In What Country Did You Leave a Piece of Your Heart?

[ToraGirl 5,498]

Merry-post-Christmas, everyone!  We have recent news that our daughter has been invited for a ministry internship on the Emerald Isle this summer...it will make our third trip to Ireland (because SOMEONE has to get her settled, right?)...and we are absolutely overjoyed.

I thought I was "all England" until I set foot on the rolling hills of Eire.  The people, the history, the nature, the spiritual heritage...just pulls to the core of our souls.  What place that you've visited, once or by the multitudes, does that to you?

P.S.  The recently released newest Star Wars (yet to see) is filmed 8 miles out to sea on Skellig Michael, south of the Ring of Kerry off Ireland's southern coast.  We were blessed with perfect weather conditions (rare) to make the journey on our last trip.  Highly, HIGHLY recommended for all bucket lists!

 

 

[McLoofus 35,182]

47 minutes ago, ToraGirl said:

Merry-post-Christmas, everyone!  We have recent news that our daughter has been invited for a ministry internship on the Emerald Isle this summer...it will make our third trip to Ireland (because SOMEONE has to get her settled, right?)...and we are absolutely overjoyed.

Nice! Talk about a win-win for your family. Very cool. And very articulate thoughts on Ireland. Can't believe I haven't gone yet. Very high on our list but with a 3yr old it might be a minute now before we get to go. As for Skellig Michael, that's too cool. I saw the movie the other night and wondered where it was filmed. Actually surprised those huts are real?! Amazing. Will your daughter be there all summer? What an experience. 

Answering your question is tough, though. I'd probably have to go with Isola Ponza in the Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy's west coast. We went for a few days to begin our honeymoon. Nobody there spoke English except for one guy who ran a pizza place, but everyone was so friendly and it was shoulder season so there weren't any other tourists, really. (Pretty much only Romans vacation there, anyway.) We went to a pub on our first night and made nice with the bartender- even though very few words were exchanged and even fewer understood- and every time we walked past for the rest of the trip, he'd step outside to smile and wave hello. We made a few similar friendships. We sat with the pizza guy who spoke English for an hour or so drinking grappa. We rented a boat one day and took it to the next island over, which is completely undeveloped and uninhabited, and spent the afternoon parked in a lagoon with food and prosecco. The water was so clear that it looked to be about 5 feet deep but it was actually more like 15. The weather was perfect that day. Very much a "Is this actually happening to us?" kind of experience. I can't say that those islands spoke to us the same way that Ireland does to you- especially since we don't understand the language, lol- but whenever we ask each other which place we'd go back to if we had the chance, it's always Ponza. I guess part of it is that we haven't met anyone who can specifically relate to that experience, so it's something we share completely and only with each other.

Huh. I've never thought about it that way. Thanks, Dr. T  By the way, sorry everybody, I'm in the office today and it's empty and I am NOT getting much work done.

Can't wait to read what other folks respond with. 

[ToraGirl 5,498]

McLoofus...who couldn't love Ponza?  Wowwww!!!  Reminds me of some of the scenery from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (those two are Greek, I know), and "Under the Tuscan Sun."  Bucket list, Italy, for our family, for sure!  Now, Ponza, too!  That place does have your heart!  I found some pictures...

What I love from what you shared is that you don't have to KNOW the language to know the language!  Most who live around the world love our attempts to communicate, regardless of how feeble we think it is.  It is awe-inspiring and humbling to me how many want to visit America, and you took America to them.  Don't get me wrong..we are BLESSED to live here, but part of international travel is realizing that the world is so much bigger than one nation, wonderful as it is.  

Ireland...as the Lord would have it, a missionary couple from there, "whilst on summer holiday here" wound up working at the local Adullam House thrift store on the same "Lifeway Mission Day" my employee daughter experienced.  In other words, Lifeway sent a group to the thrift store to lend a hand.  Our church is also connected with Adullam House, redecorated and expanded along the way by many groups, including the Chizik Foundation, how neat!  It's a home for the children of incarcerated moms while their moms get back on their feet.  The children live at the boarding school/church/ministry house, guests of British founders Pete and Angie Spackman (Pete found Christ in prison in England years ago) while they connect with their moms on monthly visiting days until their sentence is up.  Usually the dads are not in the picture.  Adullam House has hosted lots of Irish and English interns, so when we met the Irish missionaries (actually from the Netherlands!), we really hit it off, our daughter first, and they invited her to come.  She'll be working with youth and other age groups in a local church in the Northern part of the Republic, adjacent to Northern Ireland (not to be confused!)...County Donegal.  In our two previous trips, we haven't made it there!  :-)

She is majoring in secondary social science education at Faulkner U in Montgomery, but she's always wanted to serve overseas, so this is a test run, looking at May 28 to July 28.  Our son has just announced that he's looking toward majoring in "Asian Studies" as he finishes his first semester at AU, eyes toward South Korea, so who knows...we may have a tent in two other continents one day...tailgating, at least!

God has a tremendously funny sense of humor.  Thanks for sharing and posting...everyone else...keep sending us new places to explore!

[McLoofus 35,182]

Yeah, ToraGirl, it's a pretty magical place, especially in shoulder season when it's fairly empty. It's also about 2 hours from the mainland by boat, so that enhances the sense of immersion. Almost like the Amalfi Coast without all the hustle, bustle, other tourists and high prices. But it's not *exactly* like the Amalfi Coast, so you totally need to go there, too.

Amazing story about how you linked up with your Irish (Dutch) missionary friends. I'm super jealous of your daughter and I have to give you big props for encouraging your children to see the world. I grew up a military kid and, while I didn't always dig being the new guy, I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to learn everything I did. It's not just knowledge in my brain, but it has informed the way I interact with the world in almost every situation. Basically everything you said above- bravo.

Speaking of being a military kid, we were stationed in Seoul for a couple years in the 80s. It was awesome. It's much, much different now and I couldn't begin to offer any useful information to your son, except for one thing: the food is amazing. He might already know that, especially since it's become pretty trendy over here, but oh man he is going to eat well over there. 

 

 

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

I didn't take this picture. I took many of the same place in 1993. They are in a photo album and not on my laptop, so I can't load them. This is from the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland, or "Norten Irelan", as the locals call it. My son-in-law lived there till he was 18. His family were missionaries there.

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

The Giants Causeway was very interesting. This was some of the most unique rock formations that I have ever seen.

[Farmer Brown 2,391]

Ireland is truly the "Emerald Isle". The greatest blessing, was visiting Patrick's church at Slemish Mountain...