January 11th, 2016 | Uncategorized
The next leg of our trip was Prague. If I had to describe this city in one word, it would be beautiful. This city has amazing architecture, beautiful landscapes, and so much interesting history. I could go on and on about how pretty Prague was, but my favorite part of this stop of our trip was that it was where we spent Christmas.
Originally I was a little hesitant about being away from home for Christmas, it was the first one I haven’t spent with my family. It was Christmas Eve when I realized that although I wasn’t with my blood-related family, I was with the best next thing, members of my Sport Changes Life family, as well as members of my St. Francis Women’s basketball family. Being surrounded by such awesome people made me realize that I was going to have a great Christmas. I was in a great city, with even better people!
Although it was a great Christmas, it was definitely a very unique one. To start off on Christmas morning, there obviously wasn’t a tree, but Katie, Eilidh, and I still managed to reenact the Christmas morning excitement by exchanging gifts with each other. We then continued on the day sightseeing, and viewing all the beautiful spots Prague had to offer. When it came time for dinner, there clearly wasn’t going to be the usual Christmas dinner spread. Instead, Katie, Eilidh, and I had Korean… yup, that’s right Korean. It was the only restaurant we could find that was open on Christmas. Even though it wasn’t what I’d normally have, it was still an awesome Christmas dinner. The food was delicious, and it made for a great story to tell!
After dinner, we met up with the other Scholars, Emily, Cory, Meghan, and Jazmen, at their apartment, where they had a cute dessert/snack spread for us all set up on the table. It was so nice to just hang out and enjoy such a special day with them. At the end of the night, all I could do was smile as I took the whole day into perspective. No, I didn’t have Christmas at home, but instead, I had the opportunity to travel around the world exploring new places with amazing people that have become family to me. It ended up being a one of a kind Christmas; one that I will never, ever forget.
Victory Scholar: Sarah Benedetti
Present University: University of Limerick
US League: NEC
Club/Community Partner: UL Huskies
Alma Mater: St. Francis College
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland
