Settling into Belfast

Good morning, everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write sooner. I burned out a fuse or something similar in my room using my hair dryer, so I can’t use my laptop in my room anymore, and finding the time or energy to leave it hasn’t been easy so far. Come this weekend, I expect to find the time to catch you all up on Belfast life.

I also plan to put up a dictionary of Irish slang that I’ve been picking up recently, so you can all get a flavour of the language—although, to be honest, I don’t hear the Irish accent as much as I would like. We are still in International Week here at Queen’s, and so most of the Irish I talk to are much older than I am, or telling me how to get to City Hall while lost in the streets of the City Center. One of my favorite locals so far is Aran, a fabricator who adopted (there is no other word for it, really) Hannah and I two nights ago when he caught me scrounging for pizza. He’s outgoing and has an opinion on everything, and he also knows lots of random trivia. Most of the things I know about Ireland, I know from him!

I am starting to settle into Belfast a little bit more. My stomach has awoken with a vengeance, and I’m starting to feel tired and alert at the proper times. Tomorrow will be the first day all week I will be able to sleep in—and am I looking forward to it!

There are a lot of Americans here at Queen’s, and I think Hannah and I have met almost all of them. There are also a lot of Germans and Frenchwomen, as well as a multitude of Asian students. I’m starting to feel as if we Americans have created our own little America here in Belfast, especially since we were all crowded around the television yesterday watching news of the American embassy attacked in Yemen and the Egyptian protests. (Seriously, guys, Hannah and I have been gone five days, and already there’s drama?)

We are starting to fit in our surroundings a little bit more, though. Hannah is a whiz with being social, and Mehgan knows everything and everyone, so she is an enormous help. It’s thanks to her that we have mobiles, so now we can hand out our contact numbers to people who ask. This makes staying in touch easier. I’m still a little culture shocked, and surprised at myself—I had been waiting to go overseas so long I never would have expected to feel like a beaten cat. I miss Madonna and all of my Madonna friends so much—I even miss Sudexho food. No one in Holly House has yet figured the kitchen out, and the fridge stopped working, so there’s no way to store food here for long periods of time. This means that we can’t cook proper meals—although it’s not like we have time for it, the way Queen’s keeps us running around.

I was able to visit the Ulster Museum for the first time yesterday, and that has probably been the highlight of my week. We also found a used bookstore, which made me feel right at home. All I need now is a café that sells good tea and I will be all settled in here at Belfast! I’m still the same old Rebekah, more interested in libraries and ancient rocks than in going from pub to pub.

Queen’s did host a pub crawl last night, which was one of the more popular events. So many people showed up that on our trek to each pub, we stopped traffic, irritating many drivers. Hannah had her heart set on going, and I think that she enjoyed herself—although we both agree that it’s best not to go to pubs when there are at least thirty international students crowding up the place. Pubs are smaller than I imagined they would be, and not as grand. I’ll admit to being fairly uncomfortable there until Aran showed up and took my mind off of things.

Tonight is the Irish stew and ceilidh dance (pronounced kay-lee), which I am looking forward to, despite the fact that it will be crowded. The crowds still confuse and overwhelm me, especially because it’s hard to hear the others when they talk. I haven’t made many friends yet outside of Mel (my hallmate) and Mehgan, and that just makes me miss Madonna all the more.

I’m currently sitting in the kitchen, watching the workers paint outside, and watching the clock. It’s about time for me to go to the next set of lectures about Queen’s, so I had better get my backpack. I’ll write soon, and in more detail. I love you all!