Portsmouth Rotary - Tiarna

One afternoon we attended Portsmouth Rotary meeting for lunch. The rotary is a club of people who fund different programmes and volunteer in their community. The people of the rotary were so welcoming and seemed to be very interested in our lives. 

Samantha and I paired up to sit at a table together at the rotary and ate lunch –which was delicious- with members of the rotary who seemed to be very interested in our background and where we came from. They asked a lot of questions about our culture and the conflict in the North of Ireland and we, in turn, asked them questions about their lives in America. 

We then played a really fun game which was in the style of a game show quiz hosted by Neill, the president of Friends Forever, where we were asked to answer different questions about ourselves.

After everyone had eaten, Eimear, Chelsea and I, gave speeches to the rotary about what our lives had been like growing up in Northern Ireland and how we felt about the conflict. Having to write a speech and then deliver it to a room full of adults wasn’t the easiest thing to do but it was something which helped me to gain a new perspective on the segregation in The North of Ireland, the idea of explaining things as simple as the division between Catholics and Protestants was at first a strange concept to me as it was something I had grew up with. It did however force me to think more about the society I had grown up in and helped me realise the impact it had on my life. 

Overall, going to the Portsmouth rotary turned out to be a really good experience, we were welcomed by all the members and all of our speeches were received very well. It gave us the chance to talk about our lives at home and also learn a bit about American culture.

Tiarna (:

Our day in Boston - Tiarna

Our day in Boston was one of my favourite days in the USA. We got to experience a lot of American culture and learn a bit about American history. It was also one of the most relaxed days where we were able to hang out together and have fun. We got to spend time with one of the really cool rotary members named Craig. 

We followed the red freedom trail around the centre of Boston which told the story of some of Boston’s history. We then visited the holocaust memorial; 6 glass towers built in memory of the 6 million Jewish people killed in the Second World War. This one of the more intense parts of the day where we got a real sense of history.

We then went to eat in a ‘food court’ in Boston which had every kind of food imaginable, from Thai to Ice cream parlours, it was one of the most huge food places I had ever seen and the food was delicious. We then did a bit of shopping and went and got coffee and chill out in the beautiful park in Boston before we done some more sightseeing. It was a tiring but really enjoyable day and the whole group had so much fun

Tiarna (:

Mel Flanaghans for diner! - Tiarna

After a long day of touring a high school and the police station we made our way to an Irish bar called 'Mel Flanaghans'. As soon as we arrived we were welcomed by large hugs and even larger plates of steaming spaghetti and meatballs. The food was lovely and we sat and compared our lives with teenagers we had met that day in Spaulding High School.

After our filling meal, we made our way into a different room. The whole group were together, which included the mayor of the town as well. We all explained how the divide in Northern Ireland affected us and the impact the Troubles have had on our lives. I was nervous but when it was my turn to speak, I immediately felt at ease because the audience was so interested and attentive.

After the speeches, a small folk bank played music from home like 'I'll tell me ma' and 'Fields of Athenry'. It brought back a real taste o home for me because those are songs I hear. We also had a small jig!

Overall it was a brilliant experience and I would, if I had the chance, return to Mel's in the future!!