And We're Back

A short side note: As I was flying home on New Year's Eve I had a long lay over in Atlanta. While waiting in line for some food I struck up a conversation with a soldier. He asked me what I was doing for New Year's and I told him that I was on my way to Ireland where I had been living and was sure to have a good night out with some friends. He was going to Kuwait. While I have been critical about the States in my past posts I do realize that I am very fortunate to come from a country where I have the opportunities and freedoms to pursue many experiences, such as spending time here in Dublin. Best of luck to the soldier I met and all the others.

Ok, now back to this week in Ireland! Thanks for indulging me. I have returned from Donegal, the northernmost county in Ireland. I was there with the theatre company I work for doing a seminar on using drama as a means of reconciliation of the violence between Ireland and North Ireland. The seminar was highly successful, we also toured a play based off interviews of people who lived in towns along the border during The Troubles, the era of the most violence. It was very exciting to be a part of this, especially since it was one of my reasons for coming here. A guest artist was flown in from Israel  to lead a workshop on using drama for conflict resolution, he is an ex-combatant and uses drama as a reconciliation tool between Israelis and Palestinians. There was a lot of great discussion and emotion, as the conflict in Ireland and the North is a delicate issue. Unfortunately sectarianism is very much a part of our lives all over the world, but hopefully this seminar will be the groundwork to bring it to an end.
I was also able to see some of the beautiful Irish countryside on the long drive. I am always amazed by how green it really is. Of course there were many sheep, cows, and ponies to be spotted along the way.

That's all for now!