The Town I loved so well.

When I listen to this song, I get flashbacks when I was in Northern Ireland and how much fun I had and was very happy.  It is time now to relive those memories and continue where I left off.

I'm back writing this blog

I was going to write during my experience in Northern Ireland when I lived in the 90s for 9 years.  I had stopped writing this blog for a while so I am back writing it again. I had made a decision on returning to Northern Ireland again and settle down there for the rest of my days, so I could be able to continue with my journey in Derry/Londonderry.

DATE OF DEPARTURE:  March 22, 2017

I am pretty excited on going back to Derry/Londonderry to see what kind of changes there are from when I last left there February 2000.  I am nervous at the same time as well.  Its different now compared to when I first left for Ireland back in 1992.  I was single back then.  Now there is more to think about.  I have a partner, we have to think about our furniture to sell, selling up the car, finding the 3 cats a home which I am heartbroken on having to do that.  I still get depressed on with no other choice but finding them a home.  So it would be a challenge for the both of us.


I have a few months to go for our departure.  During the last months while we are here in the United States, I have been preparing getting ourselves sorted out in the apartment on things that we could just give away and what to sell.   We got rid of all the small things and had shredded all the paper work that were really old and that we don't need.  All there is now are the big stuff in the apartment waiting to find homes for.  If we can't seem to find homes for them, we'll just leave the furniture in the apartment and leave a couple of dollars with the landlord and they could do what they want with them.

Bye, Derry!

Something that I never thought I would be doing after 9 years was to leave Derry and return to the United States.

I spent my last night with my Aunt Ann and Uncle Jim as they were driving me up to Belfast Airport.  I remember feeling sad that I started to cry.  Aunt Ann told me not to be crying.  After they left, I sat down drinking some coffee and thinking that I must be crazy to be leaving Ireland because I never really was happy living in the United States.

Thinking back on the day I returned to the United States, leaving Ireland shouldn't had been, but I was feeling lonely and was going to be with a Producer.  Sadly, he never kept his promise after I stopped by New York for 10 days and I wasn't going to risk myself down in Florida without anywhere to go so I continued to stay in New York with the family.  To this day I could still kick myself in the ass for leaving.

Ginger the Cat

It was around 1997.  Since I had my own place now, I knew we weren't allow any pets in the apartments and I wanted to have a cat but it wasn't allow, even though I was family with the owner (second cousin) of the building.  My friend Angela had a cat and called it Ginger.  Ginger had 3 legs the back leg was gone.  She brought Ginger over to me and I had to hide the cat from Ned (the owner).  I was getting disappointed with Ginger because she kept shitting in the bathroom and not the kitty litter.  I hid the kitty litter in the box in the hot press with the hopes that Ginger would go into the box in there, but the shit continued.  I wasn't sure how I would train her because she was already an adult cat and was used to outside.  I thought that maybe if I let her out the back door which lead to the fire escaped she would go to the bathroom then.  I even kept the kitchen window opened where she was able to jump in and out of the window whenever she wanted.

It wasn't that long until Ned questioned me if I had a cat.  I couldn't lie to him because I had a feeling he knew it.  Maybe he was in the apartment when I wasn't there and saw the cat.  I knew I was caught.  He told me that I couldn't keep her and needed to find a home.  I was very sad and upset because I grew up with cats and needed a companion.  I saw myself talking to Ginger and I was crying.  Nobody wanted to take her, so sad to say it left me with no choice but let her free.  I thought about the song "Born Free" from that movie "Born Free".  I had to open the back down and I remember holding her tight and saying, "You have to go.  Your free now.  Go on now" as I watched her walk away.  She did try to come back a couple of times and looking into the window and that even broke my heart even more.  I never saw her again after that.