December 2nd, 2012 | Uncategorized
Being in a classroom with individuals from different backgrounds has allowed me to learn about some of the different cultures around the world. We have a mix of individuals from Ireland, France, Greece, Canada, Latvia, and India, so each individual has his/her own cultural perspective of how companies should market a particular product to consumers. These different backgrounds also bring individuals with varying personalities and varying levels of work ethic, which could cause some difficulties for group assignments. After working on numerous group assignments, I have learned
the importance of accountability; holding each group member accountable for his/her specific responsibilities is necessary for the entire group’s success.
In addition to working with individuals of different backgrounds in the classroom, I am also working with an individual from Poland, who is helping me coach my U16/U18 teams. We have been given the challenge of motivating teenage girls to work on their basketball skills instead of going to the disco on a Friday night. This has definitely been a difficult task for us over the last couple of weeks, because sometimes it seems like these girls are not listening to a word we tell them. However, this past weekend I saw a glimpse of what the girls are capable of on the court when they had a training session with my Superleague coach, James Weldon. I am hoping to use this as motivation and encouragement for them in the future!
All of these situations have been challenging, but they have also been great learning experiences for me. These experiences are also preparing me for whatever lies ahead of me after my time here in Ireland and I am so fortunate for this opportunity!
