My Christmas Holiday in Phone Photos

Vegan cinnamon rolls for the Toastmaster's Christmas party. I mentioned them in one of my speeches (not the vegan part) and had strict orders to bring a sampling to the party. Neighbors got the leftovers. :) 

A beautiful frosty walk.

A rainbow from the window. That hill must be covered in pots of gold. I live in Rainbow Land. 

Just my favorite country road. Aren't those hedges nice?

 

Cork is a pretty city at Christmas time. 

The kids at church were wanting me to buy them iPhones and Kindles and other gadgets for Christmas. Kids these days. They are getting them all right! I'm the queen of cardboard cameras.

Village kids singing carols at the Christmas tree lighting. They had their guitars, tin whistles, and bells. They were fun to sing with. 

Went to a Handel's Messiah concert with some Irish friends at St. Peter and St. Paul's Cathedral. It was magnificent.

 

Opened up our crackers (sometimes called poppers) and wore our crowns during Christmas lunch. (L to R: Angela, Jared, and Emily)

My Merry Christmas Eve Jammies! So far, I have worn them for every season that I've been here for. ;)

Babysitting

Well, they aren't babies. Jared and Emily are 13 and 11. This week Jeff and Annemarie celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary, so us interns are watching the kids while they are on a little get-a-away.

One of the favorite evening activities is playing hide-and-seek in the dark, in the house. For me, I'd probably rather play Scattergories or Balderdash... but last night's game was a ton of fun.

I tried to hide in obvious places. I stood in the middle of the dining room table, I held the basket of blankets in my lap in the living room, and I sat on the dark rug in front of the front door.

While sitting in the dark on the floor in front of the door, someone ran into me- I thought it was Angela, who was "it". I let out my signature "eeeeeee!" and we both started laughing, only to realise that it was Emily... who had already been found! Angela was only a few feet away, but somehow totally missed the interaction. I kept hidden. Then after everyone had been found (except for me), Angela came and stood right in front me trying to think of where to look next. She was so close to me that Jared thought that I had been caught, so he flipped on the lights! Everyone saw me... except for Angela. Jared realised what he had done and flipped off the lights. Oh, I'm glad everyone was laughing loudly, because I was sitting right behind Angela, unseen and laughing as silently as I could until my gut hurt.

I guess we can alternate Scattergories with hide and seek in the dark... as long as I am free to scream.

MacTíre

I saw these three brothers perform at a Christmas concert last night. This video doesn't really do justice, but thought that it was really funny. They are from Kinsale, which is near where I live.

SuperValu

This evening, Wendy and I packed grocery bags at our (semi) local SuperValu. We were helping out a friend of a friend, who is now our friend too. Her granddaughter has cancer. She is just one year old. If people wanted, they could drop some coins in the bucket. Most people were gracious and generous. It was fun arranging groceries and loading them into their "trolleys". 

Here is a typical Irish grocery store list. In order of appearance and popularity:

Alcoholic beverages (of all kinds)

Milk (and cheese and yogurt)

Chocolate (and other candy)

Eggs

Cereal

Meat 

Bread 

Carrots (one lady admitted they were for the horses) 

Fruit (apples, oranges, grapes)

Brusselsprouts 

Ok, maybe brusselsprouts shouldn't have made it into the top 10, but I saw more than I expected! Maybe they were on sale. 

The Castle

Last week I stepped foot into an Irish castle for the first time. This Irish castle.

It had an enchantingly long driveway, a tower house, a church, and a giant green lawn. Inside there were lots of rooms, big heavy doors and old wooden floors.

As I went in, there were people wandering in and out of the castle. Some were wearing slippers, head-wraps, and speaking with various African accents. This was their home. Refugees finding refuge in the Drishane Castle. I find it to be a beautiful picture.

I was told that a wealthy man is letting the government house immigrants there. One of the ladies that I met said that she thought there was about 300 people living in the castle. I hear there are lots of babies there. I got to hold one of them, and she sucked on my watch and liked to steal my glasses. Often it is just part of a family living in Ireland- hoping to get the rest of their family there eventually, and to give birth to a baby in Ireland. 

They have a small stipend, a little less than €20/month. Meals and shelter is provided. 

We go and meet with two faithful sisters and have church with them every week. They always bring sweet treats for us, which is sacrificial love. 

I can't wait to go back to the castle. It's calling my name. 

Drishane Castle in the news:
http://corkindependent.com/20130627/news/asylum-deal-drishane-asylum-residents-demands-met-S67931.html

Robin

The Song of the Robin

Recently, my eye has caught the attention of this pretty little bird, the European Robin. They have such a cheery song to brighten any morning. They are petite, and look so soft and fluffy! This morning as I went on my walk, I saw a few of them. I took out my headphones and just listened to them sing. I also see quite a few magpies, which are also a nice bird. For now though, this lil purdy birdy is my favorite. 

ESL

There is a girl from Germany staying at our house right now, she is here to learn English. 

I'm proud to have helped her add a few more words to her vocabulary this week:

Lard. The Irish like to put lard in their cabbage. I have no idea why. They say that's the only way to eat cabbage. Eat cabbage... Don't eat lard. 

Asparagus. I tried demonstrating how an aspar-a-gus grows. When she looked at me like I was crazy, I drew on the napkin. I always know that she understands when her eyes light up and she tells me the word in German. 

Sassy. This kiwi is sassy. Sometimes the pineapple is too. Well, actually that's not usually how we use that word. Aren't you glad that you are learning English from us?!

I've also shown her how to use the drying machine for the first time in her life, which I have mixed feelings about.

When we went thrifting yesterday, she saw a black teeny-bopper-ish shirt that said "Sassy". She proudly showed me. Thankfully, she didn't buy it. 

Grace

Before mass, Father Finnbarr said my organ playing was beautiful. 

After mass, I told him that I appreciated that he sang a responsive chant in Irish. 

He is not a singer and I'm not an organ player, that's what we each say of ourselves. 

Yet, I find that our mutual appreciation of gifts and effort is genuine... and so is the grace given to each other (because honestly, I don't really know how to play the organ and he really was dismissed from a choir). 

The Farmer

The bachelor farmer, to be more specific. 

Is it normal that in his series of asking me questions in rapid succession, that he ends with, "Do you like to wake up early?" 

Um... (Please don't tell me that my saying "yes" is a qualification to fix a bachelor farmer's marital status.)

Let's just talk cows. That would be good, thank you. 

The Nuns

I like visiting the sisters at be convent. 

Upon arrival: "You've grown two inches since we last saw you!" 

Upon departure: a pinch on the cheek and "Oh! You're so beautiful!"

It's been a while since I've grown two inches and been told that I was beautiful, and was pinched on the cheek. 

I love nuns.