Many years ago, I lived in Ireland for one year while my children were 5 and
2, the younger still BF.  I was a LLLI Leader and upon contacting the
nearest leader in my area, I initiated a new group in my community.
Granted, I was known to be "American," which set me apart automatically, but
I never got more than three moms to attend and my Irish leader/friend told
me that it was not really "Irish" to go to a meeting in someone else's home
and discuss such private issues.  I found this to be an interesting cultural
difference that I had not really (naively) considered in my fervor to create
the environment that I found comforting and supportive.
Certainly, there were other groups and I attended some of them, but they had
been going on for many years and the leaders were well known.  I did come to
believe from this experience that Americans are really more uninhibited, in
general terms, than some other cultures, and over the years as I have worked
with many women of diverse backgrounds, this continues to hold true.
I loved my Irish experience, and return as often as possible to visit.  I
find the lifestyle and the people to be warm and open-hearted.  Wonderful
memories for me!

Patricia Ellis
Central NJ

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