Words cannot explain how happy I was when I got the email from Sport Changes Life welcoming me into their family. I had just pulled into my driveway when I felt my phone buzz with the notification and immediately began calling my closest people with my new secret excitement. With each phone call, there was the same shared feeling of happiness and “wow, I can’t believe this is happening”. The whirlwind of preparation began, but as the summer days faded away, there was a small feeling of discomfort in the back of my mind. I’ve never been this far from home before, from the people I love most. I’ve never even been out of the country and here I was packing my bags to leave by myself in a sense for the whole year! I mean, how crazy can I be!?
Fast forward two weeks and I’m rolling out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning getting ready to go explore my new home. I walked out of my front door with no real destination in mind, just a goal to learn something new. I spent a good amount of my morning sitting on the banks of the Shannon River, watching the boats go through their lock and the swans swimming by the water’s edge. I made my way across the bridge and took a historical tour of Athlone’s thirteenth century castle. Stopping by the town’s food festival, I got to experience more of this community and all of it has to offer. I kept walking through town trying to find my way back to a store shop I saw earlier when I must have taken a wrong turn. I didn’t recognize where I was but kept walking hoping to find some familiarity; boy did I find just that, just not in theway I expected. I found myself staring at a sign reading “Michael Jackson’s Favorite Shop in Athlone” and I knew I had to go in. What I found was the cutest little store filled with jewelry, trinkets, Irish made goods and a feeling of comfort. I learned Michael Jackson visited the town in 2006 and had spent hours in this one store, with a very long receipt to prove it. After making some purchases, I continued on my way home taking in the sights and sounds of the town with a deeper sense that I found myself in this little town.
Two weeks ago, feeling a little lost, I packed up and said goodbye to my family, my friends, and my home. Since stepping foot into our Launch Event, I have become apart of another family in Sport Changes Life and Athlone. My new home has brought some of the nicest, most amazing people into my life. I took the opportunity to get lost in this town with one goal in mind; learn something new. That Sunday, I learned that sometimes you have to get lost to findlife’s greatest surprises.
