic people eager to share their stories, and eager to hear my own. It has opened my eyes to a beautiful location in the world with geographic features that often resemble the residents of this country: tough, resilient, and deeply stunning.

This trip was by no means an easy one. Between lectures, activities, and experiences we were constantly hearing about the depth of the issues here in Northern Ireland and how difficult it had been and will be for peace building residents here to continue their work. It would be difficult if not impossible to find an individual here in Derry unaffected by the Troubles. The wounds are deep and personal, which does not lend itself easily to peace building, communication, and collaboration projects. The narrative of “us and them” is still prevalent in the community.

Despite all of these issues, though, I do see hope for this place. The people here, regardless of “side,” are set to never repeat the violence like they did years ago. The progress is slow, and institutions are still set in the binary way of thought, but there are those who are choosing to step outside of the “us and them” mentality to help create a holistic and inclusive community. There is hard work being done by individuals who see the value in their constant efforts. There are those who share their story and allow others to share theirs in hopes for a better future. For me, hearing the stories of these brilliant and hopeful people was my favorite part of the class.

All I can say now is thank you. Thank you to Professor LG, Ann, and Brian for leading us on this crazy adventure and refusing to allow us to complacently spend time in this city without understanding the history, sociology, and politics of this place first. Thank you to my classmates for constantly changing and challenging my perspective. Thank you to all of our speakers and workshop leaders who shared their personal experiences with us and helped us get a glimpse of Derry. And thank you to the people of Derry, with rich stories and boisterous laughter that made this trip truly unique and special.