The Big Red Bus

One of the best ways to get to know a city is by walking it; but before we can walk it you need to get your bearings so that you sort of recognize what it is you are walking by. On our first full day of class we did a bus tour of some of the major sites and murals of the city. Nothing makes you look more like a group of tourists then a big red bus and 18 people all carrying cameras around their necks. I guess we got over it and accepted our tourist roots. Justin, Steve Stockman’s intern, was our lead tour guide and when he had nothing left to say, our bus driver Freddy Ferguson shared his experiences. We got to see many of the murals that both the Protestants and Catholics have painted around the city and got some interesting pictures.  In several of the more risky neighborhoods we stood out like a bunch of tourists in a red bus and got some unwelcoming stares. We spent a little time at the peace wall and some of us signed our names. We also spent time in some of the different memorial gardens commemorating different people who have lost their lives during the Troubles. It was a great introduction to the city. Later on this week in small groups we will go on walking tours of different neighborhoods so that we can get closer to what it is we are studying. Different aspects of our tour required some explaniation, so in the morning before we jumped onto the bus Justin gave a crash course so that we would know what all of the different political and paramilitary acronyms were. It helped even though I still somtimes get confused between the UDA, UVF, IRA, RIRA, and what it is they all stand for. In general if there is a ‘U’ in it, it is Ulster or Protestant and if it has a ‘I’ it is Irish or Catholic.  Maybe it was because we were rolling 18 deep, but as I saw the expressions on different people’s faces I was reminded that we are outsiders and don’t fit in many of those neighborhoods. It is probably because there were so many of us, but I think it is harder to take us seriously in such a large group. We are here to study issues of reconcilation. It is just tricky to know how to do that humbly.

Fredrick Douglas mural:

Kids that have died from plastic bullets mural: