Friday, February 20, 2009

a week and a day

It has been a full week. This is a place that is so different and so similar.
So what I have learned/ done


yoga is seen as mystical/ evil/witchcraft- not to be done on the beautiful lawns overlooking the sea, unless I call them stretches ( that is perfectly acceptable)

St Patrick's day- not celebrated, but acknowledged, like president's day I think, but they work, and maybe have a pint or two more than normal.

st Patrick- has nothing to do with a leprechaun, didn't drive out snakes- only Celtics, was a slave from England and is claimed to be buried at about 4 different places in Ireland. I saw one!

black and tan- not just a drink- a insult going back to the first British invasion

Holy cow as an expression- highly offensive to the christian folk ( who knew!)

EVERYBODY irons their sheets!- after a 20min conversation with several locals, i finally got to the difference- they don't use dryers and this all is wrinkled, so they iron. their electricity is ridiculously more expensive than ours.

people speak irish- galic- there are Tv shows in it and every sign has both languages!

I am trying to be creative with the answer to where are you from( i answer it 15xs a day at least): followed by the where's Oregon game, so if you have any interesting Oregon facts let me know!


When it comes to being able to understand people, it feels like talking in a foreign language I am fluent in, but there is still lag time as I translate what the person said.

My days

I mostly clean, set tables, wash dishes walk in the "mountains" ( i try hard not to be too much of a mountain snob and insult their tall hills), read and spend the 4 hours a day we spend on breaks or meals chatting with whoever is here, guests, staff, and locals and in between. It is great just to participate and I cant begin to summarize it all.


I went to a pub and was properly harassed by the good humored aged Irish men. I had my first Guinness and they were shocked a christian was drinking ( they all ask were we were staying). It led to a good conversation about Jesus being a big fan of wine and that yes, even old alcholoics were welcome to visit the the christian centre.

My day one day off, I went with one of the staff to a beach town resort, and the church/grave of St Patrick. I learned all about his life and death, very interesting. They take great
pride in their patron saint even if they don't do to much for his day.

2 comments:

  1. Have been trying to post comments, but seem to struggle with Google...go figure...

    So great to hear of you...when I googled your name to find your blog, got some great cites of things you have been up to in Ireland!

    Fun facts in Oregon: size is 260,000 km, about the size of the United Kingdom (ie England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland), abut 3.5 times the size of Ireland (the country), with about 90% of the people (ie 3.7 million in Oregon). Fun facts Matt Groeng (Bart Simpson) grew up and worked here, Eugene was first city in the world with one way streets, Bend is one of the few cities in the world with a dormant volcano in city limits (Pilot Butte); crater lake is one of the world's deepest. Rains just under 40" a year (in Valley). Hottest temp is 119, lowest -54 (Farenhiet). Has 2 rivers over a 1000 miles long (Columbia, Snake). 80% white, 10% hispanic...90% do not identify themselves as belonging to a church, and have not attended a church service in the previous year. Halfway between Seattle and San Francisco, we have great coffee and great wine!

    One of the largest Indian reservations in North America (reservation is hard concept to convey, they don't understand that it is their own territory off limits to whites without permission). (Warm Springs).

    Cheap power because mostly hydroelectric generation (dams).

    Your family pioneered here in 1853, and your great...great aunt was one of the first white women born in the territory/state...

    Things we do that make up a large portion of the worlds supply: Salmon fishing (was the largest in the world, but don't think that is true any more); hops; grass seed; filburts/hazelnuts. Intel does almost all research, its new chips, fabrication techniques are designed here. This is home to one of the largest concentration of silicon wafer makers. Other global brands: Oregon Scientfic, Nike, Columbia Sportswear, Leopold and Stevens; Tektronix; lots of other smaller ones.



    Love you Dad..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous23/2/09

    You're doing great and this will be a fun journey to follow. I love being an armchair adventurer.

    I used to tell people I was from America (too many didn't know Oregon was part of the USA and I figured if they cared they'd ask). When asked where, I'd say, "Oregon, on the west coast, up from California and down from Canada."

    ReplyDelete