Arrival in Belfast, hot showers, murals, and Chinese food....

We made it! While our travels took a few turns yesterday, the way flights worked out we actually ended up arriving in Belfast an evening early - sadly though missing out on some time exploring Dublin. Upon arrival we were met at the airport by Mark McBride, our host for the duration of our stay, as well as Selah's aunt and uncle who live here and work at the local YWAM chapter.  After the greeting Mark brought us directly to the hostel where we'll be staying the next few nights. Needless to say, the hot showers were a welcome comfort! 

After we had a chance to clean up, Mark took us downtown for a walk through the Cathedral Quarter downtown to start getting a feel for the city. In our conversation later this evening about what struck us, the murals were an overwhelming feature - seeming to express the emotions and feelings of community around us. Some of the students took pictures which we will post later - but we found that much of it also related to the other feature: the Peace Lines (or Peace Walls), which are a series of barriers between Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods... their aim to minimize violence between the communities. Some of the gates are still active, a few we drove past closed at 7pm, others at 10. It was both humbling and a reminder of what has happened here in the not-too-distant past. 

On the way hone we stopped by one of Mark's neighborhood spots for carry-out Chinese food. It was a new culinary experience for us all - not what we know as either "authentic" or take-out Chinese in the US, it was more curry-based - which we approved of! It was fun to sit down together back at the hostel and debrief a bit as we ate, and by 10:30 (half hour ago) most were headed to bed. We look forward to joining the group at the North Belfast Area Project tomorrow for some cultural education as well as orientation and preparation for Sky Camp next week! 

Now off to bed - fighting off jet lag being the primary task at hand!