September 3rd, 2014 | Uncategorized
Since Jonathan and I were able to move into our apartment a little earlier than the rest of the postgraduate students, we had a lot of down time to explore the campus and Limerick City on our own. It was the first time in the first couple weeks where we had time to truly settle in our new environment.. and it may be silly to say… but it really just hit me that I was going to be LIVING in Ireland for the next year!
Having time to sit and just take in my new environment had me thinking about my goals and aspirations for this year. I’m more than blessed to have this opportunity to live in a new country, contine to play basketball, pursue my masters, AND become a role model in the local community through volunteering and coaching. I’ve always tried to be appreciative of my opportunities in life and to truly value the relationships that I make along the way.
I want to step outside of my comfort zone and to truly create genuine relationships this year. It’s one thing to say that the world is SO big.. but it’s another thing to experience it and see it for yourself. Learning about a different culture and fully immersing myself into this new culture is going to be an eye opening experience for me as well.
Working the camps these past two weeks has been a great way to begin my journey in Ireland.. No matter what type of day you’re having, the pure joy on the kid’s faces can always make it better. Using basketball to reach across those cultural boundaries just solidifies the reason why I love sport in general. Sport has given me a vessel to explore the world.. and I’m going to make the most of it. Basketball is not a big sport in Ireland to say the least.. and having the campers tell us that they enjoy playing basketball more because of our camps makes everything worth it.
I’m also giving a shout out to Positive Attitudes Youth Center in Burlington, NC… The kids at PAYC truly changed my life for the better and were the main motivations behind me pursuing the Victory Scholarship. I’ve learned so much from those kids and the staff that its hard to exactly put it into words.. but just know that I’m thinking about you guys!
