Now that we have our first week of class under our belt, it’s starting to sink in that I get to spend the next ten months in this awesome city. With school starting and the basketball season only two weeks away, things are definitely getting very busy for Team Cork. I was fortunate enough to represent my Basketball Club in Dublin this past week for the Cup Draw and the kick off of the 2016-2017 season. This was a very cool experience to be a part of and it was awesome to see most of the other scholars again. Even though we were only there for the day, hanging out with the other scholars is always a blast and it was cool to hear how everyone is doing in their different cities.
I was also lucky enough to take part in a field trip this week for my Masters Program where we attended the Oyster Haven Activity Center on the outskirts of the city. We participated in team building activities while trying to navigate different obstacle courses in the water and mud. The activities took place right next to the ocean and I was thrilled to find out we were going to get to go paddleboarding and swimming in the ocean during the second half of the day. Those who know me know that I love the water and spend most of my summers at the beach swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. The idea of being able to swim in the same body of water but on the completely opposite end of it was something that I was overly excited for. Even though the water was definitely much colder on this side of the Atlantic, it was still an incredible experience and something that I hope to do many more times before I leave this great island. Sitting in the ocean over here I couldn’t help but think about home and all my friends back on the shore of the States. Looking out over the cloudy, beautiful ocean towards the direction of the states and all my family and friends reminded me again how lucky I am to be here and what a great opportunity lies ahead of me.
