Whenever you arrive in a new place it is easy to feel as if you are alone even if in reality you are surrounded by plenty of people. You miss your old home, your siblings or your college roommates’ voices, the smell of mom’s cooking or the feel of familiarity all around you. Moving to another country is both exhilarating and isolating internally. Here you are, having this wonderful set of experiences alongside a group of great new people but without the context for any of your close family or friends to necessarily be able to relate to. It is an experience I challenge everyone to try and have at some moment in life, because I think stretching yourself and entering a new place and new culture with new people is one of the best ways to grow as an individual. Although I speak of missing home and missing familiarity, thankfully here in Jordanstown, we have the luxury of having a home. Now, this home is not the place we live, but instead the place where Uncle G and Auntie D (Gareth & Deirdre) live with their 3 daughters and doggie, Pippin! One day, we sent an email to Uncle G asking if we could come over and watch a movie. In his reply he stated that of course we could come over and that we never needed to ask, but should instead, just pop in whenever. When I walk into the driveway and see the basketball hoop, hear Pippin barking, or the sound of Uncle G’s voice, home immediately swells into my heart. I feel like I can just exhale, sit down, kick up my feet, and have a cup of tea and some biscuits.
The saying goes that Irish people are the nicest you’ll ever meet. Thankfully this stereotype has proven very true thus far. The other night we were invited over to one of Ryan and Will’s teammate, Gareth’s (A different Gareth) home where he generously offered to cook the six of us dinner and host us for the evening. Gareth and the boys whipped up a delicious meal of mashed sweet potatoes, chicken, salad and home baked rolls! We had a big family style dinner with lots of joking and laughter before heading out on the town for the evening. It was quite the craic, to say the least. As if the story couldn’t get better, the next day we were invited over to Randy and my teammate, Aoife’s family’s home for dinner. Aoife’s mom made mashed potatoes, lasagna, chicken casserole, veggies, and rolls! Feeding six athletes, two of whom are big boys with big stomachs is no easy feat, but the food was plentiful and she kept inviting us back for seconds and thirds. Just when we finished stuffing our faces, Aoife asked if we wanted dessert. I was full, but my stomach squeezed itself around and made some room. Funny how that works. We spent the evening hanging out, getting to know each other, playing board games and watching TV. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday, at home chilling with the fam (we just met). What’s more, when the Irish say “you’re welcome any time” I am realizing that they truly mean it. Exploring is great, being in a new place is cool, but being genuinely welcomed in to a family (or in our case multiple families) is a feeling like none other. It is something I am becoming increasingly grateful for and I only hope that I can show my appreciation by being a kind and pleasant guest and that someday I will be able to be as hospitable to visitors as they have all been to us. After all this food and love, we will all definitely be in the gym a few times tomorrow, but for now, it sure is good to be HOME!
