August 21st, 2014 | Uncategorized
Saying goodbye to family and friends definitely wasn’t easy, but I was excited to start this new journey in Ireland. I was a wee bit nervous at first, not knowing what to expect, but seeing the other Scholars at the airport made everything easier. Upon arrival, it was off to Belfast, where we would meet the other Scholars and begin training with our new Sport Changes Life family.
Although a wee bit jet-lagged, we got some rest before our week began! Within the first few days we did some fun team building activities and took a mini tour through downtown Belfast, where we saw the Peace Wall and the two cranes that built the Titanic. It was awesome learning about the history of Northern Ireland and the Peace Wall.
During training, we learned about basic Skills 4 Sport and how to interact with the young kids. One night, we had our first SheHoops session, where we played a fun game of team handball and the Northern Irish girls taught us (the Americans) about the flags issue going on in Northern Ireland. Despite all the craic (aka fun) so far, the best was yet to come…Friday, we got to hang out with some kids and it was the highlight of my week! Within just a few minutes of meeting them, they were talking with us and asking questions. It was remarkable to see how quickly we built relationships with them. I hanging out with this one little girl and afterwards she gave me her loom band bracelet! She was so sweet, it just melted my heart; I hated to say goodbye. However, this experience just made me that much more excited to work with young kids this year! I’m so excited to see what this year has in store for me!!
Until next time…
