When you meet and come in at the beginning of the year in August everyone gets to know each other and create really good bonds. We all just think “what if we’re all at the same school?” how much fun would that be. Walking pass “base camp” together and thinking it would be fun to never leave each other and actually stay at the same school. Then the week is up and everyone goes off to their seperate Universities, not realizing that we won’t see each other again for a few weeks or a couple months unless we play against each other. So that’s when the little things start to matter, like the snap group chats, or the group me chat. We cherish all the stories we hear through these small apps wishing we were all together again.
It’s amazing how 34 random people can come together in a completely different world and still have fun together. You miss those nights when you walk into a restaruant with 34 scholars and everyone is looking because we walk in with guys that are 6’6 and everyone is trying to make room for us to sit. These are the moments that create ever lasting memories because that one experience brings everyone together and you feel a little piece of home being with other scholars.
Playing games every week allows you to see scholars living across the country. The positive thing about the seperation is everyone has stories to tell and the conversations are filled with laughter, joy, and sometimes a little pain. But it makes it all worth it becuase you see everyone making their own story and fighting different obstacles that will change them forever. This year is a year that we will all look back on when we’re in our 70’s, 80’s, and hopefully 90’s telling everyone this was the most amazing time of our lives. The endless laughter and the challenges we face going into a new culture, seeing the world from a different view is an experience that could never be replaced.
So seeing the girls from DCU made me realize how much this year means. It’s really crazy it’s already February and it’ll be sad when all the time is up. But the growth we are going to make will be so drastic it will seem unreal. The lessons learned from this experience couldn’t be gained anywhere else, this moment I remind myself to smile because these moments will forever be in my heart for the rest of my life. Today wasn’t just a game being played but another day of opportunity in another world that I am lucky to have a chance to be apart of.
