Beius, Romania 2013 / Part II

I would love to write a little bit about my team in Romania if you would like to read. I had the absolute privilege of working with an incredible group of young people both on and off the building site. I knew from our team fundraising that I had seriously lucked out with these guys but it wasn’t until we got on site that I realised just how brilliant they were. They worked, tirelessly and relentlessly without complaint the entire time we were there. Their spirits were high and they were a joy to be around. Despite plenty of stressful situations (you know what I’m talking about Alastair!) while building we managed to work hard —and mostly happily— all week, we got the job done and I could no be prouder of them all. Any and all grievances were left at the building site and back at our house each evening we chatted as we queued for the shower and walked to dinner together, recounted the day as we ate and laughed on the terrance each night. I had a permanent smile on my face because hanging out with these guys was pure joy. They were mature and hardworking (I literally can not say that enough, each and everyone of them worked and worked and worked). They blew my expectations out of the water and inspired me to keep on going and work that little bit harder each and every day. 

I’d like to write a little note to each of them…as a reminder to myself about how wonderful they are but also because I would love to write to each of them individually and thank them for their commitment, their friendship and their fantastic work (but my arm might fall off if I had to pen 18 individual letters!).

**Warning this is going to be over sentimental…so bear with me, or just skip right to the end!**

Carmen—you were an absolute delight, always cheerful and such a hard worker. If sweeping and smiling were Olympic sports you would win gold. Every year. Thanks for your amazing attitude and outlook. 

Alastair—you knew what you were doing and always got the job done—a no nonsense kind of guy, with the loveliest smile (that never disappears!). 

Ben—you looked more at home on the building site than the builders themselves, your antics on the roof had me equally in awe and in stitches daily. 

Callum—you spoke beautifully at the dedication ceremony and summed the entire trip up when with your words describing the week as the most ‘useful thing’ you has ever done, you are a lovely guy with the kindest heart.

Michelle—you were never afraid to get stuck in on site…and a girl who can let an embarrassing story slide like water off a duck’s back is my kind of girl. 

Jason—you quietly worked away,  always determined and dedicated, always willing. Thank you.

Katie—always smiling and always working, you and Hannah did wonders with these bottlecaps!

Hannah—like Katie I don’t think I saw you outwardly tired or grumpy all week long, a trooper of the truest kind, you are a sweetheart. 

Rick—cool should be your middle name because in the midst of that plaster-boarding chaos you were calm and collected, which is exactly what we needed. You knew what you were doing and I thank you for your patience and expertise.

Ella—you are mature, confident and have a lovely insight. It was so nice to experience this week with you.

David—having never hammered a nail or screwed a screw I am incredibly proud of you and the work you did all week…your height was consistently a bonus too!

Luke—your ridiculous faces kept me laughing. You kept the gang happy and lighthearted and you worked so hard all week long, always willing to do whatever job came your way. 

Phil—as my boyfriend’s brother I felt like I knew you before we left…but it was so nice to get to know you as just you, away from the rest of your family. It was cool to hang out and have fun and talk. You worked hard (am I sounding like a broken record yet? You guys were the hardest working bunch I’ve ever met!) and were always willing to do whatever it took to get the job done.

Alan—your jokes were hilarious (and often inappropriate) and always kept morale high. You were enthusiastic and so, so kind. Watching you wish your mum a happy birthday in front of everyone was so sweet.

Eimear—your love of cement is hilarious. You are a girl who is not afraid to get stuck in to any task and you were so motivated and hard working. You literally just got the job done. It was so nice to chat to you at dinner and you tell the loveliest stories. I hope your life turns out just like you hope for. 

Kirstin—where do I begin with you? Your smile is infectious and your sense of humour hilarious. You tell the best stories, ask the funniest questions and have the most positive attitude. Thank you for being a fantastic team player and all round lovely person.

Orla—what a mature and grounded young woman you are. You gave 110% effort and told the funniest stories while waiting to shower in the evenings. If only Paul/Ben had had a son for you and Eimear!

Kate—watching you try and tell a story but being unable because you were laughing so hard is one of my highlights from the week…I have never seen you so giddy before and it was such a joy. You took on whatever task was asked of you and were always looking to help out. I’m sure the week was extra tough without being able to cook your food but you never once complained, you were an example to many. 

You will all go on to do great things. You may get exactly what you want from your exam results in August or you may not but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that you are each going to go on to achieve wonders. Thank you so much for being exactly who you are—that in itself is enough, and never let anyone or anything convince you otherwise. xo

**and end of sentimental stream.

Beius, Romania, 2013 / Part I

Last week I travelled along with around 240 other past pupils, students, teachers, parents and staff of Wesley College to Beiuș in Northern Romania. We spent four and a half days building ten homes with ten incredible families working with Habitat for Humanity. It is incredibly difficult to describe such an experience. I feel as though the dust is yet to settle in my mind and I can’t quite put into words the how and what and why and when of it all.

I will start with some of the pictures and maybe the words will follow in a later post.

Our road. I stayed in the same house on the same road that I did five years ago. It was very strange.

The first day on site was very hot. We drank lots of water and hammered lots and lots of nails.

To be continued…

Christmas Market

The college project I was working on finished this morning with a lengthy and educational crit. I think my whole class breathed a sigh of sheer relief at the end…we are all so ready to it to be Christmas. The work doesn’t stop there for today though (no matter how much I wish it would!) as I am busily preparing for my stall at tomorrow’s Christmas Market in Wesley College. I will be selling lots of things similar to what I had at the National Craft Fair last year as well as some lovely things kindly donated by my friends from college.

I know it’s going to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see everyone who comes up to buy a tree or decorations or presents…but I will be very glad when tomorrow evening rolls in and I can finally relax for a couple of hours! 

Friday

On Friday Eoin & I helped a friend doing an Indian Cookery Demonstration for our charity. It was a huge success and so much fun. I came home so tired but so full and happy. Food and friends, there’s not much better is there?

If you like, you can head on over here to read a little bit more about the evening. 

Building the Wesley Way

As you may know from these posts I am leading a team of young adults to Romania next June with Habitat for Humanity. As part of this project I have also taken on the role of communications coordinator…which involves manning the twitter profile, facebook page, a newsletter and a blog. It sometimes feels like a lot of work but I am more than happy to take it on. I hope you’ll follow us along on this incredible adventure.

And if you’d like to help us on our way…don’t hesitate, jump! 

Rewind

…back to June, when I told you how Eoin & I made Elderflower ‘champagne’ and cordial for the Habitat party. Well remember how I took loads of photos and then put them into the fridge and kept putting off developing them or scanning them? And remember how I then shot three more rolls and did the exact same thing? No, just me? Ok well I did, and in my fridge is where they sat until I finally bought a dark bag and then I finally got some more fix and developer and got down to it.

We used Hugh’s recipe for both. The cordial has a shocking amount of sugar in it but is pretty delicious. So delicious that we drank all the bottles before the party and had to go buy more. I’m looking at Eoin here…

The sparkling wine or whatever it is was kind of weird, kind of more like beer and not very alcoholic. And we accidentally left four bottles of it in our garage for much longer than we should and it went off and smelled gross. Not cool. On the night though we mixed it with a little cordial to sweeten it up and it was delicious. Or so everyone told us anyway!

Let me tell you though folks, they were worth the wait those four rolls. This is only the beginning, there’s much more to come. 

A Party

On Saturday my brother Eoin & I had a party to, emm, celebrate this fantastic summer we’ve been having and raise some much needed funds for our charity work next year. The summer part was a little bit ironic as on the day itself we had big black clouds, lashings of rain and hailstones. ‘Oh well’ was all we could say as we soldiered on cooking and slicing and chopping and mixing. We brewed 14 bottles of elderflower champagne which we served along with tortilla chips, chopped vegetables, blue cheese dip and hummus. 

A while later we served dinner; spicy meatballs, quinoa salad, cous cous with roasted vegetables and goats cheese, rocket salad, honey glazed sausages and minted pea pesto with pasta. It was all delicious (and as we were a little ambitious with the portions we had plenty left over for Sunday and Monday!).

When it got dark we lit candles all over the house and served four different brownies—that I had spent Friday afternoon baking—with freshly whipped cream and berries. The flavours were cheesecake, peanut butter, mint and raspberry with white chocolate chips. People brought wine and there were beers as well for when the home brew ran out. We were a little skeptical about how it would go down but (with a cheeky bit of cordial added to sweeten the taste) everybody seemed to love them! 

The party went on till the early hours. I crashed, exhausted, around half one but I think the last to leave were the lads at 5am. I felt like such a party pooper but I literally could not keep my eyes open any longer! 

The next morning I woke up to mess and empty bottles: the sure signs that a good time was had by all. 

Eoin & I would like to extend our enormous gratitude to all of our friends and family who made it on the night, your company and generous donations made all that hard work of cooking and baking and cleaning more than worthwhile. We are also overwhelmed and extremely thankful to all those who couldn’t make it on the night but who donated anyway. We love all of you guys. You’re the best!