Third Day, Belfast, Castlerock, & First day of work!
I missed my first bus to Belfast but luckily they run about every half hour, so I made it in time. Then I got off the Metro too early and walked about two miles before the McFarlands picked me up and dropped me off at the church. All this walking! If I'm not in serious shape when I get back I will be really disappointed! Public transportation really is a nightmare. I miss my car a whole lot! Third Day was awesome! I've always wanted to see them in the States... apparently had to go all the way to Belfast to do it.
The next day Mary Ann and Samiyah met me in Belfast and we saw the sights, such as they were. We took the bus tour, popped in and out of the Protestant and Catholic areas, and that was basically all that was needed to see everything there was to see. You'd think for such a famous city there'd be more going on...
Saturday we were completely worthless except for getting some cleaning done around the flat, but Sunday was bar-none the best day of siteseeing so far. Castlerock isn't a big tourist site. We can't even find it on a map! But it was a gorgeous day and we hiked around the cliffs and castle for hours. We decided that the scenery looked like
something straight out of a Robin Hood movie. You can judge for yourself by the pictures.
Monday was my first day of work, and like most of my jobs recently, I was given the tour, shown my desk, and put straight to work. I'm having to master the technique of taking few instructions and churning out something impressive. I can't even imagine what it's like for those of you who are doing this in a different language! People here ARE speaking English, but that doesn't mean I can understand a word of it. All I have to do is open my mouth and they ask where in the States I'm from, but they seem to understand me just fine. Why can't I understand them?! Everything here is "grand" (they use it as we would use the word 'cool') or "wee" (as in 'go thru that wee door there, aye'). Or instead of saying "What's up?" They say "What's the craic?" (pronounced 'crack') And if things are good, your reply should be "Craich's ninety".
Ok, back to the point, for my placement I'm doing international marketing research. NORIBIC is running a programme that helps businesses in NI either form strategic alliances with similar businesses in other countries or find customers in other countries and expand their business internationally. My job is to help those companies do the research they need to make decisions about their future development. It's going to be great experience.
Pictures 13-33 (opens in a new window)
The next day Mary Ann and Samiyah met me in Belfast and we saw the sights, such as they were. We took the bus tour, popped in and out of the Protestant and Catholic areas, and that was basically all that was needed to see everything there was to see. You'd think for such a famous city there'd be more going on...
Saturday we were completely worthless except for getting some cleaning done around the flat, but Sunday was bar-none the best day of siteseeing so far. Castlerock isn't a big tourist site. We can't even find it on a map! But it was a gorgeous day and we hiked around the cliffs and castle for hours. We decided that the scenery looked like
something straight out of a Robin Hood movie. You can judge for yourself by the pictures.
Monday was my first day of work, and like most of my jobs recently, I was given the tour, shown my desk, and put straight to work. I'm having to master the technique of taking few instructions and churning out something impressive. I can't even imagine what it's like for those of you who are doing this in a different language! People here ARE speaking English, but that doesn't mean I can understand a word of it. All I have to do is open my mouth and they ask where in the States I'm from, but they seem to understand me just fine. Why can't I understand them?! Everything here is "grand" (they use it as we would use the word 'cool') or "wee" (as in 'go thru that wee door there, aye'). Or instead of saying "What's up?" They say "What's the craic?" (pronounced 'crack') And if things are good, your reply should be "Craich's ninety".
Ok, back to the point, for my placement I'm doing international marketing research. NORIBIC is running a programme that helps businesses in NI either form strategic alliances with similar businesses in other countries or find customers in other countries and expand their business internationally. My job is to help those companies do the research they need to make decisions about their future development. It's going to be great experience.
Pictures 13-33 (opens in a new window)
posted by Kell | 7:01 AM
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