Category Archives: University of Ulster

Humour and Solitude

I will long remember my time in Ireland—no, in Derry, specifically—by the geniality of people and palatable genuineness in our interactions. I learned very quickly that dry or sarcastic humour is often taken as quite rude (and I hope to keep … Continue reading

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Bloody Sunday

Last Sunday, I attended the annual march to commemorate the events of Bloody Sunday, 39 years ago to the day when the British army shot unarmed civilians protesting for their civil rights in here Northern Ireland. As I walked up … Continue reading

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Craic from Stroke City

Many folks think of where I am in contextual terms–perhaps as the site of the outbreak of the Irish Troubles in 1969, or the site of the Bloody Sunday Massacre of 1972, or perhaps as the UK City of Culture … Continue reading

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June 2009 Reflection

As the giants and elves of Block 12 bustled about the kitchen of our dorm flat yesterday morning, trying to clean out our things before a moving deadline at noon, Brigitta paused from packing tea boxes to suddenly channeling the … Continue reading

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March 2009 Reflection

“One more thing—,” Eriko croaked to me with a sly grin and a dramatic pause, “I met Michael J. Fox!” My flatmate, rendered mute all last week by a nasty case of bronchitis, finally regained enough of her voice this … Continue reading

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January 2009 Reflection

I just completed my last final exam from the past semester and find myself sitting on a tall stool in the snug, second-floor library café on my campus. Despite an impromptu post-test debriefing with my classmates in front of “the … Continue reading

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November 2008 Reflection

Two days ago, I finished the 2008 Athens Marathon at the exact same hundredth of a second as two fellow Mitchell Scholars, Erin and Vicki. Before embarking on my year as a Scholar, I never could have imagined I would … Continue reading

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June 2007 Reflection

Although I still have a month-and-a-half before I depart from Derry, the time has come to compose my final Mitchell Scholar journal. Once again, these past few months have been filled with a combination of study, work, and travel, and … Continue reading

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March 2007 Reflection

After returning to Derry from a winter vacation in Cyprus and Israel/Palestine, I took my first semester exams and then spent the last week of January attending a number of events commemorating the 35th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. It was … Continue reading

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January 2007 Reflection

As I look back over the past two months, I can divide the time pretty neatly into two categories of activity: traveling and studying. In November I took two trips to Dublin. The first was with my fellow MA students … Continue reading

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November 2006 Reflections

Two months ago I arrived in Derry, Northern Ireland, with a mixture of excitement and ambivalence. Excitement generated by the prospect of exploring a new place while studying a subject that its inhabitants had lived for the past 35+ years: … Continue reading

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June 2006 Reflection

Leo concluded his pub song with the loud closing of the accordion, signaling the request for applause from patrons of his Donegal tavern. We were happy to oblige: it was not every night – well, actually, it was not any … Continue reading

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