Belfast burning...
I assume that US news is still concerned almost solely with Katrina news. And rightly so. However, Jon told me that he'd heard of the latest problems in Belfast, so I thought I'd explain...
Right, if you've checked the news for Northern Ireland, you've no doubt seen that "the troubles" are back in Belfast. It isn't scary, really, because of my position. It is, however, a strange new life. It's small things like, when I'm watching tv I have to turn the volume way up because there's always an army helicopter flying rather low pretty much directly over my house, just, you know, keeping an eye on things. Or when I want to buy cigarettes, I can only do it on one road, because the other road leaving from my house has most likely been blocked by trash or a car, which has also most likely been set on fire. Or when I go to buy groceries, it takes 20 minutes to go about 200 yards because of the traffic... and it isn't rush hour, but rather, a gang is probably throwing stones and petrol bombs at the police and army somewhere way down the street, thus forcing the cops to block off the road and redirect traffic. The other fun game is to stand on my deck, which overlooks all of the city, and predicte, usually accurately, which street is home to the fire responsible for all the black smoke rising into the air.
I'm cool though. As in, safe. Mostly, however, I'm pissed off at the fact that the kids I work with have cracked out moms and abusive fathers, and I didn't get to give them the chocolate birthday cake I bought because we had to cancel their group this week. And the reason is because thugs are running the streets and it wouldn't be safe to bring them to the cottage, which by its very invention is meant to be one of the only places where these kids can ever feel safe. And I'm also pissed off, that despite this, any thoughts of "score! no work today!" are followed by the realization that I'll have to sit in my house and read a book I'm not interested in because my sudden free time can't be spent going anywhere, lest my big blue bus with the sunshine on the side of it be stormed by paramilitary jerks.
My boss told me today that he hasn't seen this type of "trouble" in about 7 years. Personally, I'm willing to predict that within a month or so, things will have quieted down. I still have hope that this is merely a phase, not a throw back to the "old" west Belfast. The bulk of the city is still going strong. It's just my part of town that's falling apart.
Finally, though, just one other thing that pisses me off: If I ever read again that a special US envoy sent by George W. has accused leaders of "not responding" quickly enough, and not "leading the country effectively", I WILL kick him in the shins with my hardshoes on. For serious, yo.
Right, if you've checked the news for Northern Ireland, you've no doubt seen that "the troubles" are back in Belfast. It isn't scary, really, because of my position. It is, however, a strange new life. It's small things like, when I'm watching tv I have to turn the volume way up because there's always an army helicopter flying rather low pretty much directly over my house, just, you know, keeping an eye on things. Or when I want to buy cigarettes, I can only do it on one road, because the other road leaving from my house has most likely been blocked by trash or a car, which has also most likely been set on fire. Or when I go to buy groceries, it takes 20 minutes to go about 200 yards because of the traffic... and it isn't rush hour, but rather, a gang is probably throwing stones and petrol bombs at the police and army somewhere way down the street, thus forcing the cops to block off the road and redirect traffic. The other fun game is to stand on my deck, which overlooks all of the city, and predicte, usually accurately, which street is home to the fire responsible for all the black smoke rising into the air.
I'm cool though. As in, safe. Mostly, however, I'm pissed off at the fact that the kids I work with have cracked out moms and abusive fathers, and I didn't get to give them the chocolate birthday cake I bought because we had to cancel their group this week. And the reason is because thugs are running the streets and it wouldn't be safe to bring them to the cottage, which by its very invention is meant to be one of the only places where these kids can ever feel safe. And I'm also pissed off, that despite this, any thoughts of "score! no work today!" are followed by the realization that I'll have to sit in my house and read a book I'm not interested in because my sudden free time can't be spent going anywhere, lest my big blue bus with the sunshine on the side of it be stormed by paramilitary jerks.
My boss told me today that he hasn't seen this type of "trouble" in about 7 years. Personally, I'm willing to predict that within a month or so, things will have quieted down. I still have hope that this is merely a phase, not a throw back to the "old" west Belfast. The bulk of the city is still going strong. It's just my part of town that's falling apart.
Finally, though, just one other thing that pisses me off: If I ever read again that a special US envoy sent by George W. has accused leaders of "not responding" quickly enough, and not "leading the country effectively", I WILL kick him in the shins with my hardshoes on. For serious, yo.