Meet My Friends, part 1

            As the new year opens (a few weeks ago), I thought I’d take some time to give you an overview of the various sites involved in the program over here. I am one of eight Young Adult Volunteers from PC(USA) serving in Belfast this year. We’re working with churches and community centres all across the city. We live in pairs, mostly close to our worksites. Over the next seven weeks or so (depending if I get distracted along the way), I’ll introduce you all to the other members of the team and where they work. I’ll start in the southwestern corner of Belfast and work my way across the city to the far northeast.

            Emily (or Emmy Emmy Emmy Emmy! as I sometimes call her) is my flatmate. Though her name is spelled “Emily,” she prefers it as “Emyli” because she thinks it looks cooler. She’s from Columbus, Ohio, and studied psychology at Wooster College, also in Ohio. Emyli is a sweet girl with a punk-rock heart. She really appreciates classic literature – she speaks Latin – and musical theatre. Which she sings regularly, and I usually join in. Her family came to visit over Christmas. They’re also pretty awesome, especially her bouncy bouncy 19-year-old brother who lived with us for three weeks.

            Emyli works with Harmony Hill Presbyterian Church, a couple of miles down the road from our flat. Technically, both she and I work outside of Belfast, in the nearby city of Lisburn. Emyli does a lot of work with the church, singing in the choir, doing some secretarial work, etc. But she also works extensively with the drop-in centre, The Base, that’s run out of the church basement. The Base provides a place for teenagers to come and hang out in the evenings. It also encourages cross-community interaction, as both Protestant and Catholic teens use the facilities. In Belfast, drop-in centres are very important outreaches, because teens with nothing to do tend to stand around on street corners talking, drinking alcohol and causing mischief. A drop-in like The Base provides a safe space for them to relax, as well as fun activities to keep them entertained. Emyli has a heart for troubled youth, so she really enjoys her work with The Base.

            Emyli and I discovered, after living together for less than a week, that she has a much greater knowledge of popular culture than I do. She frequently makes references to movies or TV shows that meet with a blank stare from me. It’s become kind of a running gag. But she is slowly introducing me to some movies and TV shows – it’s probably good for me. 

Emyli at the November retreat, among ancient yew trees.

Word of the Week: “yous.” It’s the Northern Irish equivalent of “y’all” or “you guys,” the second person plural. I’m rather partial to the word. It’s always been one of my complaints that “you guys” is gendered, and that annoys me. I picked up “y’all” as a decent alternative while living in Mississsippi, but “yous” works just as well.