By telling us your country of residence we are able to provide you with the most relevant travel insurance information.
Please note that not all content is translated or available to residents of all countries. Contact us for full details.
Shares
It's rare for the oft rainy and chilly Ireland to experience warm weather in October. Yet, in 2015, on my first solo trip on my birthday, the last day of October soared well above 65F. As grey clouds rolled across the morning sky, revealing at first weak sunshine, my first glimpse of Belfast emerged; a mix of grey and white and pops of green in between. Opting for the famed Black Cab tours, I managed to snag the front seat next to the twinkly, blue-eyed driver while the others sat quietly in the back. Pat, maybe, who was in his 20s during "The Troubles" drove slowly around the perimeter of the two parts of the same country where neither may step foot in. The Troubles of course being the time of partition in Ireland where Protestant and Catholics chose to see themselves as vastly different than the other. "Same flavour of religion." as one character says in "Derry Girls"; a Netflix series based on the life of a group of young women and one young man during that same period. Listening both somewhat distractedly, the fence that separated Northern Ireland from the rest of the country wasn't an intimidating structure. Rather, it was a sad shade of white with an even sadder reason for being in existence. Hoping to find some solace in the dreariness of the history and somewhat grey day thus far, I did the only thing I could do. I tried to find a way to say thank you to the funny, kind and patient driver. After he finished answering our somewhat weak questions. I pulled out my phone and said to the driver, Patty perhaps, "I'd like to show you my home since you took the time to share yours with mine." While I proudly showed my photos of my home, Trinidad, Patrick (I think), immediately lit upon me with an enthusiastic question, "Do you know where I can find Vat19 Rum then?! It's the only rum my wife loves!" Having been born in different decades, on different sides of the world, this island girl and that island man found one connector to discuss: rum! Even though we were miles and years apart, we found a moment where the world was instantly smaller, more familiar and more fun. In that one moment I realised how connected yet not we all are. We were the same, yet we weren't; and that was okay. The wall between two parts of the same beautiful country eventually faded and I chose to remember Paddy - aren't they all the same in the end- and his love of a rum made in Trinidad and the unabashed joy of the prospect of finding some for his wife. In the end, I found a connection with a stranger and met new people from various places and understood one thing about life: we're only as different as we believe or what people want us to believe. We're more alike than we know even though our stories are different. As the day ended, with a final jaunt to the Giant's Causeway, I walked up the hill to face the sun that finally made an appearance and smiled. I'd smiled knowing I was everywhere and nowhere all at once.