October 14th, 2013 | Uncategorized
For those of you who don’t know, I am in the Business Development and Innovation Masters Program at my university. My class timetable is quite different to what I am used to. After being in class Wednesday-Friday from 9-5, I have finished my first module, International Marketing and Competitiveness. Even though it was a little overwhelming learning a semesters worth of class in three days, I really enjoyed it. I am the youngest in a program of students that range from the ages of 23-60, most of which are studying for professional development out of the work place. Most of the students have worked in the business world for years, so it’s really interesting for me to learn from their experiences and hear their thoughts on different matters. I’m also the only American in the program, which has really opened my eyes to the differences in cultures. It has really made me think in such a broader sense outside of just how things work in America. I am now in the process of working on our first group project which I’m pretty excited about, since we are analyzing Boojum’s (which we consider the Chipotle of Ireland!) Fun fact: the man who founded Boojum’s is from Philadelphia! He is obviously the man.
Working with the EHOOPS and SHEHOOPS groups has been great. Although we have only been working with since we arrived we were honored with the chance to celebrate their own personal #VICTORY as they all graduated from the University of Ulsters Community Celebration event based at Jordanstown. My fellow scholars and I were their special guests which was really cool. Getting to see these young people who have worked so hard with their own personal struggle was really inspirational.
Over the weekend, the team traveled to Cork to play Brunell. We lost a tough game to a solid team. I think it was definitely a good learning experience for our team, especially because many of our weaknesses were exposed. We really came together in the end, and I think we are only going to grow from this loss. I’m excited to get back to work on the court this week, and to keep improving as a team!
Cork is about four hours away from Belfast, so this made for eight hours of driving through the country on Sunday! I thought the ride would be dreadful, but it was my favorite part of the weekend. Carla, our assistant coach, and four of my teammates and I indulged in conversations ranging from the amazing shopping in America, to the troubles of Northern Ireland. I am so intrigued by the past of Northern Ireland, and I’m always wanting to learn more about the background of the work I’m doing here in Belfast. Thanks to the girls who answered a million of my questions, and shared so many stories with me! I loved every second of it! Have a great week everyone!
#INSPIRE #VICTORY
