...sucks! I had a bit of motivation to start packing today, mostly because I looked at my calender this week and realized that there really won't be a lot of time to do that after today, so we started. Looked up baggage and weight restrictions on the airlines we'll be flying on the way home and what the U.S. allows us to bring back as far as gifts, etc. I don't think I'm as stressed this time around as I was last year when we were packing - probably because we don't have to worry about moving furniture and stuff.
Anyway, sorry it's been so long since I wrote. There's a lot going on - saying good-byes, helping out with different summer schemes. We even took a quick trip to London.
Last week was the 12th of July. (Obviously, you knew that, right?) But here, the 12th of July is a holiday. Protestants celebrate the victory of King William of Orange over the Catholic King James in the Battle of the Boyne, which took place in 1690 (this all on wikipedia if you're interested). Anyway, here in Northern Ireland many Protestant communities build large bonfires that they light on the evening of the 11th. A lot of times they put the Irish tri-color flag on the top of the fire. Then, on the 12th they have different parades - which consist mostly of marching bands and marching members of the Orange Order. As you may have guessed, this holiday is a bit tense because it's one that Catholics here do not really celebrate and tensions often mount in the weeks surrounding the 12th. One of the main controversies have to do with the parades that I mentioned. It is not uncommon for Protestant parade routes to go through Catholic areas, which, as you may imagine, is not really appreciated by the residents of those areas. So, there are often disagreements about that which can turn into violent expressions of opinion. A lot of times there are riots as well - so many Northern Irish Folk get out of Northern Ireland to avoid the holiday altogether. This 12th, I've been told, has been pretty quiet. There was a riot a little ways from us, evidently, but it seemed to turn out okay. So there's a little bit about the 12th.
Well, my break is done! Gotta get back to packing! I'll be seeing you guys back in the States in about 9 days!
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