Getting into the shwing..

Hey guys, I am a terrible blog admin – only posted once myself! Hope you are enjoying the blog. If you would like me (or Sinead) to make any changes, let us know. It would be nice to get some photos going on it too. I’m going to divide this blog post in to sections with titles for your reading convenience.

Mayfield Arts

So I’m totally settled in Mayfield. It’s great because I remember in my second week there we went out for lunch to say goodbye to a Spanish girl who was leaving. I felt totally awkward and like I didn’t fit in and worried if they did this for me at the end I would just die! But now I get on so well with all the women. So much craic. Maybe too much. But it makes the work so enjoyable. Like yesterday I came in after lunch, was working away for a while, totally engrossed (making a video for our flashmob) and I looked at the clock and it was 5.20! I think that’s a good way to measure how much you like your job – how much you notice the time passing, or wish the time away.

Youth Exchanges

I realise I left you all hanging in my last blog post. I wanted to write about the week long Youth In Action exchange we did. Basically, I made a load of hummus, hung out with cool Hungarians, drove them to Kinsale to see the sea (they don’t have any!!) and it was so lovely. There was a huge boat unloading wheat into trucks at the pier. I liked this because we study (or we’re supposed to: ‘and Food Policy’) tariffs and imports etc and here was the wheat in the wheaty flesh being brought in from the Ukraine (I asked the nice boatman) and heading off around Ireland. Headed to the Old Head then. My heart was in my mouth watching my Hungarian babies teetering on the edge of the cliff (they are all late 20s, early 30s but still ha!). Then we ate apple tart and custard on the beach. Because apparently that’s a traditional Irish food?? That was that exchange.

And we have another one next week – ‘Connecting through Creativity’. Siobhan, Cecile and Rosie Woods from 4^th year, well graduates now, will be there which is cool but also scary because I’m organising some of the activities. I’ll keep ye posted on how it goes. I swear this time.

Day-to-Day work

In between times I have been working on my main project with 6 people with special needs which is titled “Expressing my life, doing it my way”. So we are using a combination of visual arts and dance to explore the theme. Challenging but I’m learning loads.

We are doing a flashmob on the 29^th July on Grand Parade to promote our Globalfest event which will be two weeks later. Ive just finished making the video, which is totally CRINGEY and CORNY but great fun, so ill be spamming that your way soon.

Colleagues & Clonakilty

Having great craic with Patricia and also Angela, a Spanish girl on placement. They just got a house on the Mardyke. Delighted because with college over there are fewer people’s houses to crash at. ;) Brought Patricia to Clonakilty. She thought it was beautiful. She’d be right. Bringing her down again for the Clonakilty Agricultural Show this Sunday. Gonna be claaaaaaaaas. Entering my new puppy in the ‘cutest pet’ and ‘best dressed dog’ competition, fingers crossed. So bummed the fox took my beautiful white duck because she would have blown the other feckers out of the water in the ‘Best Duck’ and ‘Best Local Duck’ categories. Sigh. No doubt there will be some Z list celebrity from the Voice of Ireland playing at it too. Heh.

Food

Im sitting in my bed in Dunmanway eating Ginger nut biscuits like a piggy. This is my dinner I’d say. My father isn’t showing any signs of wanting to cook for me. I thought I had him better trained than this… I went off sweet things for 40 days and nights there. Not Lent or anything. An anti-lent. Take that Jesus! Been finished about 2 weeks and can’t get enough sugar now. Just gimme the bag and a spoon! So it was all for nothing. Heh.

Doves

Really busy with doves too. Two weddings last weekend and loads more in June. New website nearly ready. Eeeeee! No sexy photoshoots recently. Hmm..must fix that. Crying shame.

Weather

The weather is terrible here. Well I know it is in general, but on Saturday there was torrential rain. Such a pity because it was the long weekend and there were so many festivals on. Both Bandon and Rosscarbery Festivals had to be cancelled. Today was horrible too. Hailstones and all. And me wearing my dry weather (leaky Penneys’) shoes like an eejit. So lap up that sun and heat while ye can.

That’s all topics covered.

Love to you all from basecamp 

Hazel

J