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Belfast I

Well I have dodged this subject long enough I guess, and having the family over for the wedding has definitely made the question more significant. Also, I really didn't want to post anything up for a while, for fear of seeming negative, or as though I was reconsidering my actions, or wanting to scare people or sensationalise stuff, or because it seemed inappropriate given the global situation at present, or something.

Then again, the whole Northern Ireland conflict is not something a newbie has the right to talk about; tourists and citizens of other nations certainly don't, and I don't even think other citizens of the UK or Republic of Ireland really have the right to hold an opinion. How can you have an opinion if you really don't know; and believe me, this is one subject where the media cannot and does not give you an accurate impression, or knowledge even. Yes I am a newbie still, so some might think I'm talking out of my arse, but the last couple of months have been pretty intense in terms of culture shock, change, adjustment; I've been left reeling more times than I'd like to admit. 

One thing I've learnt; there is no answer to the Northern Ireland situation. Sheesh, even figuring out what the problems are makes one's brain start to implode, let alone trying to get a sense of a solution. The problems here go too far back in history (1066 ring a bell, anyone?), are too enmeshed and intertwined with other discords and frictions and divergences;  it's akin to a knotted up fishing net or something ... where to begin untangling? 

And DON'T get me onto the subject of the USA funding the Sinn Fein/IRA/Real IRA, who are the ones deadlocking the peace process, refusing to decommission arms, getting stuck into the terrorism and training of terrorists (a couple of the Sinn Fein MPs are convicted terrorists, for fuck's sake). Look, the UDA/UFF/UVF are a bunch of insane maniacs too, but to my knowledge their fundees are not fighting a war against terrorism in the middle east at the same time as handing $$$ to another group to continue terrorism? Just My View, peeps.

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Belfast itself now ... well shit, I don't quite know how to explain it so prepare for a ramble! Let's start with the obvious and comparatively superficial - weather.  So okay, it was bound to be a shock, coming from Perth's mild winters and hot hot summers, perpetually sunny and frequently drought-stricken (under water restrictions as I speak), but yeesh! It is ear-burningly cold right now, windy (and the wind here hits you on all sides - forget about windbreaks, they're no use at all!) but strangely enough there have been more sunny days and blue skies in the 'winter months' than back in July/August - tres weird, though there is still plenty of rain (doh) but rain still has mucho novelty value so that's more than okay. There have been a couple of light snowfalls as well as the heavier one over Christmas/Boxing Day, but nothing long-term. The climate seems to suit me so far, the lack of humidity is an enormous relief, and while I have had a few major pain episodes here and there, I haven't had the kind of complete physical 'crash' that tended to hit me at this time of year in the Southern Hemisphere. So that is most definitely a good thing. I'm keeping healthy, and haven't had any major colds or flu (touch wood), just a few sniffles here and there.

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As for the issues that make Belfast famous ... It is a seriously weird, screwed up place, no doubt about that; the whole situation/conflict is *there* all the time, having to be forever alert and watching what you say/do all the time could get stressful - I don't mean basic self-security like not walking through unlit streets on your own at night, but having to hide your own identity/background from people with whom you're just chatting casually. 

For example, Sam and I were out the one night with a bunch of people, early in my residency, and somehow schooldays came up, and I stopped myself before telling something about MY schooldays because it was in a catholic school and everyone there was protestant. Now, most intelligent people (especially those Sam mixes with) don't give a flying fuck about religion/race but of course other people do ... We live in an area that's basically a protestant/loyalist stronghold which makes one very conscious of being vulnerable - even though I certainly don't consider myself a catholic, others would and that could make me a target.

It's crazy stuff I tell you, and even though I knew about it before I got here, nothing really prepares you for the reality. Like driving through the well known trouble spots, going past flashpoints with army jeeps hanging around, seeing the army helicopters overhead, walking through the city and going past the police armoured landrovers, seeing the guys in the back casually cradling uzis and heaven knows what else. (Though I can now identify and give the various specifications for a number of sub-machine guns, machine guns, snipers rifles - a fact which seriously freaked Henry out when I told him!).

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It is amazing to me that in general the people here are so welcoming and balanced, so open and good-humoured, when they have been through such terrible dark times. It was one of the things that really struck me on my first visit; I had expected the people to be bitter and twisted and closed up, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is only the extreme and organised element who are fighting for a cause that economically, historically, socially and culturally no longer exists that hold the place to ransom.

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One thing that has REALLY weirded me out is the fundamental differences and changes I've encountered from moving from a very multicultural society to one that's pretty much homogenous, racially and culturally speaking (in comparison, anyway). The multiculturalism is most definitely one of the things I do love about Australia - the different peoples and foods and societies and sub-cultures and restaurants and markets and and and ... The first day I went into Belfast City on the bus on my own, I was completely taken aback by the realisation that all the heads in front of me were in the mid-blonde range - no South-East Asian, or Chinese or Italian or South American or Eastern European or African. Kind of a paradigm shift.