As they say as gaeilge “Tús maith, leath na hoibre” (a good start is half the battle) and we definitely got off to a good start. From the moment we set foot in Dublin airport I had a feeling that this trip would be special ... by the time we arrived in Washington DC I of was sure of it.
As I sit here and look back at my first week in Washington DC, I realise that I am looking back on an incredible week and one which is couched with so many happy memories. It seems strange to think that it is but a week since we arrived, as already I feel that I have learned and experienced so much.
The schedule for the past week has kept us phenomenally busy, yet has still presented many opportunities for fun. We began the week with a BBQ hosted by one of the participant host families. The generosity and hospitality shown towards us was overwhelming.
Over the course of the past week we have done some incredible things; we had a tour of the Library of Congress, we visited J.O. Wilson Elementary School and spent time with the children there, we visited the Newseum, the Courts, met with the Assistant Chief of Police Homeland Security Bureau Pat Burke, had a meeting with former Congressman Walsh, volunteered with Horton Kids, had the opportunity to meet with the SAWIP students and the WIP Board of Directors, to name but a few.
While all of these experiences were invaluable there is one particular experience which I will carry with me for a long time into the future. This week I was presented with the opportunity to speak at the National Press Club for the Northern Irish Bureau luncheon. There were four of us who spoke – three from Northern Ireland and one from the South (me). While I was flattered by the confidence that the WIP team had in me I was reminded of the phrase –“to whom much is given, much is expected”. To speak with perfect candor when I was given the task originally I felt somewhat overwhelmed. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to say – my personal experience and interaction with Northern Ireland has been somewhat limited, and I began to worry that I would have little to contribute. I was advised to approach it from a Southern Perspective, however my initial reaction was that hadn’t yet formulated a perspective – at least not one complete or comprehensive enough to share. I began discussing this with my fellow classmates from the South and the majority seemed to share a common experience.
Through the people I have met on this program and the discussions I had in the lead up to that speech, my somewhat vague perception of Northern Ireland has been altered. I have learned more about the past and present situation in Northern Ireland in the past week than a lifetime of living in the Republic has provided. Every time I sit down to lunch or dinner or even on the metro I learn something new, not always about burning political issues or American politics but about the nature of people, the intensity of goodwill and the potential that exists for change. The WIP class of 2010 is an eclectic group of people who are defined by their differences yet united by many similarities. The opportunity to work with a team of people with such strength of character and clarity of purpose is definitely one which I will treasure.
Edith Delaney Bio.
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