MOVING to South-East Belfast has been an interesting experience, I must say.
The general view of the area was not what I had in mind when my mother first told me we would begin living there. The houses ranged from quite large to quite small along the Ravenhill Road, creating a somewhat pleasant scenery. The road also had a distinct smell of fries whenever the sun began to shine even though I have never spotted any chip shops along that road.
The Ormeau Park was just to the other side of Ravenhill, meaning I could frequently visit the park by myself or with family and friends. Although I didn’t visit the park very often, the times I did led to me creating many pleasant memories later through the years. When I would go to the park it would either be with my friends to play basketball or sometimes go to the BMX track (although I didn’t have a bike at the time, so I just watched while they did tricks). While the other times I would be walking my aunt's dog while talking about many different topics around the world.
Going further down the Ravenhill Road, bus stops and more local shops begin to appear, this place is generally very busy, as people shop here quite frequently, while others would regularly sit outside shops and smoke, either alone or with others.
Overall, the people in Ravenhill seem to be very friendly individuals as they have shown very little to no discrimination towards people of different ethnicity or race. As well as this, they also seem to be very open and welcoming to new individuals in the area.
As well as the Ormeau Park being a primary source of entertainment, Ravenhill Road also has various activities present for many people to take part in, such as a golf club, which is mainly used by elderly people or wealthy people. The food they serve is quite nice as well as the reception you receive from the front desk as well as the
waiters. The view of the golf course is also quite beautiful.
Two churches are also located quite closely together. One of the churches is UT Belfast. I’ve attended the Sunday worship service a few times. UT Belfast also has a Bible youth club for young teens encouraging people to come closer to God and know about the Holy Spirit.
From my own personal experience, the residents and locals that live around the Ravenhill Road are generally quite friendly individuals, they always all seem to mind their own business; not purposefully trying to ruin your daily life.
The shop owners are also quite friendly towards the customers they are attending to, always ready to help out when their assistance is needed.
Overall, the people in Ravenhill seem to be very friendly individuals as they have shown very little to no discrimination towards people of different ethnicity or race. As well as this, they also seem to be very open and welcoming to new individuals in the area.
In conclusion I would argue that living in South-East Belfast has been a somewhat pleasant experience for me, as the locals have treated me well most of the time. I’ve made some new friends as well as some of my old friends moving into Ravenhill also. The customer service in a lot of the shops is very good, and living here makes it easy to access food and transportation.
Israel Dada (17) is a pupil at Wellington College Belfast and has been on work experience at Belfast Media this week.
