EXCERPT FROM SARA'S
JOURNAL
October 13, 1998
Belfast
Julie's New Beau
Rich works on the website at a little desk in Fergal and
Kristina’s room. Later, we venture out to The Fly, where we are
spectators to an odd but entertaining dancing demonstration. Students throw their coats on
the floor and dance around them in a most erratic display of drunken exuberance. The
patrons on the top floor of the bar are openly laughing as the fellows strut and hop to
the music, most of it retro-y 50’s stuff and jive/swing. Eventually girls in small
skirts and teetering shoes are invited to participate, and do so with caution and a strict
time-limit. The boys mostly swing their clothing around and mix up their moves to coincide
with the music or their partner’s willingness to boogie down.
Fergal’s old Derry friend Jim (pronounced Jum) meets us at The
Fly. He is flustered. It seems his new girlfriend, Julie, is causing some anxiety. He
can’t quite decide if he should continue seeing her because she is Protestant and her
ex boyfriend is a paramilitary terrorist. That’s right, a Paramilitary IRA type who
likes to put bombs in cars. Jum is convinced the old boyfriend will perform
some kind of bodily harm should he find out about Julie's new beau. Jum is rather
fond of Julie and is not thinking straight. She keeps inviting him over but each time he
must look under his car. Jum is vexed but feigning normalcy. We really
don’t know what to say. Once again, we are utterly confused and totally naïve as to
the seriousness of the matter.
We dance and drink and chat up a young student. Paul is one of
the principal coat-throwers and spills his bright blue drink all over the skirt girls. He
is paranoid and quite convinced we are faking our accents. We couldn’t possibly all
be Canadian. Everyone in Belfast is listening to each other. Jum and Fergal sound
like Derry. It’s completely different than Belfast. People are deciphering to
distinguish one another’s home towns. We are slowly developing an ear for the
subtleties…and everyone keeps telling us to just wait until we get to the SOUTH.
Then they launch into southern imitations like, "Top of the morning to you"
and "Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all the saints in heaven". My favorite is
"Frosted Lucky Charms, they’re magically delicious", which no one
recognizes.
