CCTV and The Continuing Need for a “Good Chat”

 It’s been a busy few days of hiking, visiting with friends and of course, more shopping.  I have been anxious nearly the whole week about how we are going to get all our purchases home.  This anxiety has not deterred me from buying things—it’s just left me anxious.  As I have only used up one travel toothpaste and two travel bottles of mouthwash, I fear extra space in my suitcase may be at a premium. My sister, clearly the “philosopher-queen” amongst the two of us, said in the midst of my angst, “Practical people run the world, but dreamers change it.”  There is a lot of truth in what she said but why that has anything to do with how we are getting everything stuffed in our luggage, is beyond me.  

I had been really looking forward to our lovely spa day particularly since I have had a knot in my neck that I thought a seasoned sailor would have trouble loosening up.  My hopes were dashed when I saw the tiniest masseuse—in fact, maybe the tiniest woman— I have ever seen in my life say that she would be taking care of me.  After looking straight to the size of her hands, I knew that knot would be with me for a while longer. And I was right.

Over the last few days, I’ve learned a lot about how the Irish view security.  At home, I am all things safety.  I never leave doors unlocked and our home security system is so loud it could wake up the dead.  But things are a bit different here.  During one of our hikes around a lake in a very rural part of the country, my sister’s friend told us a story about a friend of hers, who brought her kayak to this beautiful setting. While alone on the lake, she saw two men drive and park near her car, get out of their car and steal the hubcaps from her car.  Although she was unable to return to land before the robbers took off, she was heartened because there were several signs around the “car park” stating that the area was monitored by CCTV.  She thought that the cameras could at least help by providing information about the make of the car and hopefully provide a close-up of the two men.  Incorrect.  When she contacted the “garda,” a.k.a. the police, she was told that while there were signs indicating that CCTV was monitoring the area, there actually were no cameras, leaving her and her hubcap-less car out of luck.  I don’t think there is much more to say but to state that as I’m typing right now, I am shaking my head in disbelief. Since then, every time I see a CCTV sign, I look for a camera.  Haven’t seen one yet. 

Even though Ireland has been transformed over the last few decades, into a modern 21st Century economy, there are components of its society that keep to the old ways.  In the rural west, how people treat each other seems to be one of them. My sister and I had an experience today that could have taken place fifty years ago anywhere in the world, but now, such experiences would likely be few and far between.

 My sister and I decided to go to 11 am mass at the local Catholic Church but afterwards

, she asked if we could stop and pay our respects to a recently widowed friend of her mother-in-law.  The widow apparently knew we were in town, and asked others if we would be stopping by.  This practice of paying respects and sharing a cup of tea—even after the wake and funeral—is a regular occurrence to the townspeople of this community. We arrived soon after mass was over, as her home was on the same road as the church.  As soon as we entered her home, the kettle was put on the “hob” (stove) and we all sat down for a chat. We had no sooner added the milk to our tea, when the priest, who had just said mass, came  by for a cup of tea and to check on the widow.  My first thought, was “Oh my God, this would never happen in America.” But afterwards, I thought that it was such a lovely gesture for a kind woman who is obviously grieving.  It is amazing what a group of strangers can find to talk about—but we had no problems.  In a warm kitchen, drinking my tea and eating a Digestive cracker, I was reminded of the importance of community, no matter the time or circumstance.  And in this case, all it took was a teabag, a little hot water and a good chat.