Belslow

Chantel, AJ and I have decided that things in Belfast move too slowly for the word “fast” to be included in its name. Either AJ or Chantel came up with the more appropriate name “Belslow” – but I don’t know who – So props where props are due.

Anyway – Chantel and AJ came to visit me this weekend. They arrived Friday night and left Sunday afternoon. We had lots of fun from start to finish, with some drama and messes in between, which are maybe the best kinds of fun to have when you’re with people you really love. Anyway – On Friday night AJ and Chantel met my flatmates and I at a local pub called Lavery’s. We ended up staying and talking til close, which is like 1 am here. Then Saturday we woke up and went on one of the ‘famous’ Belfast Black Taxi Tours. An informed taxi driver drives you around to see the murals in the protestant and catholic areas, as well as the peace wall as he explains some of the history of The Troubles to you. It was very informative and you get to see places and things that you would never otherwise have the chance to see. It really enlightened us as to how recently The Troubles were, and how delicate the current “peace” is. 

So in the main street in the Catholic area is Falls Road, and there are some murals along the road as well as on the side of the Sinn Fein Party building wall. The main protestant area is beside Shankhill Road and there are murals along the ends of the houses. The murals in the Catholic area mostly depict similar struggles around the world, where a people are displaced and they continue to fight for their original land back. They have a mural about Spain, Israel, Cuba, etc. They are really trying to elucidate the fact that even though The Troubles  in Northern Ireland are quite famous and often viewed as extreme there are similar fights around the world. 

The murals in the Protestant area are about 50% memorials of fallen community leaders and 50% historical/motivational. They have one that I think is incredibly poignant in that its pointing out that Catholicism and Protestantism have been at odds since before there was ever trouble in Ireland. And “The Troubles” as they’re known today have only really been occurring in the last 30-ish years. However some of the memorial murals really drove home the violence used, and the severity of the troubles.

 This particular mural is really creepy. The barrel of the gun follows you no matter where you are standing. It is said to be protecting the Shankhill area, so that you know no matter what you do in this community there is someone guarding it. It apparently has the reputation of being Belfast's Mona Lisa.

Before all The Troubles the Protestant and Catholic areas backed against each other. However, when the troubles began they started blowing up the interior houses, not only to destroy each other’s property, but also to increase the gap of space between communities. Only recently have they started to try to redevelop this empty space, and regardless of filling the empty spaces they have left the wall up. 

The wall is called the peace wall, literally keeping the two communities away from each other. There are streets that go through the wall to allow traffic to flow, however, at night these gates close so that there are no night attacks. This is still happening today, and in fact Police used to come down and shut the gates themselves, but there were often paramilitaries there to kill the policemen so now it is automated. 

The city of Belfast has gotten graffiti artists from around the world to come and paint the peace wall with all sorts of bright designs and pictures to try to liven it up, and there is one stretch of the wall where people write messages on the wall. Chantel, AJ and I wrote messages on the wall, I don’t remember what I wrote. If you come visit me we’ll go look for it. 

The street that runs parallel to the peace wall is often the site of violence between the two sides. They call one street “no man’s land” because if you were caught on that street at night it was essentially asking to be a victim of some sort of crime. The driver even told us that a few weeks ago (since I’ve lived here) there was a fight on that street, and we could see the damage to a local painted Iron fence from a burning car. 

ANYWAY – I could honestly go on and on about the black taxi tour, but you’ll have to go on one yourself to really understand it.

After the tour we went back to my flat and I made Quesadilla’s for lunch for us all – Miam! That afternoon we went to see Easy A at the theatre, which was SOOO funny. Blake and James joined us for the movie, which was fun. It was genuinely the funniest movie I’ve seen in a while. Stanley Tucci is a comic genius! The writing is impeccable, it never stops.  Then we all grabbed dinner together before heading back to my flat to hang out with my flatmates again. The drama ensued when like 7 of us were in our kitchen, and we all had a right to be there, and the security came to break up our “party”. We were like “We live here, we’re all over 21 – can we not talk in our own kitchen?!” but apparently we can’t. 

Sunday morning AJ and Chantel checked out of their hotel around noon and came up to my flat for Pancakes, Bacon and Sausage. Then they shipped out around 3:30. 

All in all a nice weekend. I love my Glas-Canadian friends and am SO grateful that they are close enough to visit me with such frequency. However, as I mentioned to James, they seem to make my friends here in Belslow pale in comparison. I have so much fun and feel so comfortable with my friends here, and I’m so lucky to have made so many nice friends, but when AJ and Chantel arrive, it’s on a whole other level.

This week I’ve got a few things coming up… let’s see… Oh, I’ve got a Sociology reading group with my peers, which I’ve agreed to do just to keep me motivated and having something on my plate. I also plan on applying for jobs like CRAZY. I really need one. This weekend is Halloween and I have purchased a 1 pound false witch nose and 1 pound witches hat to be a witch if I decide to go out, but I don’t know that I will end up doing anything, so keep posted and I’ll let you know.

I can’t wait to come home (sort of) for Christmas. I wish I could see all of you, but I’m only going to see my parents and Jordan. However, I have to come home this summer for some weddings, so I’ll try to book time to see you all!

Miss you!

Ashleigh