My time with my parents was very nice! I met up with them after the teens group last weekend. There isn't much to say about the teens group. I was paired with a girl named Erica. She is just like every other seventeen year old girl. She wanted to spend the entire weekend texting her boyfriend. She has cerebral palsy, and is unable to speak and has limited use of her hands. But she communicates by using her elbow to point to letters on a table that is connected to her chair. She also uses her nose to text her boyfriend, and she is faster doing that than I am with my hand! The weekend went by fairly quickly, and I was anxious for it to be over.
My parents came by the house that Sunday night to meet some of my housemates and Mary Fox. They didn't stay too long here, because we needed to go pick up Mark and Tish (The Bakers...friends of the family that my parents are traveling with.) We picked them up and went to the restaurant that CASA owns, called 1014. I had been there once before with a group. It's a five star restaurant and all of the proceeds go towards CASA. I think it's such a good idea for a fundraiser! Anyways, the dinner was amazing, and Paddy Murray stopped by to chat with us. Paddy is the co-creator of CASA and he also lives upstairs in my house. I admire him very much and I rarely see him because he is so busy! So it meant a lot to me that he took the time to sit with us and talk to my parents. The next day, I took a bus to meet them in Kilkenny. I had been there before with Katie, but we didn't get to do much sight seeing there, so I was happy to go again. I got lost trying to find the B&B. I don't know how to explain to you just how annoying that some streets in Ireland have NO signs on them. I ended up way down the road at a Lidl store, where I talked to a cute Polish security guard. He told me exactly how to get there, and I loved him. :) I ventured out in the windy rain again and made it there safely. I spent some quiet time alone while I waited for them to arrive. It was really nice! We went out to dinner at a pub in the town. It was their first pub dinner here in Ireland, and it was also Dad and Mark's first guinness! They were all happy with their pub experience, and so was I! Unfortunately, the live music in the town didn't start before ten and it was only eight. So we decided to go back to the B&B and rest. That was fine with me! The next day we had a huge breakfast at the B&B. It was delicious! We then went to the Kilkenny Castle, which was really cool! We weren't able to take any pictures, though, which is lame. But what I really wish I had record of is the commentary made by my parents and the Bakers. Turns out there is a lot of humor that comes out of a castle tour. After the tour, we moved on to St. Canice's Cathedral. It was a very stunning building. The cathedral was built in the year 400 as a Catholic church, but was taken over in 1100 by the Anglican church. That happened quite a bit over here. It's kind of sad to think about that happening. I'm so used to having the freedom of my religion that I forget about what happened in the past. I know that it still happens today in other countries, but being an American, I often take for granted my many freedoms. Anyways, sorry for that tangent. We stopped by the Black Abbey after we were done at the cathedral. I was SO excited because when I was there with Katie, the abbey was closed and I really wanted to see a statue they had inside. It was hidden in the walls when Cromwell took over the abbey and shut it down completely. The Dominican monks hid a statue of the Trinity from 1267 in the walls of the church. It was found years later. We got there just as Mass was starting so we stayed for the small and short service and then I was able to take a picture of the statue. I'll post it on my facebook. It is an elderly man with a crown holding a crucifix with a dove on top of the cross. It is so cool! I've never seen anything like it. The Bakers wanted to do some shopping, so my parents and I left them and went a few kilometers out of Kilkenny to see the ruins of an old abbey. (Are you seeing a theme yet in the sites?) It's called Jerpoint Abbey, and I don't really remember much about the story of it, to be honest. But the ruins were huge! There was a cathedral, a cloister, and several stone rooms that are believed to be work spaces and kitchens for the monks. There was no sign of a dormitory, which really bothered me! Where did they sleep!? My mom didn't understand why I was concerned about this, and we spent a lot of our time there arguing. :) We headed back to Kilkenny to meet up with the Bakers for an early dinner. We skipped lunch because our breakfast was intensely huge. We had a really good meal at a really cheap pub. I'm sad that they don't have one like it here! The menu was really good and different than most pubs here. Then we parted ways with the Bakers yet again, and I waited for my bus with my parents. The ride wasn't too long...about two hours. I finally finished reading my book, I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. It's an amazing book, by the way! But now I'm giving myself a mental break and reading something a lot lighter. Hard Eight... It's the eighth in a series and I've only read the fifteenth one. My roommates who've read the entire series have yelled at me for this, but what are they gonna do? :P
The next day we had a full house of members! They are doing a news story on CASA and so there was a camera crew here to film us and how we are with the members of CASA. I was paired with Anne O'Rourke who I know very well. We had a nice lunch and a prayer and arts and crafts. It went very well, and I think they got good footage. Apparently, the segment is only 2 minutes long, so I'm not sure what it will turn out like. But I avoided the camera most of the time, so I'd say I'm free and clear. Thursday was just cleaning and group prep. Nothing too exciting there. Federico and Jonny came over for an American-style brinner. It was delicious! We made pancakes, French toast, an egg scramble, and fresh hash browns. I really wanted to make eggs benedict, but not for 10 people!
The next day was the beginning of a group. I was paired with Anne Roche. I've met her once before a few months ago when she was in the house. Anne is a nice woman, but I have to be honest when I said it was not an easy weekend for me. She is blind and has an intellectual disability. The caring for her was easy. The problem was that she didn't want help that she badly needed. In front of everyone she was very sweet, but when we were alone in the room she would yell at me for helping her, struggle to do something alone, and then ask why I wasn't helping her. It was not easy, but there were good moments in the weekend that made up for those other ones. She is a talker...to say the least. She loves to know everything about everyone, and hates to talk about herself. I learned quite a bit more about a few other members than I needed to! :) Overall the weekend went by just fine. There were some of my favorite members in the house. Willy Ayton, who lives with Michaelena and Sean at the Cara, was in. He is really fun to talk to. And Michael Maguire was in. I've seen him in the house before. He's such a sweet person! He only says a few words, which include, "happy," "Daddy," and "ABBA." Any time you walk by him he says, "Hello!" I love him.
Not much else happened last night. I went out for a bit to meet up with a friend and then I came home and watched Witness with Kaitlyn. I had no idea what that movie was about. Not an amazing example of American film, but I did love the shots of 80s Harrison Ford without a shirt. :)
I have been disgustingly lazy today. I should be doing something productive...but hey, blogging is productive in a way, right? I'm heading out to Galway tomorrow to meet up with my parents again. I'll see them for a few days, and I get to take two days off of work. Yay! I'm not missing too much, but I am a little sad to miss a Halloween party with the kids. I'll be back on Thursday night in time for a full day of "team building" on Friday. Yay! But then I have Saturday and Sunday off, which will be good. We're going out for Halloween, but I have no idea what to wear! I think I'll have to do some very last minute shopping this weekend...
As always, love to Oregon! :)
~Claire
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
My Pilgrimage
I had such a blessed trip to Lourdes! Thank you to those who prayed for my journey. I know it added to my trip in a special way.
I lay in my bed Friday morning still in my pajamas and watching The Office, mostly packed and completely wrecked (which means tired, not drunk) from the night before. My planned night of quiet pints and early bed-time was sabotaged by Federico missing the last bus into town. He had to take a taxi back because he had to work at five in the morning, and there were no buses into town before that. So instead of taking one right away, he decided to stay and hang out for a while. (He's crazy...it was half eleven at that point!) Long story short, Kaitlyn, Lennart, and I didn't go to bed until half three when Fred's taxi came. (He went straight home, dressed for work, and left, without sleeping or shaving. He worked for two hours and then they told him it wasn't until five that night that he actually had to work!! Poor guy...) Anyways, I didn't get as much sleep as I had planned, but I was rested enough. I finished packing and ate breakfast and planned just enough time to watch The Office and finish up. Our taxi was to come to collect us at twenty to three. So at two I was lying on my bed and relaxing when I get a knock on my door. "The taxi's here!" Erin shouted. I was so flustered! I changed into my uniform and threw the last minutes into my bag and ran out the door! A great start to my trip... :)
We arrived at the airport and everyone gathered and waited. I learned quite a bit of patience on this trip. With a group of 160 people, and a quarter of those people in wheelchairs, it is important to learn how to wait. I only knew a handful of the people there. Among them were Paddy Murray (the co-creator of CASA and also one of my housemates), Sr. Mary Fox, Erin, Michael (a local volunteer who has helped out in this house several times; he's also one of the five people who were my age), and several members that I've met before. My member lives in Cork, so I was assigned to mind Stephen until we arrived in Cork. His carer was to join us when the plane stopped in Cork to pick up the rest of our group. Stephen was nervous about the trip and even more nervous about the flight. But I was able to calm him down and distract him mostly from his fear. When we pulled into Cork, it took another few hours to load everyone else on the plane. Rita was one of the last to come aboard. She is about 50 years old and has Down Syndrome. I was told very little of her before I met her, but that didn't make me too nervous. I've learned to go with the flow during my five months here. She was nervous as well to go on this journey and I found it slightly more difficult to calm her. I had to gain her trust and gauge her comfort level with me. But it didn't take long for me to bond with her. She is very sweet and lovable. Within a half hour we were joking and laughing and getting along just fine. By the time we arrived in Lourdes, everyone was wrecked from the day. It was midnight by the time we got everyone off the plane and into the buses that took us to the hotel. We had sandwiches and tea waiting for us there, which brought a lot of joy to us pilgrims. As soon as we were all fed, we were ready for sleep. The next day was going to be long and it was going to start bright and early.
I'm going to have some trouble remembering everything that we did during the next full four days in Lourdes. I'll have to stick to the highlights, for the most part. Rita is fairly independent. She needed a little help with showers and dressing, but she could eat by herself and choose her own diet. I helped her mind her medications, and I also helped her with her cough. She is afflicted with chronic chest infections...something I wasn't too thrilled to be around for the six days. I've been getting over a cold that I've had for over three weeks now. She also needed a steady hand to hold while walking because she has terrible balance. Over the course of the trip she fell at least ten times. Although, I must say, most of those were more like "drops" than "falls." I learned quickly that she used this as a means of attention, and I tried not to encourage them with fussing, although, everyone else made this difficult. But besides these few things, Rita was a joy to be with. She appreciated everything that was done for her and given to her. She often said thank you and "You're very good to me, Claire." I felt almost guilty accepting these kind words because I felt as though I needed no verbal appreciation for doing something so simple as to care for her. But it did make the job easier. I was actually surprised at how well I did with remembering all of her meds and the little things that I needed to remember to bring with me every time we left the hotel room. I am normally scatterbrained, but I managed to keep it together during the entire trip. God's grace is my only explanation! :)
After breakfast that first morning, we all gathered for Mass. We had four priests with us, and each of them were wonderful. I especially bonded with Fr. Hugh. The first night he came up to us and we talked for a good bit. He lives here in Dublin and is the parish priest for what he calls a humble little church in city center. I hope to visit him there some time before I go home. After Mass, we took a trip down to the grotto. I can't really describe the beauty of Lourdes, but I do have pictures that I'll post soon enough on Facebook. There are several basilicas and a few other building inside the grounds. The River Gave flows through it and the grotto itself is lovely. There is a statue of Mary where the apparitions were to have taken place. People stood in line to walk in it and touch the stones there. Because we are a group accompanying the sick and disabled, we were able to cut in line. What a blessing this was! We had planned to go to the candle light procession that night, but it was to rain, and we wanted to avoid that. So we decided to go the following night. I can't remember what we did instead...
The next day was much of the same. We had a penance service and I was excited to participate. I waited to speak to Fr. Hugh. I had a very nice experience in confession with him. I feel bad for those who haven't experienced a good sacrament of reconciliation. I believe it is one of God's greatest gifts, and something that should bring great joy and grace to those who participate in it. Right before that I was feeling very sad and missing the religious community at home. But afterwards I felt completely at peace and truly enjoyed being a part of the community there in Lourdes. I hope to keep that spirit with me here, even if I don't have it directly with me in this house. The candlelight procession was not a good experience for me that night. I was feeling under the weather, and trying desperately to conceal that. It was raining desperately that night, and I was pushing Rita in a wheelchair (she used it for distances, which was a great relief...I can't imagine how many more times she would have fallen if she had to walk to the grotto each day) and I was wearing the stupid dress that was my uniform. Standing and waiting in the rain only to walk in the rain was miserable. I let those feelings take over, unfortunately, and I wasn't able to enjoy it at all. I regret that, but let it go. My time of appreciation was coming.
The next day we had Mass and a service of blessing our members with holy water, and having them bless us. It was so beautiful! One of my favorite moments by far. Rita was so sweet making the sign of the cross with her thumb on my forehead. This was the day we went to the baths... Now the baths are the most important part of Lourdes. There is a small building there, near the grotto. In it are several cells with stone baths built into the ground, and each are filled with holy water from the spring that Bernadette found 150 years ago. The water has brought many miracles and healing to many. Rita was terrified to go in the water. She was shaking before we even waited in line. I told her about what was to come and that she would be just fine. But I knew it made no difference. Still, being able to help her made me less nervous and by the time I went in I had no time to dwell on any of my own fears. We were brought into a little room made of curtains. Three little French women held up shrouds for the six women allowed in the room at a time. We were to take off our clothes, hang them up, and wrap the shroud around us. Rita was completely flipped out at this point, and the French women were not able to console her. I only know a little French so I wasn't much help. But I did make the point across that I was to go in there with Rita, even if they didn't like it. I promised her I'd hold her hand and by God I was gonna do it. Shaking and sobbing, she stepped into that freezing water and walked towards the statue of Our Lady. They wanted her to sit down in the water and I told them no. That they understood. They led her out and it was my turn. I wasn't able to be there to help her with her clothes, but I knew she'd be ok. It's their service and joy to do the work they do, and I really didn't want to interfere...but it was my job to take care of her. I was led into the water and the cold shocked me, even after all the warning! But I was forced to ignore that by the peace of the women and the powerful sense of prayer in the room. I walked to the statue and gave Our Lady all of my prayers and requests I brought with me. I sat in the water, and was led out of the bath. When I came out they were trying to put my bra on Rita! A comical moment broke up the spirituality I was experiencing, but it reminded me of our Lord's sense of humor. I explained to the little French ladies that it was mine, and Rita's panic continued. She didn't care who's bra she was wearing as long as she was a step closer to getting out of there! I quickly dressed and grabbed Rita and left. Afterwards, she was completely fine, and looked back on it as something she'd never do again, but not as a horrible moment either. That was the good thing about Rita; she never dwelled on the past.
On Tuesday, we had a beautiful Mass of Healing. It was very emotional for everyone, although I still felt enveloped in God's peace. We were all anointed with oil as our team members put their hands on us. It was very touching. The rest of the day was left for shopping, something that Rita had looked forward to since the plane. "Big shopping! Loads and loads! All day!" she would say. We found our big shopping and she got everything she needed. That morning after her shower she said, "I'm gorgeous! I'm gonna find a man!" And let me tell you, she found her men. They were everywhere! All the male shop keepers were putty in her hands. I could learn a thing or two from this girl. When we were done with our big shopping, we had our last dinner in Lourdes. The next story I have might not be very funny if you weren't there, but I must tell it because it was one of my favorite moments of the trip. When we first arrived and I checked her bag, I noticed that she hadn't packed a toothbrush or toothpaste. She wasn't too concerned with this, but I managed to find her one on the second day. I didn't bother buying her toothpaste, but let her use mine. Not a word was said about this for the whole of the trip. During dinner, Rita was eating her roll, and I was talking to the person next to me. All of the sudden out of nowhere, Rita said, "Oh sugar! I forgot to buy toothpaste!!" I laughed so hard I couldn't contain myself! It was such a random thought for her to have and by far the best thing she said the entire trip! (Although, another favorite was when after being tickled by me, exclaiming, "I'm very ticklesome, Claire!")
That night we had another candlelight procession. The experience was like day and night compared to the first. It was clear out, but cold. Everyone was in good form and much happier to be there. I was proud to be in procession with the wonderful people of CASA among a crowd of thousands. The procession was around the grounds and it was done to the sound of the Rosary being said in several languages, English included, thankfully. At the end we all gathered around the steps to the basilica and sang a few songs. I had to dash to the holy water fonts to get Rita's bottles filled. One of the leaders wasn't too happy with the last minute task, but I wasn't sending Rita home with empty bottles! We walked back and went to bed. I didn't sleep much that night, although I'm not exactly sure what caused this. A mix of emotions, I'm guessing.
The next morning was a blur of breakfast, a quick final Mass, and boarding the buses to take us to the airport. I was sad that the trip was over, but tired and ready for sleep. It was a very long day, with several unexpected delays. Saying goodbye to Rita in Cork was hard. She gave me a big hug and told me she loved me. She asked me to write her, and I promised I would, but after she did first! I hope to see her again before I go home. She is a sweet person and much more fun than trouble. ;)
It was half eight before I got to the Swords house last night. 12 hours of travel time for a flight time of about 2.5 hours. The Swords house was empty and that's just what I needed for quiet and rest before the teens group this weekend. I was alone for the first time since I've been here in Ireland. Luckily, Federico called me and kept me company for a bit. I had my first meal of that day, and then went to sleep. This morning Kaitlyn joined me there to get it prepared for the teens group. We came back and had lunch and a meeting to prepare us for the weekend. The rest of the day was filled with catching up on emails and chatting with all of my housemates that I surprisingly missed. :)
Now I'm settling down before going to bed. I have to admit that the teens groups are my least favorite. I didn't like teenagers when I was one! But these ones are good kids and I'm sure it will be good. My parents are on a plane right now and will be here during my group. I'll meet up with them afterwards, and I'm so excited! How wonderful it will be to see them!
I hope that things at home are going well and I'd love to hear from you! I never get sick of news from home.
Love from Ireland,
Claire
I lay in my bed Friday morning still in my pajamas and watching The Office, mostly packed and completely wrecked (which means tired, not drunk) from the night before. My planned night of quiet pints and early bed-time was sabotaged by Federico missing the last bus into town. He had to take a taxi back because he had to work at five in the morning, and there were no buses into town before that. So instead of taking one right away, he decided to stay and hang out for a while. (He's crazy...it was half eleven at that point!) Long story short, Kaitlyn, Lennart, and I didn't go to bed until half three when Fred's taxi came. (He went straight home, dressed for work, and left, without sleeping or shaving. He worked for two hours and then they told him it wasn't until five that night that he actually had to work!! Poor guy...) Anyways, I didn't get as much sleep as I had planned, but I was rested enough. I finished packing and ate breakfast and planned just enough time to watch The Office and finish up. Our taxi was to come to collect us at twenty to three. So at two I was lying on my bed and relaxing when I get a knock on my door. "The taxi's here!" Erin shouted. I was so flustered! I changed into my uniform and threw the last minutes into my bag and ran out the door! A great start to my trip... :)
We arrived at the airport and everyone gathered and waited. I learned quite a bit of patience on this trip. With a group of 160 people, and a quarter of those people in wheelchairs, it is important to learn how to wait. I only knew a handful of the people there. Among them were Paddy Murray (the co-creator of CASA and also one of my housemates), Sr. Mary Fox, Erin, Michael (a local volunteer who has helped out in this house several times; he's also one of the five people who were my age), and several members that I've met before. My member lives in Cork, so I was assigned to mind Stephen until we arrived in Cork. His carer was to join us when the plane stopped in Cork to pick up the rest of our group. Stephen was nervous about the trip and even more nervous about the flight. But I was able to calm him down and distract him mostly from his fear. When we pulled into Cork, it took another few hours to load everyone else on the plane. Rita was one of the last to come aboard. She is about 50 years old and has Down Syndrome. I was told very little of her before I met her, but that didn't make me too nervous. I've learned to go with the flow during my five months here. She was nervous as well to go on this journey and I found it slightly more difficult to calm her. I had to gain her trust and gauge her comfort level with me. But it didn't take long for me to bond with her. She is very sweet and lovable. Within a half hour we were joking and laughing and getting along just fine. By the time we arrived in Lourdes, everyone was wrecked from the day. It was midnight by the time we got everyone off the plane and into the buses that took us to the hotel. We had sandwiches and tea waiting for us there, which brought a lot of joy to us pilgrims. As soon as we were all fed, we were ready for sleep. The next day was going to be long and it was going to start bright and early.
I'm going to have some trouble remembering everything that we did during the next full four days in Lourdes. I'll have to stick to the highlights, for the most part. Rita is fairly independent. She needed a little help with showers and dressing, but she could eat by herself and choose her own diet. I helped her mind her medications, and I also helped her with her cough. She is afflicted with chronic chest infections...something I wasn't too thrilled to be around for the six days. I've been getting over a cold that I've had for over three weeks now. She also needed a steady hand to hold while walking because she has terrible balance. Over the course of the trip she fell at least ten times. Although, I must say, most of those were more like "drops" than "falls." I learned quickly that she used this as a means of attention, and I tried not to encourage them with fussing, although, everyone else made this difficult. But besides these few things, Rita was a joy to be with. She appreciated everything that was done for her and given to her. She often said thank you and "You're very good to me, Claire." I felt almost guilty accepting these kind words because I felt as though I needed no verbal appreciation for doing something so simple as to care for her. But it did make the job easier. I was actually surprised at how well I did with remembering all of her meds and the little things that I needed to remember to bring with me every time we left the hotel room. I am normally scatterbrained, but I managed to keep it together during the entire trip. God's grace is my only explanation! :)
After breakfast that first morning, we all gathered for Mass. We had four priests with us, and each of them were wonderful. I especially bonded with Fr. Hugh. The first night he came up to us and we talked for a good bit. He lives here in Dublin and is the parish priest for what he calls a humble little church in city center. I hope to visit him there some time before I go home. After Mass, we took a trip down to the grotto. I can't really describe the beauty of Lourdes, but I do have pictures that I'll post soon enough on Facebook. There are several basilicas and a few other building inside the grounds. The River Gave flows through it and the grotto itself is lovely. There is a statue of Mary where the apparitions were to have taken place. People stood in line to walk in it and touch the stones there. Because we are a group accompanying the sick and disabled, we were able to cut in line. What a blessing this was! We had planned to go to the candle light procession that night, but it was to rain, and we wanted to avoid that. So we decided to go the following night. I can't remember what we did instead...
The next day was much of the same. We had a penance service and I was excited to participate. I waited to speak to Fr. Hugh. I had a very nice experience in confession with him. I feel bad for those who haven't experienced a good sacrament of reconciliation. I believe it is one of God's greatest gifts, and something that should bring great joy and grace to those who participate in it. Right before that I was feeling very sad and missing the religious community at home. But afterwards I felt completely at peace and truly enjoyed being a part of the community there in Lourdes. I hope to keep that spirit with me here, even if I don't have it directly with me in this house. The candlelight procession was not a good experience for me that night. I was feeling under the weather, and trying desperately to conceal that. It was raining desperately that night, and I was pushing Rita in a wheelchair (she used it for distances, which was a great relief...I can't imagine how many more times she would have fallen if she had to walk to the grotto each day) and I was wearing the stupid dress that was my uniform. Standing and waiting in the rain only to walk in the rain was miserable. I let those feelings take over, unfortunately, and I wasn't able to enjoy it at all. I regret that, but let it go. My time of appreciation was coming.
The next day we had Mass and a service of blessing our members with holy water, and having them bless us. It was so beautiful! One of my favorite moments by far. Rita was so sweet making the sign of the cross with her thumb on my forehead. This was the day we went to the baths... Now the baths are the most important part of Lourdes. There is a small building there, near the grotto. In it are several cells with stone baths built into the ground, and each are filled with holy water from the spring that Bernadette found 150 years ago. The water has brought many miracles and healing to many. Rita was terrified to go in the water. She was shaking before we even waited in line. I told her about what was to come and that she would be just fine. But I knew it made no difference. Still, being able to help her made me less nervous and by the time I went in I had no time to dwell on any of my own fears. We were brought into a little room made of curtains. Three little French women held up shrouds for the six women allowed in the room at a time. We were to take off our clothes, hang them up, and wrap the shroud around us. Rita was completely flipped out at this point, and the French women were not able to console her. I only know a little French so I wasn't much help. But I did make the point across that I was to go in there with Rita, even if they didn't like it. I promised her I'd hold her hand and by God I was gonna do it. Shaking and sobbing, she stepped into that freezing water and walked towards the statue of Our Lady. They wanted her to sit down in the water and I told them no. That they understood. They led her out and it was my turn. I wasn't able to be there to help her with her clothes, but I knew she'd be ok. It's their service and joy to do the work they do, and I really didn't want to interfere...but it was my job to take care of her. I was led into the water and the cold shocked me, even after all the warning! But I was forced to ignore that by the peace of the women and the powerful sense of prayer in the room. I walked to the statue and gave Our Lady all of my prayers and requests I brought with me. I sat in the water, and was led out of the bath. When I came out they were trying to put my bra on Rita! A comical moment broke up the spirituality I was experiencing, but it reminded me of our Lord's sense of humor. I explained to the little French ladies that it was mine, and Rita's panic continued. She didn't care who's bra she was wearing as long as she was a step closer to getting out of there! I quickly dressed and grabbed Rita and left. Afterwards, she was completely fine, and looked back on it as something she'd never do again, but not as a horrible moment either. That was the good thing about Rita; she never dwelled on the past.
On Tuesday, we had a beautiful Mass of Healing. It was very emotional for everyone, although I still felt enveloped in God's peace. We were all anointed with oil as our team members put their hands on us. It was very touching. The rest of the day was left for shopping, something that Rita had looked forward to since the plane. "Big shopping! Loads and loads! All day!" she would say. We found our big shopping and she got everything she needed. That morning after her shower she said, "I'm gorgeous! I'm gonna find a man!" And let me tell you, she found her men. They were everywhere! All the male shop keepers were putty in her hands. I could learn a thing or two from this girl. When we were done with our big shopping, we had our last dinner in Lourdes. The next story I have might not be very funny if you weren't there, but I must tell it because it was one of my favorite moments of the trip. When we first arrived and I checked her bag, I noticed that she hadn't packed a toothbrush or toothpaste. She wasn't too concerned with this, but I managed to find her one on the second day. I didn't bother buying her toothpaste, but let her use mine. Not a word was said about this for the whole of the trip. During dinner, Rita was eating her roll, and I was talking to the person next to me. All of the sudden out of nowhere, Rita said, "Oh sugar! I forgot to buy toothpaste!!" I laughed so hard I couldn't contain myself! It was such a random thought for her to have and by far the best thing she said the entire trip! (Although, another favorite was when after being tickled by me, exclaiming, "I'm very ticklesome, Claire!")
That night we had another candlelight procession. The experience was like day and night compared to the first. It was clear out, but cold. Everyone was in good form and much happier to be there. I was proud to be in procession with the wonderful people of CASA among a crowd of thousands. The procession was around the grounds and it was done to the sound of the Rosary being said in several languages, English included, thankfully. At the end we all gathered around the steps to the basilica and sang a few songs. I had to dash to the holy water fonts to get Rita's bottles filled. One of the leaders wasn't too happy with the last minute task, but I wasn't sending Rita home with empty bottles! We walked back and went to bed. I didn't sleep much that night, although I'm not exactly sure what caused this. A mix of emotions, I'm guessing.
The next morning was a blur of breakfast, a quick final Mass, and boarding the buses to take us to the airport. I was sad that the trip was over, but tired and ready for sleep. It was a very long day, with several unexpected delays. Saying goodbye to Rita in Cork was hard. She gave me a big hug and told me she loved me. She asked me to write her, and I promised I would, but after she did first! I hope to see her again before I go home. She is a sweet person and much more fun than trouble. ;)
It was half eight before I got to the Swords house last night. 12 hours of travel time for a flight time of about 2.5 hours. The Swords house was empty and that's just what I needed for quiet and rest before the teens group this weekend. I was alone for the first time since I've been here in Ireland. Luckily, Federico called me and kept me company for a bit. I had my first meal of that day, and then went to sleep. This morning Kaitlyn joined me there to get it prepared for the teens group. We came back and had lunch and a meeting to prepare us for the weekend. The rest of the day was filled with catching up on emails and chatting with all of my housemates that I surprisingly missed. :)
Now I'm settling down before going to bed. I have to admit that the teens groups are my least favorite. I didn't like teenagers when I was one! But these ones are good kids and I'm sure it will be good. My parents are on a plane right now and will be here during my group. I'll meet up with them afterwards, and I'm so excited! How wonderful it will be to see them!
I hope that things at home are going well and I'd love to hear from you! I never get sick of news from home.
Love from Ireland,
Claire
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My October...
Hello everyone,
I just got done with a group and I'm resting on my bed and blogging. Life is good. :) The internet right now isn't working very well, still, but I did discover that it works in my room again, so I'm happy!
This past week has gone by very quickly. I can't even really remember what I did besides a few days of work and hanging out with Federico and Gio. It was Gio's last night, actually, last week. We listened to some trad music and had a few pints at O'Neill's. It was sad to see her go, but I'm sure she'll be back to visit. She loved being her for this past month. Kate and I went to Oliver St. John Gogarty's on Friday night. We met three Spanish boys, one of whom was named Paco. He was amazingly cute! Like a Spanish version of Michael Buble. Anyways, they were loads of fun! I can't remember the names of the other two. In my defense, they were very Spanish names! The next night, I escaped over to Federico's place for a movie marathon. The choices were....eclectic.... We started with one of my favorites, Rear Window. Next up was Animal House. I had never seen that movie, which is crazy! (I love John Belushi!) We followed that up with Zac and Miri, which I wasn't too impressed with, although I do love Seth Rogen to the end! The last one was Bad Santa...I have no idea why Fred put that on... I fell asleep after about 5 minutes!
We had group preparation on Monday, which didn't take too long. I spend the rest of that day trying to get tickets to Berlin for Christmas. I'm sad that I will be missing Christmas at home, but I am so lucky to go see Audrey and Andre and spend Christmas with their family. (I was friends with Audrey in high school and she moved over to Germany when she married a German exchange student.) Ryanair wouldn't take my credit card information, so I had to have my mom pay for it all the way over there. So ridiculous.
Tuesday morning was hectic. We have a very generous, but crotchety, volunteer who comes to do free handiwork for the house. He also donated a refrigerator, boiler, and kitchen floor. He came in the morning of the group to put in the floor, and arrived at only 11am. The group was to begin at 2pm! He and his helper were able to do it by two, however, we were not allowed in the kitchen for lunch. My member, Ann, got here early, just to top it all off! The house was a mess, and I was starving! Jose and Lennart went out to get sandwiches, so I was able to sit and get to know Ann. She was in the house a few months ago, but she was paired with Erin and I didn't interact with her much. Ann is hard to communicate with because she is deaf and has an intellectual disability. Because of this, she doesn't use any sign language. This made it very difficult for me to communicate with her. But she was very content with just being in the house. She liked to play cards and look through photo albums. When it was time for people to sing songs she got up and sang! It was so great. She has been deaf since birth, and she doesn't speak at all, so it was just sounds coming out. I was so happy that she felt comfortable singing. Ann was very mild tempered and really enjoyed her time in the house. I felt like I could have done better talking with her. I was stressed out the entire time...wondering if I should try harder to talk to her about specific things. But sometimes she would nod yes even when she didn't understand what I meant. And she also seemed stressed if I tried too hard to sign to her. So most of the time we sat and watched the others and played cards. We all went shopping on Wednesday and that was good. Ann bought a shirt and a scarf and I bought some new slippers. (Much needed ones!) After a bit of shopping, we met at the cinema for "Fame." I voted for that one for Ann because she'd be able to enjoy the dancing. It wasn't exactly high quality film, but the kids in the movie were so talented!
This morning flew by and 2pm was here before we knew it. Ann's ride was actually a bit early, and everyone else was gone a few minutes before two o'clock hit. Mary Fox (the nun who has lived here for 20 years) says that has never, never, never happened before!
Now we are all doing our own things. I packed a little for tomorrow. We have a uniform to wear, so I don't really have much to pack. Just sweaters and socks and things like that. We are going out tonight for a pint. My flight isn't until 3pm and I'd like a mental break before my next few weeks of "work" begin. There was supposed to be an Elvis impersonator at Gibney's, but that was canceled (stupid Gibney's!) so we will just go out and listen to the boring DJ. But Federico is coming out too, so that will be fun.
So here is my crazy schedule for this month. I know that no one cares, but I feel the need to express it to someone.
Oct. 9-14 Lourdes (technically work because I'll be with a member for the entire 6 days...please pray for me!! I know that it will be mentally and physically challenging!)
Oct. 15- Clean house and prep for group
Oct 16-17 Teens Group (Eeek!)
Oct. 18-20 My parent's visit!
Oct. 21-22nd Work
Oct. 23-25 Group
Oct. 26-28 See my parent's again!
Oct 29-31 Work
Every single day is accounted for in either work or seeing my parents. Crazy! But part of the reason I left my life in the States was because I was often bored and not challenging myself. This month will be a challenge! But it will also be filled with many blessing including an amazing trip to Lourdes and seeing my parents for the first time in 5 months! I really am a lucky girl. :)
God bless to you, and I'll be sure to tell you all about my trip when I come home.
Love,
Claire
I just got done with a group and I'm resting on my bed and blogging. Life is good. :) The internet right now isn't working very well, still, but I did discover that it works in my room again, so I'm happy!
This past week has gone by very quickly. I can't even really remember what I did besides a few days of work and hanging out with Federico and Gio. It was Gio's last night, actually, last week. We listened to some trad music and had a few pints at O'Neill's. It was sad to see her go, but I'm sure she'll be back to visit. She loved being her for this past month. Kate and I went to Oliver St. John Gogarty's on Friday night. We met three Spanish boys, one of whom was named Paco. He was amazingly cute! Like a Spanish version of Michael Buble. Anyways, they were loads of fun! I can't remember the names of the other two. In my defense, they were very Spanish names! The next night, I escaped over to Federico's place for a movie marathon. The choices were....eclectic.... We started with one of my favorites, Rear Window. Next up was Animal House. I had never seen that movie, which is crazy! (I love John Belushi!) We followed that up with Zac and Miri, which I wasn't too impressed with, although I do love Seth Rogen to the end! The last one was Bad Santa...I have no idea why Fred put that on... I fell asleep after about 5 minutes!
We had group preparation on Monday, which didn't take too long. I spend the rest of that day trying to get tickets to Berlin for Christmas. I'm sad that I will be missing Christmas at home, but I am so lucky to go see Audrey and Andre and spend Christmas with their family. (I was friends with Audrey in high school and she moved over to Germany when she married a German exchange student.) Ryanair wouldn't take my credit card information, so I had to have my mom pay for it all the way over there. So ridiculous.
Tuesday morning was hectic. We have a very generous, but crotchety, volunteer who comes to do free handiwork for the house. He also donated a refrigerator, boiler, and kitchen floor. He came in the morning of the group to put in the floor, and arrived at only 11am. The group was to begin at 2pm! He and his helper were able to do it by two, however, we were not allowed in the kitchen for lunch. My member, Ann, got here early, just to top it all off! The house was a mess, and I was starving! Jose and Lennart went out to get sandwiches, so I was able to sit and get to know Ann. She was in the house a few months ago, but she was paired with Erin and I didn't interact with her much. Ann is hard to communicate with because she is deaf and has an intellectual disability. Because of this, she doesn't use any sign language. This made it very difficult for me to communicate with her. But she was very content with just being in the house. She liked to play cards and look through photo albums. When it was time for people to sing songs she got up and sang! It was so great. She has been deaf since birth, and she doesn't speak at all, so it was just sounds coming out. I was so happy that she felt comfortable singing. Ann was very mild tempered and really enjoyed her time in the house. I felt like I could have done better talking with her. I was stressed out the entire time...wondering if I should try harder to talk to her about specific things. But sometimes she would nod yes even when she didn't understand what I meant. And she also seemed stressed if I tried too hard to sign to her. So most of the time we sat and watched the others and played cards. We all went shopping on Wednesday and that was good. Ann bought a shirt and a scarf and I bought some new slippers. (Much needed ones!) After a bit of shopping, we met at the cinema for "Fame." I voted for that one for Ann because she'd be able to enjoy the dancing. It wasn't exactly high quality film, but the kids in the movie were so talented!
This morning flew by and 2pm was here before we knew it. Ann's ride was actually a bit early, and everyone else was gone a few minutes before two o'clock hit. Mary Fox (the nun who has lived here for 20 years) says that has never, never, never happened before!
Now we are all doing our own things. I packed a little for tomorrow. We have a uniform to wear, so I don't really have much to pack. Just sweaters and socks and things like that. We are going out tonight for a pint. My flight isn't until 3pm and I'd like a mental break before my next few weeks of "work" begin. There was supposed to be an Elvis impersonator at Gibney's, but that was canceled (stupid Gibney's!) so we will just go out and listen to the boring DJ. But Federico is coming out too, so that will be fun.
So here is my crazy schedule for this month. I know that no one cares, but I feel the need to express it to someone.
Oct. 9-14 Lourdes (technically work because I'll be with a member for the entire 6 days...please pray for me!! I know that it will be mentally and physically challenging!)
Oct. 15- Clean house and prep for group
Oct 16-17 Teens Group (Eeek!)
Oct. 18-20 My parent's visit!
Oct. 21-22nd Work
Oct. 23-25 Group
Oct. 26-28 See my parent's again!
Oct 29-31 Work
Every single day is accounted for in either work or seeing my parents. Crazy! But part of the reason I left my life in the States was because I was often bored and not challenging myself. This month will be a challenge! But it will also be filled with many blessing including an amazing trip to Lourdes and seeing my parents for the first time in 5 months! I really am a lucky girl. :)
God bless to you, and I'll be sure to tell you all about my trip when I come home.
Love,
Claire
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