Where's the craic?

Greetings from Dublin, two months in! My favorite new Irish word is craic (pronounced ‘crack’), which means something along the lines of fun, banter, good conversation, good times with friends. As in ‘the craic was mighty last night’ or ‘we had great craic’ or ‘where’s the craic?’ So for an older American woman new to Ireland, who wants to meet local friends but doesn’t quite think walking into a pub alone for a pint of Guiness is the best approach, where’s the craic? There's an app for that: Meetup.com.

Meetup is sort of an online notice board for social interest groups. Someone in your town starts a group for, say, restaurant lovers or hikers or singles-over-50 or whatever. Others join the group and people post events you can RSVP to online, and you go. You have to be a bit brave that first time, sure. I started doing Meetups in 2014 when I moved back to Virginia after living overseas for 17 years. The first time I went I told a friend, “If I’m not back in an hour and a half call the police, because I have no idea who these people are.” But it turns out they're all just pretty much like me. Maybe new to the area, or newly retired, or single with married friends who aren't always available to go out.

Just before I moved to Dublin in March I thought, ‘Hmm, I won’t have anything to do when I first get there. Maybe I should see if there’s a Meetup group I can go to,” so I checked online. Oh. My. Goodness. Turns out Dublin and New York City are the Meetup capitals of the world. There’s not a Meetup group in Dublin, there are hundreds. I’ve gotten involved in four – a walking group, two over-50’s groups (one does a lot of theater and concert events, one more casual restaurant dinners, etc.), and one especially for the suburb where I live. And let me tell you, the craic is mighty. These people are great at welcoming newcomers to share good fun and lively conversation, with a warmth that envelops everyone.

But here’s what else Meetups mean for me. At some point someone always turns to me and says, “So what is it you do?” Then I get to say, “Well, I’m a Presbyterian minister, but I don’t do parish work, I’m an academic. But I focus on theological training in the developing world, so I travel a lot.” Usually the entire rest of the group are post-Catholics of some sort, so that gets everyone’s attention. And then we talk. About religion. About faith. Sometimes about the Bible. And, I listen. Often I listen to the painful stories of people who have experienced Christianity as an authoritarian and sometimes abusive system. In those stories I get a glimpse of Irish hearts. Wherever the conversation goes, I pray to be the ‘aroma of Christ’ (2 Cor 2:15) in that place whatever God might want to do with it. Do I see enthusiastic responses and instantaneous conversions? Nope. Many of these people have deep spiritual wounds and it may take years for someone to be willing to trust ‘religion’ again. But in a small way I get to be part of that. And in the process I’m enjoying some lovely new friends and some great craic.

Meanwhile, in my main role as international theological education specialist I’m inching forward in discovering what this new work may actually look like. Most recently I’ve been:

• Teaching my spring New Testament Introduction course online for Fuller Theological Seminary, and prepping for a new-to-me summer course called ‘The Bible, Hermeneutics, and Christian Mission’
• Getting to know Irish Bible Institute here in Dublin – attending their ‘open day' to observe classes, using the library, chatting with members of the leadership team – with an eye to how I might help in the future
• Meeting with Serge Ireland staff to plan for ‘Encounter’, Serge’s intensive summer program for Irish and American university students in partnership with Christian Unions Ireland, the Irish equivalent of InterVarsity. (You can see more about Encounter here.)
• Making arrangements to attend academic biblical studies conferences this summer in Cambridge, UK (29 Jun - 7 Jul), Berlin, Germany (6-12 Aug), and back here in Dublin (28 Aug - 2 Sept)
• Contacting Serge leaders in other parts of the world to ask about theological education needs in their region and start identifying two or three key projects for 2018. 

Of course that whole 2018 thing is dependent on God supplying the remaining financial support I’ll need to return to Ireland after this initial six-month stay. But you knew that, right?! Please do pray that the Lord brings the new partners he chooses into this work. I’m so excited about the possibilities and I can’t wait to move forward!

So that’s what I’m up to this month. Settling in, exploring, listening, discovering. And drinking endless cups of Irish tea.

The temperature soared to a blistering 64ºF (17ºC) in Dublin yesterday, with the added bonus of rare sunshine. So the Sunday afternoon Meetup was a picnic in the park - my first time to serve as host for an event.





Another night a group introduced me to traditional music at an Irish pub. Definitely good craic!





Sometimes it's coffee and chat on a Saturday morning. 

 
I also spend time each week with Dun Laoghaire (pronounced 'dun leery') Presbyterian Church, a short walk from my apartment. Sunday worship, midweek Bible study, and weekly home group. So grateful for Rev. Chris Kennedy's gifted Bible teaching and getting to know Irish believers in my home group.

I have a small sublet apartment in Dun Laoghaire for the first few months I'm here. With gorgeous views of Dublin Bay from the balcony.

Think there's a leprechaun and a pot o' gold somewhere at the end of that rainbow?



And lastly, those of you who know how much I love to cook holiday meals (really!) will understand how happy I was to have new acquaintances via Serge and Dun Laoghaire Pres come for Easter lunch. Such darling young women, fun and good food!

Learning curves

Greetings from… Dublin! (So excited to finally be able to say that!) I’ve been here for 3½ weeks and am in exactly the overstimulated state of disorientation and discovery that you might expect.

Some initial observations:

• I’d forgotten the utter mental exhaustion of being in a new-to-me country where every single action and life activity requires deep thought. Every. Single. Action. How do I turn on the heater in my apartment? How do I open the windows? How does the door key work and what are these other keys for? How do I get myself a phone number? How do I wash my clothes? Where do I take the trash? Where do I buy ‘X’? Which direction do I look to cross the road? How much is each of these coins worth? What do I say to the check-out person at the grocery store? Where is ‘Y’ and how do I get there? How do I pay for my bus ticket? How do I know what stop to get off at? Every hour, every day.
• Irish people are really fun. And chatty. And welcoming. This may be the most fun new country I’ve ever moved to. Or it may be that the fact everyone speaks English (of a sort?) means I get to enjoy more quickly the friendliness and welcome that language barriers can conceal in other places I’ve visited. Either way, I’m having a great time meeting new people.
• Ireland’s political and religious landscape is very complex. The more I see and begin to learn, the less I think I’ll ever understand. But I’m determined to be an open-minded learner.
• It doesn’t rain all the time.

And here’s what I’ve managed to do in the last few weeks, with the much-appreciated help of my Serge team:

• Settle into my small apartment, with amazing views overlooking Dublin Bay
• Visit historical sites to start learning more about Irish culture and history
• Meet local residents through Meetup.com events for group dinners, coffee, walks, etc. Trying – and continually failing – to remember all the new names: Aoife, Bronagh, Siobhán, Dermot, Róisín, and multiple Patricks...
• Begin attending Dún Laoghaire Presbyterian Church (pronounced ‘dun leery’), including a weekly home group and a women’s Bible study. Feels like this is a going to be a great fit.
• Make initial connections with the leaders at Irish Bible Institute, including getting a library card (that’s a big deal resource for me)
• Plug away at my usual sorts of teaching tasks: examine a PhD dissertation in Germany via Skype, submit a chapter for a book on non-western approaches to theological education, register for European academic conferences this summer, and prepare to teach New Testament Introduction online to 27 Fuller Theological Seminary students starting tomorrow.

So… I’m here, and it feels right, and I’m exhausted, and I sense this is exactly where God wants me for now. Thank you, generous partners, for helping me get to this point. And now please pray with me that God shows us what he wants to do in and through me in this place over the coming months!

Why it takes me two hours to shop for groceries in an unfamiliar country. 

An annotated tour. 

I just want oatmeal. Normal oatmeal. Which one is normal oatmeal?



I want brown sugar to put on my oatmeal. Demerara sugar? Light muscovado sugar? Dark muscovado sugar? Light brown soft? Dark brown soft?

 
Mature red cheddar. Mature white cheddar. Mature Irish cheddar. Extra mature white cheddar. Mature Irish red cheddar. Vintage mature white cheddar. Organic mature cheddar. Medium red cheddar. Mature Irish cheese lighter. Mild red cheddar. Mild white cheddar. Medium white cheddar. So much cheddar.

 

Glad to know I can get the generic goose fat rather than the name brand. (And then what am I supposed to do with it??? Roast some potatoes, evidently.)

 

 Plenty of brandy butter if you need it.

 

 Me: "Where can I find roma tomatoes?" Clerk: "We don't sell 'em." Wait, yes you do, you just call them something else.

 
  
Long interlude reading all the countries on the fruit and veg packages. Corn from Senengal, coconuts from the Ivory Coast, grapes from South Africa, blueberries from Spain, oranges from Egypt, potatoes from France, broccoli from Jordan, kiwis from Greece, tomatoes from Morocco.

 

  

Which is best, smoked haddock or smoked coley? And what exactly is coley, anyway?

 
   
Best find ever. GF chocolate Hobnobs.



Let’s just buy cookies and go home.