Ulster American Folk Park and Time with Co-workers

Tuesday, July 29 at 11:10pm

Today was great. Full stop. We went to the Ulster American Folk Park – an open-air museum dedicated to the emigration of Scots-Irish (Northern-Irish) to America. Famous emigrants/emigrant’s children include Davey Crocket, Woodrow Wilson, Ulysses S. Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Andrew Jackson, and Mellon (as in Carnegie-Mellon). The transition from old to new world was beautifully done with a trip through a recreated boat.

I hadn’t fully recognized what was typically American until I saw it juxtaposed to the Irish. Notable items include: log cabins, burning wood in fireplaces (as opposed to peat), wood fences (as opposed to stone walls), maple trees and syrup, quilting, “general store,” corn (not potatoes) and pigs (no sheep). There were actually transplanted homes from PA, maple trees, corn fields, and the like. I actually felt like I was in a colonial settlement. There was even one tree that had begun to change colors and drop red and orange leaves.

Tonight I went out with a few of the members of the Solas project. We had Irish pizza at this lovely restaurant that played Italian music and the old crooners. We sat in plus living room furniture and viewed impressionist art on the walls. The pizzas were not like home but weren’t bad and the desert was quite good.

A few phrases I am hearing all too often are “last week here,” or “rest of your time.” It’s hard to imagine that a week from tomorrow I will be back home – after visiting London. It is all ending way too quickly. I am just trying to enjoy it as best I can.

-----------------------------------
Wednesday, July 30 at 4pm

Today was quite emotional. I woke up earlier than any other day this trip and went to Letterkenny to visit the Acquired Brain Injury Program, Moving On. I left incredibly humbled. The training program caters to people with mental and physical injuries (for example, from a car accident). Whereas some people have a sense of superiority around those with mental or physical injuries, I feel inadequate. The accomplishments of the program’s participants are quite extraordinary, as well as their sense of pride and determination. Although I may have more physical strength holding the door open for one of them, they are much stronger for walking through it.

Today was also my last diary and day with the whole group of participants and staff. I am really going to miss many of them. Tonight the staff is going out for dinner so I’ll probably cry again (for the third time in public).

A very cool thing for me: I met someone and was able to identify their Donegal Town accent. Then we were able to do three degrees of separation through multiple paths. Only in Ireland.