August 14th, 2013 | Uncategorized
Hi everyone! Welcome to my first ever Blog post! After only one missed flight in London, a whole night spent eliminating clothing items from my overpacked bags(thanks sisters!) and 48 hours with almost no sleep, I am finally here in Belfast! I’ve only been here a few short days and I am already starting to feel at home.
This past week, my fellow scholars and I have been in training for our program. It’s been great going through this process with them and learning more in depth what we will be doing this year. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who want to make a difference in people’s lives. My fellow scholars and our staff have already inspired me to be better, and this adds to my excitement for the rest of the year. There are many things that will take time for me to get used to. Luckily, I found out that basketball shoes are referred to as “boots” before my first practice! I’ve been told with my Philly accent, I sound too stupid saying slogans like “wee bit” and “what’s crackin?” so right now I’ll be sticking with my philly accent! Good news is that people seem to like Taylor Swift and Starbucks just as much as I do!
Last night, we were able to go to our first Ehoops event. I was enamored listening to some of the boys talk about the troubles and culture here in Belfast with such knowledge and passion. It truly opened my eyes, and made me realize how fortunate I have been to grow up in a place where we were accepted no matter what religion we were, or where we were from. It was a humbling experience to say the least. I’m extremely excited to not only have a positive impact on these kids, but also to learn from them and their experiences.
I have to say, I knew it would take something special to take me this far away from those closest to me. I love and already miss my family and friends, and the lack of wifi has made it difficult to talk to everyone from home, but know you are all close to my heart during this experience. You have all inspired me to take this opportunity to make a difference. I appreciate all of the calls and texts that have helped calm my nerves and give me strength to be here today. With saying this, after these few days, I am even more passionate and excited about the work I will be doing with Sport Changes Life.
