With today being Mother’s Day here in Ireland, I want to wish the woman I owe everything to – Consta – a very happy Irish Mother’s Day. I can’t wait to see you and Dad for Easter in two short weeks! I also wanted to make sure I acknowledged and thanked my family away from home here in Cork on this holiday.
As if being able to live, study, play, and coach here for free wasn’t enough of an opportunity, I have been lucky enough to be essentially taken in by an extremely generous family while living here in Cork. For multiple months now, the Cronins have given me countless meals, scones, cups of tea, lifts to and from training and the matches I’m coaching, and most importantly, hours of quality family time – one of the main things I have missed from home.
Niamh, their daughter, plays on my under 18 team and also coaches the under 12 (undefeated in spirit) team with me. Practically every Wednesday, her mom picks me up from my apartment all the way across the city from where they live and where the hall is, we pick up Niamh and her sister from school, and then hurry back to their home before the u12 training session to get basketball gear and typically fit in a nice tea break (with a scone of course). After coaching, they have me over again for an always delicious dinner. I have now learned not to eat TOO much (always hard for me) because after the first time I, let’s say *overindulged*, while explaining “Oh food doesn’t really affect me before I work out”, all to essentially be immobile at practice due to the amount of potatoes I took in. In addition to dinner, my Wednesday evenings always consist of a glorious couch-sit and stroll with Niamh and their adorable dog Charlie, before I have practice with Brunell later that night.
While this routine has 100% served as the basis for my addiction to scones and obsession with Lyons tea (it’s definitely better on the North side), I cannot thank this family enough. From the lifts, showing me how delicious two types of potatoes in a meal can be, letting me play with their dog, teaching me how to play video games, teaching me a few Irish words (thanks Niamh and Amy), to simply welcoming me into their home, I am so grateful! As the basketball season is coming to an end soon, I have to say I will definitely miss my Wednesdays with you guys. With that, Happy Mother’s Day Linda, and thanks again for everything you all have done for me this year!
