Times to Remember

Niki and I made it through Canadian security with a smile from the customs officer and a "welcome home." Our journey through Spain, Italy and Germany has been a memorable one.

The pilgrimage to Santiago was full of friendly people, spectacular scenery and cheap everything. It was a good way to relax from a busy year. Our only task and distraction was walking on average 26km a day, and for Kari, Niki and Nathan this meant either bad knees or sore feet, but overall it was a great holiday.

If Spain was a good holiday, then Italy was a good study tour. We camped out in Roma most of the time seeing many of the sites such as the Forum, the Collosseum, the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's and St. Paul's Bassillicas. We also took a day tour to Pompei and Napoli.

Germany for me was a place like home. The woodwork, the flower pots and the cute decor reminded us of many Mennonite homes. I enjoyed looking at German board games in the shop and visiting Michael Sattler's old monastary in the hills of the Blackforest.

While we were in Germany we visited Rina and Alan, teammembers from Corrymeela, and stayed with Rina's family. It is always good to see people in their own contexts after getting to know them.

Finally we took a flight through England making a quick visit with Rachel Woods who we got to know at Camp Valaqua and then back on a 9 hour flight to Calgary.

In Calgary we have been reconnecting with people and sorting out our next detours in life while relaxing at the same time. We still plan to move to Winnipeg in January and be in Saskatchewan for about a month before that.

Journeying Onwards

The last months have been busy and transitional. We have made many new friends through the summer program, but also have had to say many goodbyes. We will miss the people and the place and will remember stories of our time in years to come.

Currently we are on one last series of detours before heading home. August 28th was a particularly significant day because it marked our 2nd anniversary and our official leaving of Corrymeela. After leaving Corrymeela we spent a week travelling Ireland with Nathan and Kari starting from the North and finishing in the South. For Niki and I it was a time to see counties Cork and Kerry for the first time. We all spent a day walking, biking, and for Kari and Niki, horse-back riding. Right now we are in Spain in San tiago de Compostella getting in the mood for a week long walking pilgrimage. It is an ancient pilgrimage to the supposed tomb of saint James. Already we have seen many pilgrims with wooden walking sticks and clam shells.

Following the pilgrimage Kari and Nathan will head back to Canada while Niki and I head on to Rome and about a week later to Germany, London and finally Calgary.

Summer Stories

Life is good here in Northern Ireland. Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams are sharing power. The British Army left the country last night after 38 years of conflict. The summer is bringing many new faces from around the world. People are coming to play at Corrymeela who have never left their neighborhood and Niki and I are planning two pilgrimages. Our first pilgrimage is going to be on the Isle of Iona. We plan to arrive on the island this Friday and on Tuesday take a free 7 hour pilgrimage tour of the island beginning at the Abbey. The second pilgrimage is going to be in Spain with Nathan and Kari Enns. The pilgrimage is to Santiago de Compostela and has been travelled by millions.

Time seems to be flying by. It's hard to believe we only have two more weeks left of work. We finish work on the 23rd of July and then have a retreat with the Long Term Volunteer team before saying goodbye. Goodbyes are common here at Corrymeela with over 8000 visitors this year alone, but the end of the year will be different. On the plus end we are finishing the year well. Niki and I now know Corrymeela like the back of our hands, we are getting to know very interesting people that have come up to volunteer for the summer, and Kristen and Philip are engaged.

As I mentioned in the last post I would write more about our family visits. Both of our families spent some time with us travelling in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, also both of our families spent time with us at Corrymeela. Niki's parents volunteered with us for the church and peace conference while at the center and my family stayed on site while taking day tours. There was much to see and do such as historical sites and beautiful scenery, but the most enjoyable was being together again with family.

On October 2nd we will arrive back in Calgary. When we get back we hope to catch up with everyone. We will be spending time in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan before the New Year and after that we tentatively plan to buy a house in Winnipeg.