You Never Know Until You Go

October 4th, 2014 | Uncategorized

Last Sunday I spent the day travelling around Carrigaholt and Kilkee in County Clare scaling cliffs, exploring castles, and mingling with friendly pub owners. It was refreshing to get out of my comfort zone a little bit, meet some new people, and see some unbelievable natural wonders. Straight into Monday, I woke up and went off to St. Munchin’s primary school for boys. It’s always a plus for me when I get to teach 7 and 8 year olds history, reading, and math using Arsenal lesson books.  A bit biased maybe, but always in my favor. Wednesday, I had my first match with UL Men’s Soccer, a preseason match against LIT. The boys were quite impressive, grabbing a handy 8-1 win in the end. A little coach-sponsored team function after the game definitely helped me get to know the boys better, and I can say that I haven’t been part of a friendlier and more welcoming bunch of guys before. I am definitely looking forward to the matches and tournaments ahead with this group.

 

Finally, today I had Baby Blues again! Started off blazing with the 3-4 year olds at 10 AM, but this time it was me alone with 15 of them. They responded way better this week, probably because they were more comfortable with me and knew my name, as well as the fact that I have remembered most of theirs. All in all, it was a blast again, no surprise there, kids are smile machines. After the 3-4 year olds, I went into a session with the 7-8 year olds, who were also fantastic, talented, and super receptive, making me feel like a pretty world class coach. Last, I was privileged with the opportunity to join in on the session with the special needs group. This may have been my most rewarding session of the week, as I have not been in this situation of mentorship with a special needs group in quite a few years. After the sessions, Anne, the coordinator, dropped me off in the city. I proceeded to pick up some Sriracha 🙂 and walk the 4 mile journey back to campus. On the way home I kept thinking to myself about my last session. As open-minded of a person as I may think I am, I question how much I really take a step back and appreciate that other people experience the world in a much different way than I do personally. I think this may apply for all of us in our day to day journeys. I was reminded this morning that there are many people out there with needs greater than my immediate gratifications, people whose experiences are completely different from my own. As a matter of fact, that is every single person to some degree or another. Sessions like these are a blessing, and a reminder that the way in which I experience the world is simply my own. Acknowledging, learning, and growing from others perspectives and realities is true understanding. There’s a little something to think about 😉 have a good week!

Stay Updated! Sign up to our newsletter

Stay Updated! Sign up to our newsletter