The Last Stretch! (Halloween and my Placement)

Okay, so this post is a little belated, but first things first:

Derry knows how to do Halloween.

Seriously, America does not know how to celebrate the holiday. Of course, that may be due to the face that Ireland is a place of origin for Halloween. We had been told over and over that Halloween was Derry's biggest night, and that may have been an understatement. The city has a weekend-long festival, with activities and events for all ages. The Sevens got dressed up at our house and then we set out in search of food. Unfortunately, they weren't kidding when they said that people come from all over the world for the celebration. We tried to hit up our favorite pizza joint, Danano's, and to our horror they were only accepting reservations that night. Ravenous, we wound up at Subway for some quick and cheap food. Alas, it did not fill the hole that was reserved for a Danano's pizza. Later, we waited in some chilly weather for the Halloween, watched some fireworks, listened to some live music, and traipsed around the main drag. It was almost mayhem - there were SO MANY PEOPLE.

The Sevens in character (Back row: Zombie - Joe, Pirate - Christie, Ke$ha - Sara, Cowboy/Garth Brooks - Chay. Front row: Rosie the Riveter - Me, Cat - Lydia, Daisy Buchanan - Lexi)

After Halloween weekend, we started our placements on the 4th of November. Sara and I were placed at the same women's center. I was nervous starting my placement because I had absolutely no idea what to expect. Back in March/April when we had signed up for the placements we were interested in, I knew I wanted to be able to work with kids to get experience for my major (Youth Ministry), but I was also feeling called to be at a women's center. I randomly listed the three that were listed and hoped for the best. The center I am at specializes in finding aid for women and their children who have been abused by men. I was hoping to be able to shadow a youth worker or something, but the center just hired something like 40 people, so work for Sara and I is pretty scarce. Right now we are doing your typical intern work: making copies, filing, covering reception, lounging around and drinking tea. 

I asked our supervisor if I could shadow their youth worker, but she is still new herself and is getting settled in. So hopefully, I can get some real experience. I'm trying to look on the bright side though: Everyone I work with has been helpful and friendly, and Sara and I are pretending that we are starring on an all-female version of "The Office."

So there you have it folks. It's the final month. I'm missing home and my friends and family and American things, like Taco Bell and good coffee (No, I'm serious. We REALLY miss Taco Bell.). I'm eager for December 5th to come, but at the same time, I'm going to miss Northern Ireland when I'm back in the states, so I'm going to "yolo it" this month and try to make the best of my time left here. I'll post in a few weeks again about our tin whistle and Irish dance performance for the mayor (yikes!) and how my internship is turning out. Take care!