So I applied for the Fulbright award and did'nt really think much more about it. Until I got a letter for an interview. The Fulbright commission is in Baker street, London. I remember going there and waiting in a wood panelled room. Looking around I saw letters from Margart Thatcher and Ronald Reagan wishing the Fulbright commission well for that year. Where on earth am I ? I thought.
First off I meet Kim Harrell the PA to the Chairman, ( I since inspired her to go to Art collage where she took a jewellery making degree ) we eventually became great friends but at that time she calmed my nerves as I walked into a room with a large board room table covered in green blaze, completely surrounded with men. Oh where am I? I thought again. There was one seat empty and after some stuttering conversation a fantastically dresses women came in, I don't remember her name just that she had rushed in from a Fashion show from London fashion week and was apologising on being late.
She gushed about my work and dragged it out of my portfolio and all the older men oohed! and ahhed! conversation then started to flow with her encouragement.The rest of the interview went past in a blur. I remeber considering what to wear and tried to look smart but not too quirky, I still could not afford anything other that a pair of Doc Martins for shoes, those 80 essentials. When I can out of the interview I saw a girl sitting there with a very outrageous hat on and equally outrageous clothes. I thought, they are going to eat her alive in there. She's going to get a bit of a shock.
Fast forward and I received a letter saying I had won the award, shock was not the only thing I felt but it did mean that I would be going off to the US for a while. In the meantime I still worked away on my own work making and selling building up my business expertise. I moved to Worcester for a while as it was where my partner was from and took the train down to London every couple of weeks to sell and collect money. While financially I was not earning a fortune it didn't matter because what I was doing was the thing that I loved best getting that feeling of being at one with your creativity...............................
Preparing for US was interesting Kim helped me work out , I could work with a designer or go to college, as my work was very fine art based I felt I wanted to keep exploring that rather than working for someone else. The desire for personal creative fulfilment stronger than the desire for "work experience" . I decided on New York Parsons school of design www.parsons.newschool.edu .
Coming back to NI for Christmas could see how friends lives were moving on some where getting married some had children some were drinking themselves to death. Despite the atmosphere of death and horror in Belfast there was plenty of crack and life and community connection going on in Strangford and Portaferry. But hay that's Christmas for you. I remember feeling I didn't really want to leave, that it felt good to be among people who understood my accent and had the same sense of humour. Everyone said I was mad and to enjoy New York .
I had been before a couple of times, but that's not the same as living there for a while. My sister bought me a diary and I started to write in in and I have kept up the diary's ever since.
Reading it now it says "I'm more excited about coming home to Ireland than I am about going to new York"
I arrived just when the US was preparing for war with the gulf, I stayed with a couple, Ed had a Fulbright for Architecture and his wife was a dancer. I stayed for a few days in their tiny flat in Mott street Little Italy in Manhattan overlooking a church, typical brownstone building, fire ladders from every window, bath in the kitchen. Due to " a series of fortunate events" I ended up renting the flat as they went down to a dance studio in tri becca a bit further down Manhattan and there I was a wee girl from Strangford lough with her own flat in New York.
Right next door to Soho where all the gallerys were and just a couple of blocks from the underground.
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