February 26, 2019
First off it was actually pretty warm today.
Irish is becoming more complicated the more we learn but isn’t it like that for everything you learn. Irish is like no other language that I have studied or even been exposed to because it has no roots in Latin or Greek. It is entirely, for the most part, based in Celtic origins. And then there are different ways to say yes and no to questions and it all depends on the verb used in the sentence. That along with the spelling is a lot to wrap my head around but practice makes perfect, right?
This is probably the least exciting, but finding iced coffee has had a trial and error phase on campus. But, I am happy to announce that I have been delivered! There’s a place called Jitters that sells an amazing iced caramel latte and croissants.
March 2, 2019
You know when I said it was warmer a few days ago. That didn’t last long at all. The wind today was INSANE to the point that I actually had to take over or risk being swept away.
Alaina came today and we went in search of Taboo Donuts…again. Now last time we found a stand in the Foyleside Mall that sold Taboo Donuts, but there
We walked around Derry looking our the mall. There is a store in Foyleside Mall called M & S (Mark & Spencer) that sells clothes, has a cafe, and a small grocery store. A true one stop shop. We stopped for lunch at Grannie Annie’s which I heard was pretty good and they did not disappoint. The restaurant is also aesthetically appealing in my opinion. It looks like a quirky vintage shop. I would have taken a picture of my food but I was too busy stuffing my face eating it.
Jenny and I checked out Gweedore and The Guildhall Taphouse. Both were super nice places that were a mixture of traditional and contemporary elements. I absolutely love the traditional Irish aesthetic with more contemporary influences. Now to the
While I was waiting for an open stall in the restroom, a white woman grabbed my hair.
Wrapping her hands around my twists without a care in the world she exclaimed, ” It’s so
Now since being here, many people have complimented my hair, but none have touched it. One can give a compliment without touching someone. After a flurry of emotions and honestly being thrown off, I just gave her a nasty look and booked it into the nearest open stall before I said or did something. I figured it would happen, being in a place where the population is 9% non-white and around 1-2% Black. I have had enough people looking at my hair with great interest to know that someone would try it. That, however, does not make it any less annoying. I do not understand the process behind touching someone you do not know, specifically since hair is so personal. I know a lot of other Black women while traveling and in the United States has experienced this. And for the non-Black people who do not understand, it really is not a hard concept to grasp.
It goes hand in hand with consent.
She did not ask my consent to touch me or my hair. She just touched. And I can not help wondering what she would have done if I had just grabbed at her hair in the same manner. The action is filled with the implications of historical power relations and a common racial microaggression. It says that you have a sense of entitlement to my body and my hair. It is not a compliment and there a hundred billion ways to compliment without touching.
Until next time…
