When I first came to Ireland, my coordinator Wayne said two lads were going to take us to the grocery store to get us sorted with all that we needed. As I was getting settled in my house, I heard a knock on the door and two guys were there. They were Manny and Rob. Two lads who also go to LIT and were going to be playing on the college basketball team with Matt and I. We talked for a few in the house and we were on our way to the grocery store. As we walked through the store trying to get all the things we needed. Rob was very helpful with his suggestions and seemed very genuine in his efforts to help Taylor, Matt, and I. I didn’t know if it was just because he was trying to make a good impression on us or if that was his actual self… being from New York I had some guards up trusting people, because oftentimes people will put on a “show” to later on get something off you or take advantage of you.
Anyway the past 6 months of my stay in Limerick, Rob proved himself to me. Everytime we saw each other, we didn’t just say hello and keep it moving. It was a full on conversation of how our weekends went, how our current day is going, and other funny weird things we could come up with. An exchange that should have taken 30 seconds often turned into 5-10 min exchanges in school or in the gym time and time again. Rob is a very genuine person and loves to help others. He knew I was adjusting and had some mini struggles getting acclimated to the Irish culture, because in our conversations he told me he wasn’t Irish either. He’s actually from Poland. Whenever I was low on food, he would offer me a lift to the shop. Whenever the weather was poor, he would offer me a lift to training. Even if I got to training before it started, he would offer to catch my rebounds for NOTHING in exchange. He was just doing these things because it was in his character. Slowly but surely “Big Rob” was proving himself to me as a person who is kind, genuine, and cares for the well-being of others.
Most recently, Rob came up to me after one of my coaching sessions and asked if I can coach his team back in Galway one Saturday morning. I agreed very quickly and he gave me the date to prepare. He was hyping me up to this team back home, giving them my youtube my channel so they can get a feel for what type of person I was. Rob picked me up that Saturday morning around 8am and if you know me, I am not a morning person, but for everything Rob has done for me I made sure I was up and was in a good mood! We were off to Galway which is about an hour away. We talked about sports, podcasts, how his team is doing, and our favorite types of music. As we approached Galway city – Rob showed me the town he grew up in and eventually the school I was going to coach in for the day. It was a nice gym with nice size and structure. As I prepared for the two hour coaching session, Rob’s players began to walk in. They all looked so tired because they were on holiday break, but I knew this was probably the only time I could impact these kids lives. So I decided to pick up the energy!! I introduced myself to the coach Jerry and the rest of the team and told them today was going to be a great day to have a great day. (I got the line from coach in college and continue to use it because I believe in it fully). The training session began and I was excited to show them new things and give them a good workout. I could slowly see the expressions on the kids faces change from tired to eager to learn. I knew I had them where I wanted them – open to listening and eager to learn. I had Rob help out while I explained drills and he matched my energy as well. Screaming and yelling, but not in a negative way – very very positive and to be honest I’ve never seen Rob like this. I guess he knew how much this experience would mean to me and his team so he decided to follow suit. After the day was done, we took photos with the kids and headed to breakfast with Rob and the Jerry. We went to a nice cafe called The Galleria that had a homey bed and breakfast vibe. As we looked at the menu, Rob and I didn’t take to long to decide what we were getting. We both decided on the omelette. As the waitress walked away after taking our orders, Rob said, “I’ll pay for your meal as a thank you!” At this moment, I was like, “No, you’re not going to do this, you’ve done enough for me. It’s fine, I got it.” Rob was staying strong and didn’t let me pay. He drove me back home and that was the end of the day.
Over these past 6 months, Rob and I had a lot of good times. Whether that was nights out, training, or even grabbing a bite to eat for lunch. I can definitely see myself and Rob being friends for the rest of my life. Despite the distance when I move home in May, I know Rob is a good person and those are the type of friends I want in my life. People who are genuine, people who are kind, people who do things for you not wanting anything in exchange, ultimately people like Rob.
