My July

[DandyFop]

So, in 99 I was in this thing called the Ulster Project. Here's a description:

Under the sponsorship of the various US city Ulster Projects, teens (half Catholic and half Protestant; half girls and half boys) from their paired Northern Irish communities come to the United States to live in private homes for a month. The teens live with host families who are of the same gender and same side of the Catholic/Protestant "faith line" .

Accompanied by adult counselors, the Northern Irish participants range in age from fourteen to sixteen years. At this age, the youth have not committed themselves to any underground militant group and are old enough to profit from this experience.

During the month, the entire group of Northern Irish and American teens meet almost daily for activities, including encounter sessions, social activities, community service projects, and worship.



So... I am going to be a counselor for it this year. I'm not religious, at all really, but I don't remember it being very heavy religiously at all actually, except for saying prayers once in a while. I'm excited but nervous, I never even babysat as a kid, and I hardly feel much older than these kids are. The Irish kids come a week from Thursday.

I do get paid $1,000 for the month though, which is more than my job, woohoo! And we get to do free shit all month, a rafting trip, camping, Lagoon (amusement park), etc.

I guess I'm telling you all this because you all really need to know what's going on in my life because I'm the most important person on here. And also I probably won't be around much.

[like2_drink]

that's pretty cool of you dandyfop (y)

i know a guy who's family took in a irish kid during the bad season up north i think?

[mickill]

What the F! is with your sig, Brabs?

Not that I wouldn't actually say something like that, but sheesh...

[DandyFop]

Mike, you totally said it. It was inbetween your declaration of love for echewta and reminiscing about that time you humped a water buffalo.

[mickill]

Oh, thaaaaaaaaaat....

[Echewta]

how interesting. bringing together kids from a very heated religious environment to the capital of the mormons. Not that this is bad, just interesting.

I wonder if the kids will get along with each other or dislike each other from hundreds of years of hatred.

cool.

[DandyFop]

When the kids came the year I did it, I didn't feel any real tension between them. It was weird, I didn't even know who was Catholic/Protestant most of the time.

When I went there the next summer though, you could definetly feel the divison. I remember when one of the kids wouldn't come to the Catholic disco with us cause he was scared of getting beaten up.

It might seem strange to do it in Salt Lake, and it is, but it's also done in like 12 other cities in the U.S. or something.

[Echewta]

Its not strange where they do it, perhaps its just my assumption that other people in the world don't know about the mormon faith and it might be overwhelming at first to be in a city like that.

I fear going to Catholic discos too for fear of being beaten up.

Sounds like tensions are much higher in that part of the world recently so it makes sense.

[DandyFop]

I guess the tension is a lot better than it used to be, because after Sept. 11th, the funding for organizations like the IRA is much less.

The project has been going on for quite a while though, back when it was a lot more violent soo...yeah.

[Echewta]

But with the bar killing and bank robbery :(

[DandyFop]

True, but better than constant bombings (though scary to think about that money from the bank in the hands of the IRA).

[zippo]

haha i just imagined dandyfop having filmed a day in this thing with all the children playing and stuff and then suddenly in the background you see a kid with those round flat jewish head things looking around really puzzled and suddenly his mom comes in the picture and says "Oh David, the kibbutz isnt till next year".

true story

[Documad]

That's really wonderful. I've heard great things about the program. It changed some kids' lives.

[HotAndWet]

That'd be totally awesome.
I'd prolly ask them stupid questions like, "OMG do you know anyone with the last name Barrett???? OMG They're related to me LOL"

:(

[DandyFop]

The kids get here in a week, omg! I'm so excited/nervous. Anyone been a camp counselor or anything and have any tips? I'm excited to hear those Irish accents again.

[Documad]

I can't help. I'm bad with kids. Last night, I said fuck and fucking repeatedly and didn't notice this little girl standing behind me. But who expects to see a tiny tot lurking in the jazz section at Barnes & Noble at 10:45 p.m.!!!!


Do they give you guidelines? I volunteer at a school and they give us lots of guidelines. It still gets awkward. I was assigned to a Hmong girl for a reading program and she kept talking about how all her relatives died in Cambodia and they're all ghosts and ghosts are real. I eventually learned that we had a common love for Jackie Chan and that helped me change the subject. Another year, I had a black girl and she wanted to talk about slavery. We read some books about civil rights and virtuous black people. And I've already posted about the Muslim girl who kept telling me she was from Nigeria (and thus not involved in 911). (I only once got a boy and but he moved to Milwaukee after only two months.)


I think it's difficult to get close, without getting too close. You have to remember that you're the adult and you're fun, but you're not too fun. Once you're too fun, it's impossible to get back to the adult role.

[Medellia]

Last night, I said fuck and fucking repeatedly and didn't notice this little girl standing behind me. But who expects to see a tiny tot lurking in the jazz section at Barnes & Noble at 10:45 p.m.!!!!
When I have kids I'm gonna teach them how to properly cuss at a young age. And also when and where it is inappropriate.

[DandyFop]

Luckily they are older and swear themselves so it's not awful but I will have to watch it a bit, especially the "jesus christ" type shit, I don't know.

Yeah I've heard, be strict at first, then be nicer. We'll see...as of now I'm just hanging out with them (the American ones, we're getting the talent show ready).

[Medellia]

Luckily they are older and swear themselves so it's not awful but I will have to watch it a bit, especially the "jesus christ" type shit, I don't know.
But they're Irish! They won't care!

[Documad]

Talent show! :confused:

[DandyFop]

Yes, there's a talent show. Ridiculous, I know. The kids coming here have already organized theirs and performed it in front of their whole town. We, on the other hand, are fumbling through the steps of a swing dance and I am trying very hard not to crush my dance partner when we do "the throw".

[TAL]

The kids get here in a week, omg! I'm so excited/nervous. Anyone been a camp counselor or anything and have any tips? I'm excited to hear those Irish accents again.
Oh come on Barbara, you know which movie to watch for great tips.

[Documad]

The last time I performed in a talent show, I fear that it involved a lot of teenage girls singing and dancing to Dion's The Wanderer -- which horrified the camp counselors because they thought it was "too racy." :rolleyes:

[TAL]

Is there video of that great moment in history?

[DandyFop]

Oh come on Barbara, you know which movie to watch for great tips.

Oh my god, you're right. Hopefully we can go into "town" one day.

[King PSYZ]

you and your pals coming back to vegas this summer?

[Tone Capone]

That would be horrible if there was some kinda freak accident involving a light bulb, a pot of boiling water and a racoon and you all died. Just saying.

[Documad]

Is there video of that great moment in history?
I believe that video recorders had been invented at that point, but thank goodness they were enormous and very expensive because few people had them. :D

Let me add that this performance was part of a statewide outing for Christian girls, and I was quite pleased at my small part in causing a scandal--even though it was not our plan.

[HotAndWet]

That would be horrible if there was some kinda freak accident involving a light bulb, a pot of boiling water and a racoon and you all died. Just saying.


Just give up, you're not funny and/or clever and you never will be :( Sowwy

[DandyFop]

you and your pals coming back to vegas this summer?

Don't know. Considering I'll be having more free time after this project since I just lost my job, I'm thinking of a road trip.

[DandyFop]

So, we got our shirts in that we have to wear for service projects, etc. They're cute, but the girls ones run pretty small - I got a large, and it looks good but it is a tiny bit too tight. Basically my boobs look huge in it, bigger than usual. And now I'm like fuck, I don't wanna wear this in front of all these 14 year old boys. I guess I'll just wear a sports bra under it.