Ireland, a love story
“You will be back in 3 months time” my dad said. “Ireland is a third world country.” He was a truck driver in the 1980s, delivering goods to Ireland when the country was in recession and likened the country to one that was in chaos and in serious economic trouble. Understandably he thought that as a Belgian girl, I would miss certain things that come for granted in a rich, industrialized country. The Ireland of 2002 was not a third world country anymore, in fact it never was. In 2002, the country’s economy was booming and tenderly called the ‘Celtic Tiger.’ For a while, it had the lowest unemployment in Europe, but when it fell into recession in 2008, we suddenly became the country with the highest number in unemployed people. From…
Irish character, Edna O’Brien
“When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious.” (Edna O’Brien) © Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2012.
Central Nervous System
© Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
Friendship
To the many friends that were in my life because of work, in Ireland and elsewhere, and to those who were in my life before MS crashed into my environment… thank you for the fun times, the many discussions we learned from, the trips we went on and the sorrow-free late evening chats… To those that were in my life around the time of my diagnosis… thank you for being there when I didn’t understand what was happening, the silences we shared taking it all in and for visiting me in hospital and at home when I was unable to be there for you…
A tribute to wolves
My first thought when waking up this morning, October 1st, was “Oh no, today is the start of the needless killing of wolves in Wyoming, yet another state set to kill wolves in an inhumane way.” However, Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, and while thousands of tourists flock to the park to see its wolves and other wildlife, wolves outside of the park and in the rest of Wyoming, are doomed. Nature belongs to us all, even if we don’t live in a particular country that abuses it’s natural heritage, and even when we live thousands of miles away. A toxic string of words has therefore been brewing in my head for the last few weeks regarding wolf preservation, if not months, or years. Ever since I was…
Summer, not to me
It’s back! It’s here again and boy I love it! “It” is autumn, and those of you in my physical surroundings know that I live for autumn. And winter. And hey, maybe spring too if it’s not too warm outside! “It” means fresh and clean air entering my lungs and a bit more energy in my old’ bones. “It” also means I feel alive, oh yes I do!
Your feet will bring you to where your heart is
Your feet will bring you where your heart is (Irish proverb) © Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me, 2011-2012. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Willeke Van Eeckhoutte and Ireland, Multiple Sclerosis & Me with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.