The Best Spring Break #FULayover

If you told me sophomore year of high school that I would be in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland for spring break, I would have probably laughed at you.

But it happened, from March 7 – March 14th I spent my spring break with 11 other peers in my grade and 1 staff member and 1 faculty member studying the conflict in Northern Ireland. The trip was sponsored by the Cothran Center for Vocational Reflection here on campus and the trip was part of their F.O.C.U.S. program which aims to make its members more in tune with faith and social action, social and economic justice, and international humanitarian efforts.

Now for the good stuff. We had a some misfortune flight delays in the beginning and ending of our trip so encourage you to look up the hash tag “#FUlayover” on Instagram when you get the chance.

So the main part of our week was spent at the Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. This center has been working for 50 years to provide a space for conflict resolution, peace keeping, and intentional community in a country marked by religious tension. Our beloved leader Johnny along with volunteers at the community helped us understand what they do/have done over the years to help both leaders in Northern Ireland and its people work towards peace. We got to tour Belfast, LondonDerry or Derry (whatever suits you), and Ballycastle. The beauty of this trip was that the conflict we studied we discussed at the end of the day and were able to process what that means for conflicts back home and what we can do.

This trip allowed for personal time of reflection on where I see myself called in this world and it encouraged me to always empathize with two sides to a conflict and not just hear someone’s side but listen to them. Along the way I picked up 13 friends who showed me the love that is in the Furman Community and encouraged me to grow during my time at Furman.

Below I’ve posted pictures form our trip and adventures and if you make it to Furman I encourage you to apply and go your sophomore year. Also here’s a link to the Cothran Center’s Website, please do check it out because they have a got a really cool program for incoming frehsmen that I wish I had known about 🙂 http://www.furman.edu/academics/center-for-vocational-reflection/Pages/default.aspx

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