Day 1:

Carson and I arrived in Copenhagen around 9pm and were met by Etta (our local Danish host)! I was SO excited to see her and catch up on everything that has been going on in our lives. I’ve always had some of the best conversations with her and was so happy to finally be in her home country! We’ve talked about visiting her in Denmark since we were FRESHMEN in college (5 years ago already??) It’s crazy how much time has passed yet it feels like just yesterday we were meeting each other for the first time and telling her that she shouldn’t go by herself to pick up a bike in Queens, NY that she bought on Craigslist!

From the airport, we bought metro tickets and took the train to Etta’s new apartment in Copenhagen. Once we got settled, she took us to a place called Kösem for a bite to eat. And thank GOD we had her with us as a translator because the entire menu was in Danish! However, almost everyone knows English in Denmark, so I’m sure we could have asked the waiter for help but it was much easier to have Etta order for us! The restaurant had middle eastern cuisine so I got some kind of pita stuffed with chicken and some other stuff that I didn’t know but it was SO good!

Side Note: December 16^th marked exactly three months of not eating ANY meat. It began as a “Shalom House” challenge to go vegetarian for a month, but it was pretty easy for me so I just kept going with the diet until my Christmas trip! (Which made the chicken taste that much better 😉)

After dinner, we went to a Bodega called Karrusellen for a beer to end our long day of travel. Now, I have never liked the taste of beer, but I actually enjoyed the drink that Etta ordered for me! It was a Pilsner from a local Danish brand, which made it a bit cheaper too. The Danish “Bodega” style bar actually reminded me a little bit of a traditional Irish pub, but everyone was smoking cigarettes inside! Although I don’t smoke, I still embraced this bodega culture and enjoyed the “hygge” atmosphere of the night. Etta defines “Hygge” as: “The most cozy state of mind- anybody can practice this to excellence both in company of oneself and others. Usually involves food and warm (often funky hehe) beverages.” I’d say that was definitely the feeling of the night and I can’t wait to experience more “hygge” moments in the next parts of my trip!

Day 2:

According to Etta, Denmark is the “bike capital of the world”… and she wasn’t kidding! EVERYONE rides bikes here, taking a taxi is rare and there are definitely more bikes than cars on the roads. The bike lanes actually take up just about the same amount of space on the road as the car lanes do! I guess that’s why everyone is so fit here since they bike to every destination. So, it was only right to rent some bikes for the 2 full days that we were in Copenhagen. Little did I know how much I’d enjoy riding a bike everywhere! It was definitely a little scary at times with both car and bike traffic to deal with, but we got the hang of it and were lucky to have Etta as our leader! It was just so refreshing to bike all around the city and see the beautiful sights. I wish I could have video recorded everywhere we went – but it still wouldn’t have done it justice!

Once we got our bikes, we traveled to a place called “Freetown.” Freetown is a community of Denmark that has its own rules and regulations completely independent of the Danish government. It was such a unique experience walking through this area and seeing the different graffiti and café’s, but the most interesting part was definitely the “Green Light District” where dealers set up stands right out in the open street and sell cannabis products!

While in Freetown, we had a nice buffet lunch from a little café. Everything was homemade and the food was really good! Etta also told us that we had to try a drink called “Glögg,” which is basically a combination of red wine and vodka mixed with raisins and almonds, served warm. It sort of tasted like warm apple cider – it was definitely a very festive and cozy drink!

Then we biked back to the city to a little outdoor ice skating rink with the intention of skating for a bit. However, when I saw that there were no railings to hold on to and that the ice wasn’t very smooth at that time, we decided to head back home for a nice coffee and rest before going to pick up Maria from the airport. I hadn’t seen Maria since SEPTEMBER, so I was almost just as excited to see her as Etta was! I think we’ve had a bit of separation anxiety after being roommates in college for the past two years, so this trip together was much needed!

After we reunited with Maria at the airport, we made our way back to Etta’s apartment and had dinner at Kösem again. Then we went out for a few drinks at a bar called “Liquid” where we met a man from Turkey and his friend from Finland, who happened to work for FedEx! It was definitely an interesting and fun-filled night. Then we headed back to the apartment for the night before our last full day in Copenhagen!

Day 3:

We were lucky to get another nice day in Copenhagen for our last day! We began the day with Brunch at a place called Stefano’s and it was SO good! We each chose 3 different dishes from a menu – one that I chose took me back to my younger days when I would sleepover at my Mommom’s house. For breakfast, she would cut up a hotdog and cook it in scrambled eggs, and that’s exactly what my meal at this brunch place was! Little did I know I had been eating like a Dane since I was little 😉

After brunch, we hit the road again (on our bikes) and went to the Nyhavn where a canal is lined with beautifully colored buildings. We took a stroll around the canal, drank a nice cup of Glögg, and enjoyed the beautiful sights. Unfortunately, Etta had to work for a few hours, so we were left to fend for ourselves for part of the day. We did a pretty good job though! Carson was a very good substitute as our guide and knew how to get everywhere. Once Etta left, we went to the top of the Rundetaarn where we could see the entire city. It was such a nice time of day to go up there as the sun was setting!

Then, we walked through the city some more, browsed some souvenir shops (and Louis Vuitton just for fun) and ended up at Tivoli, which is a little amusement park right in the city. We ended up deciding not to buy tickets to go inside, but we got some nice pictures and had a look from the outside!

It was getting a bit chilly at this point and we had been walking/biking a lot, so we decided to have a glass of red wine (a beer for Carson) at a little pub to relax for a little and warm up. Then we had dinner at an all-you-can eat sushi place called Takii, which was AMAZING since I don’t get any sushi in Letterkenny! We ended the night with Etta and her friend (Anemone) at a place called “Condesa.” We had a few drinks, danced, and had a great time talking and enjoying the “hygge” atmosphere of the night!

Overall, Copenhagen was AMAZING! It was so nice to see Etta in her home country and have her as our own personal tour guide. We couldn’t get over how just 5 years ago we were moving into the dorms in Brooklyn Heights together, and now we’re casually hanging out in Denmark. I’m so grateful to have made such great friends at SFC (thanks Coach T for recruiting us all together!) It was really such a special experience to go to school there and has allowed me opportunities that I never thought I would get.

Copenhagen ✔️

Up next: PRAGUE

Traveler Tips:

#19: Buildings in Denmark are only allowed to be built 4 stories high to preserve the city’s architecture.

#20: I cannot stress this enough: DEFINITELY rent a bike if you go to Copenhagen! It’s an amazing way to see the city, get around to places easily, and exercise! However, be prepared to feel pretty sore – I felt like I took back-to-back spin classes!

Skol!

-Dana D.

As the old saying goes, “There’s no place like home for the holidays.”  I’m currently writing this blog from my hometown, Lorton, Virginia and it feels great to be home. Christmas has always been a family event that we all look forward to every year, so I’m excited to be back home celebrating among loved ones. During my time here, we’ve been keeping busy! Between my sister and dad dragging me to 6 am boot camp workouts (Which are brutal), last minute Christmas shopping with my mom and walking around downtown Washington, D.C, there’s been plenty to do this Christmas season.  However, there’s still plenty more to get done. We had a few assignments due over the break which kept me busy but it was nice to finally wrap up the semester and be able to focus on spending time with friends and family for the holidays. On top of that, I’ve had to learn how to wrap presents this year.  There’s a bit of a running joke that every gift that is wrapped horribly is probably from me, which I can’t argue against. Overall, it’s been nice to eat a home cooked meal, hit up some of my favorite restaurants back home and see familiar faces.

I’m excited to see what semester 2 in Sligo has in store for me!  I know that we are going to finish out the year strong after recharging the batteries at home.  These next few months are going to fly by, but there are still plenty of lifelong memories to come.

I wanted to wrap this blog up by wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season! Let’s make the most of everything in store for us in 2020!

What a week I just had with my parents. I can honestly say that this past week could have been the best week of my life. I had missed my parents and it was so nice to be able to spend time with them and just catch them up on what I have been doing while I have been in Ireland. They loved to see how I have been living and they were so excited to  meet all my new friends that I have made.

While my parents were in Ireland they were able to catch two basketball games that I played in and I played well. It was different having them in the stands and to hear my dad again while I played was really cool. I loved to look over and see both my mom and dad smiling while watching the game, it made me feel like I had made them proud.

After the game the parents and I got to start our trip traveling around Ireland. The first placed we stopped was Limerick where we got to see the Bunratty Castle. It was amazing to see something that is so old and something that has been apart of so much history still be standing. I would say though being tall might be good while playing basketball, but not when touring old castles lol. The stairs were a little tight when trying to get around inside the castle.

The next day we traveled to Waterford and saw the so awesome Waterford Crystal Factory. This was one of my most favorite days, I loved touring the factory and being able to see all the special pieces they make. Big event trophies to small personalized pieces. The tour was going well until my dad dropped a vase worth 460 euros. I didn’t know want to think at first, all I thought was they were going to make him pay for it. Hahaha I might have scared you. The vase that he broke had an imperfection in it, a tiny air bubble in the bottom of he vase and they had to destroy It. If any piece they make has the slightest imperfection they have to get rid of it. However they are able to recycle every piece that they destroy which is great.

After Waterford we stopped and toured the Jameson Distillery on our way to Cork.

While in Cork we got to kiss the Blarney Stone, It was funny to watch my dad because he is scared of heights and it was tough for him to be that high in the air. While we were still at the Blarney Castle we got to walk backwards up the wishing steps with our eyes closed and the wishes that we wished are supposed to come true within a year. It’s tough to walk up stars backwards and to eye’s closed on top of it…. We did it though….

We then got to experience Dublin in a day… yes we toured the whole city and saw everything in one day. At the end of the day we had walked 20,000 steps…. 10 whole miles… Lets just say I was a little tired by the end of that one.. My parents left the morning after we did that so they got to sleep on the plane the whole way home.

I loved having my parents in Ireland it was so fun to be with them for a whole week and I will miss them until I see them again. It was great to show them where I live and what all Ireland has to offer. I won’t be going home for the Holidays so it was extra nice to see them spend much needed family time with them.

I am going to be doing so traveling around Europe during Christmas so be ready for some more great stories.

I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Enjoy time with your families and cherish every moment.

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Thanksgiving at my home usually consists of a fairly normal schedule. It consists of sleeping in and usually waking up to the smell of food cooking. It consists of starving ourselves until thanksgiving dinner around 2pm, just to allow ourselves to eat leftovers later that night. For me and my brother, it means watching football all day even trying to sneak away from the table to look at scores. Overall, it means spending time with family while usually being coach potatoes with the only sort of movement away from the couch being for dinner or leftovers. And in our house, you never want to be the one that is first to get up off the couch. This certainly means that you will be getting somebody a drink or some sort of food. This war of attrition usually ends with whoever gives up their pride/gets hungry or thirsty first.

Here in Belfast, Thanksgiving was much different to say the least. It actually isn’t a thing at all over here. There was no awaking to the smell of food cooking, the Macy’s parade, or thanksgiving football. That morning instead of sleeping in and being a couch potato, I went to our over 50’s group at Valley Leisure Center. This ended up being the first inkling of how different and somewhat weird the day may be. This is because to everybody else, it was just a normal day here. After over 50’s group and couple tough pickleball losses, it was back to the apartment to get ready for the night ahead.

The night ahead that I speak was one big Sport Changes Life celebration. You see every year, Sport Changes Life has a tradition of trying to bring all of the scholars together for one big thanksgiving celebration. Something that I’m sure everybody looks forward to since leaving orientation in late August. Lucky for us Ulster scholars, it was in Belfast this year. Sport Changes Life booked a banquet room above Wolf and Whistle restaurant for 11 scholars plus a couple staff members and some others joined in on the celebration.

As you may have guessed though, the dinner was very different than a traditional thanksgiving dinner. That night there was no turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, or my grandma’s famous pineapple casserole on the menu. For me, there was a starter of Caesar salad, smoked carbonara for main, and apple pie with custard for dessert. Something I never had before, but definitely highly recommend now. And while this was far from what I was used to eating on this day, it was completely delicious. Especially since it was enjoyed with good company. After dinner, it was a night out in Belfast with the scholars. Something that once again helped me get through a tough and unusual time here.

While this Thanksgiving was much different and tougher than others in the past, it was still a great celebration. It was still great to reconnect with some of the other scholars and spend time with them that day and evening. Big shout out and thanks to SCL for putting the event together!!

For me personally, it gave me a better understanding of the holiday itself as well. It made me realize that while food and football are often thought of on this day, what is really important is giving thanks and being grateful for what you have even if it is an underwhelming Caesar salad. And while next year, I’m not sure where I will be at, I certainly hope to be able to celebrate with family once again with my new found appreciation of Thanksgiving.

This will be my last blog post before going home for Christmas, and I have to say, I have learned so much. I have grown so much as a person in ways I didn’t think I would.  Although I was already pretty independent, I learned to speak up for myself and how to handle tough situations on my own. I am being put in situations that make me act more like an adult, and I am learning through every single one. I am so lucky that I have been given this opportunity to see the world while getting a degree and continuing to play the sport I love. School has been interesting and challenging, because I’ve never studied business before. This degree will help broaden the employment opportunities I can get when I move back to the states, as well as give me a new viewpoint on life. The best part of this semester has been all the friends I have made. Though Sport Changes Life, club, and school, I have developed new relationships and life long friendships with people all over the world. In 6 days I will go back to Massachusetts, where I will spend the holiday with my family and friends, and tell them all about my experiences so far.

Happy Holidays!

Morgan

2019

For my final blog of 2019, I wanted to highlight all of the highs and lows I went through this year (and of course had to include a bunch of photos too!). This year has been full of many accomplishments and amazing opportunities, but also had some difficult times. While I have been completely enjoying my time in Ireland, I have also been missing some special moments with my family. However, after looking back on everything that has happened, I wouldn’t change a thing!

January

• January 1st: Rang in the new year with some of my best friends – Amy, Jade and Dana. It is crazy that a year later, we are celebrating from all over the world. Amy is back home in Melbourne, Australia and Jade is finishing up her senior year in Brooklyn. And as you already know, me and Dana are in Ireland (but will actually be in Budapest for NYE!).
• January 28th: Scored my 1,000th point in a Terrier uniform at Mount St. Mary’s University. My mom, dad, Aunt Lisa, and 2 month old baby cousin Ella were in the stands.

February

• The bulk of conference play in the NEC is played in February. So, this month was full of basketball!

March

• March 2nd: Celebrated senior day. It was one of the most fun games I played throughout my entire career, beating Bryant 101-77. My mom, dad, brother and boyfriend were all able to make it up for the game. We celebrated after with a yummy meal in Chinatown!

• March 11th: Played in my last collegiate basketball game, losing to Mount St. Mary’s at home in a close battle, 74-80.
• March 12: Celebrated my 22nd birthday with my friends at Pedro’s (a delicious Mexican restaurant in Dumbo, NY).
• March 17th – 23rd: Spent spring break in La Romana, Dominican Republic. This was a warm, fun week spent with a mixture of St. Francis athletes; some girls from my team, the men’s soccer team, and the women’s volleyball team.

April

• April 11th – 14th: Had a lot of visitors! My best friend, Casey Aunkst, came up for a few days and I got to show her around New York. While she was here, my Dad, Uncle Jeff, Pap Butch, and family friend Mark Puma took us to the Pittsburgh Penguin’s playoff game on Long Island. We also ate some great meals, toured the 9/11 museum, and went to a comedy show.

• April 30th: Went to my last SFBK athletic banquet. I am still so proud of my teammates Ally Lassen, Amy Oneill, and Dana DiRenzo for winning well-deserved awards on this night! The banquet was so much fun and we got to enjoy the night with all of the other teams.

May

• May was spent trying to cross off the last few things on our NYC bucket lists and saying final goodbyes. A lot of these days were spent at my favorite restaurant in Brooklyn (Fornino’s) and having a bunch of picnics in Brooklyn Bridge park.
• May 2nd: Said goodbye to Aussie #1. We saw Jade off to the airport as she was headed to spend her summer at home in Adelaide before returning to Brooklyn for her senior year. This was the first of many hard goodbyes this month!

• May 17th – 19th: More visitors! My brother, William, and his girlfriend, Mandy, came to NYC for a weekend. We saw Chicago on Broadway, walked through central park, and spent a night at Brooklyn Brewery.

• May 23rd: I graduated! This was such a special day. My genius best friend, Dana, was the Valedictorian. Coach Thurston, who recruited our senior class, was able to come to the ceremony and celebrate with us after. Etta Andersen, who was an old teammate of ours also came the whole way from Denmark. And of course, my parents were there too. On this day, I had to say goodbye to some of my closest friends.
• May 24th: Left Brooklyn. On this morning, Amy (Aussie #2), Dana, Ally, myself and all of our families went to breakfast. I remember standing in front of St. Francis after, saying goodbye to them and exchanging long hugs. I think I cried for at least the first hour of the car ride back home (and we all have proof from Snapchat that Ally cried the whole way back to Penn Station on the subway). I know that I will see my friends again someday, but it was hard to say goodbye knowing that some of them live on the opposite side of the world.

June

• June 20th: Lost one of my biggest fans – Pap Bill. He had been struggling with Parkinson’s disease for the past few years and passed away in June. Our family misses him more and more each day and it seems like all we can do is think about him and wish that he could be with us, but we know he is somewhere in heaven smiling. I think that I ended up in Ireland for a reason, as this is where Pap Bill’s “Flynn” roots are from. He was a proud Irish man, so his gravestone is decorated beautifully with a Celtic cross and shamrocks. We always had a special connection because of basketball and I think about him often. I wish that I could tell him about my experience here… I know he would love it!

• June 28th – July 1st: Spent a week in the Great Smokey Mountains. I had an amazing trip with my boyfriend Brett’s family, the Laffoon’s, in Tennessee. It was beautiful and we got to do some pretty cool stuff like zip line through the mountains, taste a bunch of moonshine, go on a few hikes, and walk across the Gatlinburg Sky Bridge.

July

• July 1st – July 3rd: Went to Nashville. Brett and I spent the last few days of our vacation in Nashville. We ate some great fried chicken, listened to plenty of live music, and I got to catch up with an old childhood old friend.

• July 28th: Celebrated a tradition with my BFF. It is a long standing tradition for me and my best friend, Emma Mull, to celebrate our birthdays at the Grand Concourse Sunday Brunch in Station Square with our families. Emma and I were born three days a part and have been best friends since 3rd grade. Our birthdays are in March, but due to college we had to postpone this year’s brunch until July.

August

• August 2nd – 4th: Went to Hershey Park. Another postponed birthday event… For my birthday, Brett took me to Hershey Park for a weekend! We went to the amusement park until it started raining and spent the next day at the chocolate factory.
• August 19th: Officially started my journey to Ireland. I took a detour on my way to JFK airport and stopped in Brooklyn to see my friends/former teammates, Ally and Abby. I spent the night with them before heading to the airport the next morning to catch my flight to Dublin. (A long few days of travel all explained here)
• August 21st – August 31st: Spent a week in Belfast for SCL orientation. Upon our arrival in Ireland, we were invited to Belfast, where SCL is headquartered, for an introduction week. I got to meet all of the other scholars and staff, started getting involved in the community, and got to see some of Belfast.

September

• • September 1st – 3rd: Explored my new home. Michael and I were greeted in Waterford by our coaches, Jillian and Mick. We were welcomed to the Pepper’s house for our first meal and I met up with all of the Wildcats later that night at Geoff’s. After my first few days in Waterford, I was able to check out the city! (All the details from this day are here)
  • September 18th: Went to Dublin for the league launch. I spent a day in Dublin with tons of players from around the league. We got to do a photoshoot and draw games for the Cup. (All the details from this day are here)
  • September 28th: Scott and Rachel got married. One thing that I had to sacrifice by coming to Ireland for a year was missing a lot of important moments with my family. I was meant to be a bridesmaid in my cousin Scott’s wedding this year, but was not able to make it. Me and my cousins are extremely close so it was hard not being there. However, these two were so understanding and I am glad that Rachel is finally officially a part of the family!

• • September 29th: Played in my first Super League basketball game. We started off the season strong with a win over Carlow and I got to play against a friend from home and Victory Scholar, Kaitlyn Slagus.

October

• October 14th: Gave the Posset’s a tour of Waterford. Lexi and her grandparents came to visit me! (More details from this day are here)
• October 29th: Ella turned one! I am obsessed with my baby cousin and hate that I am missing seeing her grow up this year. I mean come on look how cute she is. We FaceTime about once a week so that this little girl can remember who her favorite cousin is 😉 I also attended her first birthday party via FaceTime.

Baby Ella

November

• November 16th: Had an epic/stressful night in Dublin. After a great win offer Liffey Celtics, Jas and I decided to stay over night in Dublin and do some shopping the following day. Long story short, Jas forgot her wallet on a bus on our way in to the city and we somehow managed to get it back within an hour or so. Oh, and the hotel reservations were all messed up somehow we ended up staying somewhere pretty fancy by accident. It was pretty crazy.
• November 28th: Celebrated Thanksgiving, Irish style. Even though Thanksgiving is an American tradition, my coaches made sure I felt right at home. (If you want to know why I have so many things to be thankful for this year, check here)

December

• December 6th – 8th: Missed the 5th annual NYC trip. When I started college in Brooklyn, my mom and her sisters would bring my cousin Lauren up to NYC for a weekend around Christmas time. We usually go shopping and go see the Rockettes. Even though I don’t live there anymore, the tradition continued this year and the group got a lot bigger… even my dad and grandma went!
• December 17th: Finished my first semester of grad school. I am very excited to be done with a long, difficult, time consuming semester! However, my program at WIT has been very enjoyable. I get to work with other students from all around the world.

• • December 18th – January 1st: Traveling to four different countries and many different cities. These 2 weeks will deserve their own blog post! A few of the other scholars and I have planned a two-week trip around Europe – from Ireland to Denmark, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Hungary. I am SO excited to see the world and visit a few friends along the way!

I am looking forward to enjoying these last few weeks of 2019 and am excited to see what 2020 brings!

This past week my club—Moycullen—picked up a big league win against Templeogue. This win moves us to 3-6 on the year. While this record isn’t great, the result this week was huge for our young team’s confidence and competitiveness going forward.

We are a very young team. Some of our main contributors also star on our club’s U20 side. As a young team that is trying to claw its way up from the bottom of the table, our habits and practices tend to ebb and flow based on a number of different variables. Sometimes we only have half the team at a practice, sometimes our practices breakdown because tempers flare, sometimes our practices miss the mark and the drills we do don’t align with our issues during the game, but more than anything we tend to be up or down depending on our result the week before.

This is one of my biggest concerns; we can’t afford to only have good practices after a win. We simply will not be as good as we can be if we do this, and there is nothing in the world more frustrating than underperforming.

One of my former coaches recently shared a tweet with a quote from Jay Bilas that I think really applies to our club: “Tough players hate losing but are not shaken or deterred by a loss. Tough players enjoy winning but are never satisfied. For tough players, a championship or a trophy is not a goal; it is a destination. The goal is to get better every day.”

Mental toughness is such a key part of developing as a basketball player, and this season has put my toughness to a test. But, the toughest part for me hasn’t been a test of my personal toughness. Rather, the biggest challenge I have faced this season has been trying to find ways that I can help the club as a whole get better every day.

After a win like we had last week, my job is easy. Everyone is in a good mood. People are excited to come to practice and bring a lot of energy to everything we do. The challenge comes after tough losses. How can we keep the energy up? How can we key in our mistakes from the week before without being overly critical or singling individuals out? How can I help us get better?

The easy answer is to lead by example: Getting extra shots up with someone after training, or working with our coach to help plan targeted practices to help us improve. The hard answer has been to really focus on the individual relationships that create our team dynamic as a whole. I have been learning that not everyone needs the same thing to motivate them, but as a team we need everyone to be motivated.

As I continue my career in basketball, these are some of the things that I want to begin to think about as I think about potentially continuing on as a coach. But for now, I am still trying to get to know my teammates better; I am trying to win our game this weekend against Eanna, but more than anything I am trying to get better every day.

Several weeks back, my family flew from the U.S. to come visit my new home in Waterford for Thanksgiving. I must say, being away from home for so long made me cherish every second we spent together. Growing up, I was always surrounded by my brothers and parents, and it was difficult to appreciate the moments we shared. But as we’ve grown older and moved out of the house (and, in my case, out of the country), we rarely spend time with all five of us together.

On Thanksgiving day, all five of us headed to Dunmore East to walk the cliffs. It was an absolute blast. The weather held strong as we experienced the beauty of the Irish coastline.

The Vikings hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for my family on Thursday night at the Mansion House. The majority of the club – including parents, coaches, and players – attended the dinner. My family was blown away by their gracious hospitality. It was a unique experience to see my new friends meet my brothers and parents. At one point during the dinner, I realized that Jack was missing from the table. As I walked across the bar into the back room, I soon found him sprawled out on a couch in the corner, fast asleep. The time zone change had clearly taken its toll. Me and PGrass got a kick out of that.

Now, please bear with me as I rant about how thankful I am for my family.

JGrass – I’ll start with you. I’ve looked up to you my entire life. You motivated me throughout my childhood. It’s amazing to reminisce on the countless memories we shared playing one-on-one in our driveway. More times than not, the intensity of our games drew the neighbors outside to watch us play. While I was a better basketball player than you (haha), you used to always beat me in one-on-one. But as I got older and started to beat you more often, our driveway turned into a battlefield. We would argue about foul calls and wrestle each other for any loose ball. When one of us finally lost, the loser would angrily retort, “Don’t go inside. We’re playing another game.”

I credit anything I’ve achieved athletically to you, Patch, and Dad. I would not be standing in Ireland today without the countless hours we spent working out with each other, or the confidence you instilled in me when I had none in myself.

Dad – I can count on one hand the amount of games you missed throughout high school and college. This is crazy to think about, given that Hamilton is nearly a five-hour drive from our home in Winchester. Your dedication and support for me is truly remarkable. It’s something that I aspire to do for my kids later in life. The one thing I will always respect about you is your career transition nearly 15 years ago. After years of working egregious hours as a lawyer, you decided to switch jobs to become a public school teacher. The decision you made wasn’t about money, status, or anything else – it was about your kids. You wanted to be around to coach, mentor, and watch us grow. I can’t thank you enough for all the sacrifices you made – and continue to make – to be there for us. This is something that separates you from a hell of a lot of dads out there.

PGrass – the youngest Grassey brother – thank you for being walking content. There’s no other way to describe you. Amazingly, my bond with you was formed off the basketball court. One thing that’s unique about PGrass is his uncanny ability to light up a room with sarcastic banter. It’s impossible to get through an entire family dinner without at least one smug remark from him. Your sense of humor always makes Jack and I laugh our asses off, while mom and dad shake their heads. Keep killing it at Fordham, kid content. And keep making us smile.

Don’t worry T, I’m not leaving you out of this blog. Mom – thank you for being the spiritual cornerstone for our family. Your love and sacrifice for us is incredibly rare, and it is deeply appreciated. You are nothing short of an inspiration to your three sons. Above all, the most amazing quality you possess is your selflessness. TCK, you never put yourself ahead of anyone else. Your willingness to provide for others is the glue that holds our family together.

I can’t wait to see you all for Christmas in just 10 days!

Well, my first experience of watching Pioneer basketball as an alumni came last week, and it was much different than what I had expected. That whole day I was excited to watch the Pioneers kick off their season, but didn’t really expect it to be as difficult and weird as it was for me. While it was tough to balance the less than spotty wifi here at Jordanstown and stay up for 1am tip off, the difficulty I speak of goes much deeper than that.

It is really hard to put into words what Marietta, and Marietta basketball in specific, meant to me. Maybe, staying up for 1am would give a brief idea. It is quite easy for me to say, however, that my experience at Marietta was a complete dream come true, and that I came to love the community, people, institution, and basketball program as a whole. I knew this while I was there, but being away from there has given me a greater appreciation of just how special of a place it is. I can truly say that I do miss Marietta and all of the people there, and because of this, it was tough watching the game from my room here and not being able to be there. It was tough not being able to see my teammates, coaches, foster families, and others. It was weird not being inside the locker room before the game, and then running out of the tunnel with my teammates for the first time in 4 years.

Despite all of this though, the game also made me reminisce in a positive light as well. It made me look back on the good times I had there, and life long relationships that I built. It also made me look back and realize just how fortunate I was to be a part of the program, community, and institution. All things that I will certainly cherish for the rest of my life.

Focusing more on the game though, it’s safe to say that it would have been funny to be a fly on my wall that night. This is because my feelings of sorrow and remembrance quickly seemed to subside and turn into pure excitement and joy as the game rolled on. Joy and excitement that could be seen and heard by me fist pumping and shouting throughout the game. Even at points, yelling out things that players should probably do or plays they were running throughout the game like they could hear me 2,000 miles away. I can now honestly see why games were so stressful, but exciting at the same time for my family the last 4 years.

In conclusion though, the Pio’s cruised to a big victory that night and are off to a really hot start this year. They are currently sitting at 6-0 and ranked #7 in the country; something I couldn’t be more proud of. Since that first night, I have tuned into all, but one of their games this season. I fully intend on tuning into as many games as possible the rest of the way, and hopefully bringing them some of this so-called Irish luck. One thing’s for sure, as well, they will have one very proud and pretty groggy fan cheering them on from Belfast all year. Go Pio’s!!

Looking back to 2019, this past year was by far the best year I’ve had from start to finish. During this past 12 months, I have traveled to so many different places, moved to Dublin Ireland, and started the next journey of my life. In this blog, I’m going to breakdown the main highlights of my life of each month in 2019!

January- It was my 22nd Birthday. My college teammates threw me a surprise birthday party at my favorite restaurant.

February- I met 2 basketball All-Stars, Karl Anthony Towns and Derrick Rose. Both play in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves!

March- MARCH MADNESS! I had senior night game in college, and I had over 30 family members in town for the game. I played in the Big 12 championship game and made it to the NCAA tournament.

April- Free time. Not being a Division 1 Athlete anymore and it was the first time in a long time that I didn’t have practice, weights, or team obligations.

May- Graduation. No better feeling than walking across that stage and getting my diploma surrounded by family, friends, coaches, and teammates.

June- St Louis, Missouri. Where my family reunion is at every year. This year was even more special because over 60 family members attended. We went to Six Flags and spent so much time catching up and exploring in the city with my older cousins.

July- Girls trip to Minnesota. My college friends and I took a weekend trip to Minnesota. We went shopping and walked around the city! It was a much-needed girls’ weekend!

August- Moving to Ireland. I moved to Ireland to get my masters, continue playing the sport I love, join the Sport Changes Life program.

September- New friends. Other Victory Scholars came to Dublin for a weekend and I got the chance to finally catch up and spend an “off” weekend together in a beautiful city in Ireland!

October- My niece being born on October 27th. I can’t wait to get home Christmas break and meet her and spoil her this Christmas!

November- Advancing to the cup semi- finals. My team, DCU Mercy beat Carlow in the quarterfinals to advance to the semi- finals in January in Cork Ireland!

December- Completed my first semester towards a master’s in Business Management.

I’m very excited for what is coming in 2020, stay tuned for future updates!

This past week I finally started to feel better. I’m still not at 100% and I won’t be able to get back on the court until Christmas time but I’m so glad to not be sleeping a ton and actually being able to go back to school. It’s very cliche to say but I’m so glad to be feeling better now and you never appreciate how nice it is to not be sick. It’s just nice to be back still not 100% but close enough for me.

Anyway, I’m currently in the middle of finals which for Reece and I we both have 3 presentations and a report due this week. It’s a fair amount of work but I have good time management skills so I’m not too concerned. We also have our research proposal as well too which I’m excited to share what I’m going to be proposing for my thesis. But overall I’m looking forward to finishing the school semester strong and getting some well deserved time at home for a few days. I’m also really excited to see my mom for my birthday and hers as well too. I’m also really excited to see my cat, WInky. I have not seen her in 4 months and her and I were really close last year when I was living in Virginia. Overall, it will be some well deserved time at home but I look forward to coming back to Limerick after a few days back home and enjoying the rest of my time here in Ireland. 

Today someone asked me what my favorite thing about living in Waterford is. I knew what the answer was right away. I explained to him that the people I have met here are by far the best part of this city. I am extremely thankful for the everyone around me!

I’m used to being away from home for Thanksgiving. I haven’t been able to celebrate with my family for the past few years because it always falls in the middle of basketball season. However, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by people who always make me feel at home around the holidays. In college, we would usually play in a Thanksgiving tournament. Over the years, my teammates families would host a Thanksgiving dinner for our team. Thank you to the Derda’s, Hickman’s, and Coach T’s family for welcoming us into your homes and giving us a Thanksgiving feast! This incredible sense of hospitality hasn’t changed since I arrived in Ireland.

Sport Changes Life was generous enough to host a Thanksgiving dinner for all of the scholars in Belfast, but unfortunately due to exams and games I wasn’t able to make it up there. However, my coaches Jillian and Trish hosted an amazing, delicious Thanksgiving dinner for our entire Wildcats team. Myself and Jas Walker are the only Americans, but it was really nice that our entire team took the time to celebrate our traditions with us. They went out of their way to make sure that we got our turkey and stuffing, and even decorated the house with American flags. It was a great night and I can’t thank them enough for everything they did.

I am also thankful for FaceTime, because every Thanksgiving I get passed around the dinner table at home and get to talk to everyone in my family. Even though I’m not physically able to be there, it is still nice to hear their voices and see their faces. While it is hard to be away from my family during the holidays, it’s comforting to know that I have a family in Waterford, too, that is always taking care of me ❤️

Well this is my last week of school and I am so ready for Christmas break!! Unfortunately, LYIT has exam week after Christmas in January, so I’ll have to try and study a bit for my two exams…but other than that I am almost HOME FREE!

Except…I’m not going home for Christmas. This will be the first year EVER that I will not be at our annual Christmas Eve party, I won’t be able to eat the amazing food that we have, I won’t see my family in person, and I won’t open presents on Christmas morning with my parents, Mommom, JD and Leah. I also won’t be able to see our HUGE Christmas tree that my dad finds every year (much to the dismay of my Mom, but hey – it’s our signature!) I know, I know, this all sounds very sad and depressing and I will definitely feel a little homesick. HOWEVER, I will Facetime everyone on Christmas Eve/Day and I will definitely be making up for it with my exciting Christmas travel plans!

DiRenzo Christmas Tree 2018

JD & Leah on Christmas Eve 2018

Living in Ireland as a Sport Changes Life Victory Scholar has given me great opportunities to travel as we are right on the doorstep to mainland Europe. Flights are cheap and – lucky for me – I have tons of international friends that I met at St. Francis College! Without further ado, here are my Christmas 2019 travel plans:

#1: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

December 17^th-20^th: We will be in Denmark hosted by my great Danish friend, Etta Andersen!! And I KNOW that Etta will show us a good time..she is really great craic! So fellow scholar, Carson Long, and I will be travelling together to Denmark on the 17^th to meet up with Etta after she finishes her exam. And then my other fellow scholar/SFC roommate/BESTIE, Maria Palarino, will be meeting us here the next day and will continue on with us for the next adventures!

#2: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

December 20^th-23^rd: I will be celebrating my 23^rd birthday (on Dec. 21^st) in the beautiful Prague! The Christmas markets there look amazing and I also heard the pints might be pretty cheap 😉 I’d say that sounds like a pretty cool way to celebrate my “Jordan” year!

#3: ROME, ITALY

December 23^rd-26^th: So, I thought since I won’t be home with my family in America on Christmas, it would be cool to trace back to my family roots and celebrate in Rome, where my ancestors are from. Hopefully, I can connect with my family members still living there and get to meet them in person! Either way, if we can’t be home for Christmas, I’d say Rome is a pretty good alternative! Another fellow scholar, Lexi Posset, will be joining Carson, Maria and I at this part of the trip. Sadly, we’ll lose Carson on the 26^th, but we’ll have enough fun to last him through the New Year!

#4 TURIN, COMO, & VERONA – ITALY

December 26^th-29^th: As I said before, I’m very lucky to have met some amazing friends at SFC that just so happen to live in other countries! I am SO excited that our Italian soccer buddies are going to be home over Christmas so we can all reunite and see their hometowns!! After Rome, we’ll meet up with our personal tour guides: Matteo Caribotti, Marco Torriani, Andrea Lubbia, and Edo Belfanti. Maria and I are SO excited to see our Italian besties and have some real parmesan cheese! 😬

L to R: Edo, Me, Matteo, Maria, Marco at SFC Athletic Banquet 2019

L to R: Edo, Andrea, Maria, Me, Matteo, Marco at some club

#5 BUDAPEST, HUNGARY:

December 29^th-January 1^st: We will finish our Italian tour in Verona where Edo lives, then Matteo, Marco, Maria, Lexi and I will make our way to Budapest to celebrate the New Year! MORE fellow scholars, Kollyns Scarbrough and Kyle Dixon will also be joining us here, so we’ll have a nice group together and have a ton of fun!

I’d say this plan will set the stage for a pretty unforgettable Christmas experience! I am counting down the days until I can see all of my great friends from SFC and spend time with my new ones from SCL! Any travel tips/suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated by the way!!

Traveler Tip #18:

Ryanair is an awesome airline to use for travelling around Europe – cheap, easy, and has great deals!

To be continued…

-Dana D.

There’s just no other feeling like winning a championship whether you’re a player or a coach. Today was a big game day for the Tyndall College boys U16 and U19 teams… it was their league finals day and they could not have been more excited. Talking with Ally, their head coach, she was telling me about how each of the past few years they have always made it to the final game but they have always lost by just a few points. This year, I didn’t want to see that happen again.

From playing in college, I know there is no better feeling than winning a championship. Winning a championship is a moment that makes you realize how all the hours and hard work you put into it was all worth it and it is a moment you never forget. Being an athlete you have to sacrifice a lot with all of the hours you spend training and getting ready for games. Two out of the four year at Bucknell I had been so blessed to have been able to play in the championship game. When that game day finally arrives, you have to trust that all of the work you have put in was all worth it.

Working with the boys’ basketball team at Tyndall College and seeing how hard they worked every training session, I knew they were ready for the game and they were going to be just fine. When we arrived at the gym, the U19 girl’s final was just finishing and as the final buzzer went off and the winning team rushed the court to join their teammates, it brought back a lot of great memories of that moment I had back in March. Now it was our turn but this time I was stuck on the sidelines. First the U16’s played and needless to say they controlled the whole game.

It was a bittersweet game for one of the players Miguel as that was going to be his final game with the team and is heading back home to Spain in a couple weeks. Miguel controlled the whole game and at the end was awarded with MVP. One thing about him was that he not only leads his team to the championship, but during his short time in Ireland, he helped his who team get better and Tyndall U16 will definitely miss him in the All Irelands.

The final game of the day was the U19 boys and there was nothing that was going to deny them from winning the championship this year. In the final two minutes of the game, one of the players who does not always get much court time got in and hit a three pointer. Seeing the smile on his face and how happy his teammates were for him made me think back to how much of an impact not only sports can have on people but also being a part of a team.

Getting to know and work with each of these boys has been such a rewarding experience and I could not have been more grateful for that.

As the semester is coming to an end, so is one of our community involvement programs known as Honor Roll. Honor Roll is a program where scholars give their time out of the week to visit a local school to teach life lessons and skills to prepare them for life. What’s an engaging program without a variety of sports and games? Now all of the pics below are shown in the gym/sports hall but we spent valuable time in the classroom with the kids beforehand. We spent 8 weeks with the school next door to Carlow IT and it was a fun and insightful 8 weeks. The first week we introduced ourselves, told them how we got here, and our purpose over the next 2 months. The first visit they were quite shy but by the 3rd visit, they were practically very comfortable with us. They were definitely an energetic bunch. Throughout the 8 weeks, we gave lessons on hopes and fears, nutrition, staying safe online, peer pressure, what victory is, goal setting, and ended the last week with a celebration with snacks and of course, sports and games.

Throughout the 8 weeks, we noticed many different changes within the kids. Some started off with little manners to showing the utmost respect every visit. It was interesting to hear the kids’ hopes, dreams, and goals. They’ve got big plans. The sports and games happened after lessons in the classroom but it surely served its purpose due to the simple fact that kids need to exert all of their energy into some physical activity. Just as we taught the kids new games, they taught us Olympic handball. It’s a pretty intense game.The kids were very bright. Each and every one of them is destined for greatness. We wanted to make sure they knew that and encouraged them to stay on that right path that will take them where they wanna go.The sad part is that we will never fully know how much of an impact we have made while we are here. Though, there is a sense of satisfaction knowing that they were exposed to lessons that will prepare them for success in the future.

In only four months of being here, I have…

1. learned
2. gone on adventures
3. met many people
4. challenged myself
5. experienced new and other cultures
6. opened my mind
7. impacted and changed the lives of others
8. become more independent
9. grown as an individual
10. and most importantly I have taken chances

“When it feels scary to jump, that is exactly when you jump, otherwise you end up staying in the same place your whole life.” So thank you SCL for giving me the opportunity to let me jump all the way from America to Ireland. It has been an amazing ride.

This past week, I was fortunate enough to have my family visit me for Thanksgiving. While I have been thoroughly enjoying my time in Ireland so far, I would be lying if I said I did not miss home or my family. It was an incredible week full of adventure, as we had the opportunity to visit many destinations I haven’t even visited yet.

My parents arrived early on a Saturday following an overnight flight from New York. I had plenty of time to show them around Cork despite them suffering from severe jet lag. Additionally, they had the opportunity to watch me coach Neptune’s U18B team for the first time. They said they were reminded of the younger days when I would play at the local recreation center back in my hometown, which is very accurate considering how similar to two gyms look. In the evening, our team had a big match against the Belfast Star. We had a dramatic 4th quarter comeback to push our record to 7-2. Despite playing one of my worst games of the season, it was great to have my parents back in the stands to support.

Later in the week, we had plenty of time to take advantage of the beautiful scenery throughout the country. My girlfriend and brother also came a few days later following my parent’s arrival, who were also eager to begin exploring. We visited many destinations including Blarney Castle, Killarney National Park, the Cliffs of Moher, Nohoval Cove, the Titanic Experience in Cobh, Kinsale, Rock of Cashel, and Dublin. It was awesome to experience all of these places with my family, and a major shoutout to last year’s Victory Scholar Tricia for all of the great recommendations.

The week ended with a National Cup quarterfinal game in Dublin versus the DCU Saints. Our team had an impressive second half which solidified our spot in the semi-finals. According to my teammates, it is a great basketball weekend in Cork since all of the Cup games are played in the city. We are stoked to be apart of the action this year and hope to keep building on our momentum. Overall, it was a great week and I cannot thank my family enough for making the trip out here!

P.S. I was definitely disappointed that I wasn’t able to make the trip up to Belfast for the SCL Thanksgiving. I am thankful for everyone who has made this program possible and can’t wait to hopefully see you all soon!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and this year I am especially thankful for my family. This past weekend I was lucky enough to have my mom, sister, and friend (basically sister) come over and spend their holiday here in Dublin. We had an amazing time, and I was so happy to get a little feeling of home this holiday. 

We had an amazing weekend filled with beautiful sights. First, we rented a car to make the drive up to Belfast for the SCL Thanksgiving get together. I was tasked with driving, which was scary. Driving on the other side of the road is one thing, but driving on the other side of the road on tiny coastal highways that barely squeeze a car in each lane is terrifying. But, we did get to see some beautiful sights, so I don’t regret a second of it. 

On our ride up we stopped in Carlingford and Newcastle. We only stopped at each for about 15 minutes, but they were both beautiful. They were small coastal towns with a beautiful landscape.

When we got to Belfast, we had a nice dinner with the SCL family, and got to hangout with most of the scholars which was awesome. We also got to stop by the Belfast Christmas Market, which was so cute and festive. The next day we started off by driving up the Antrim Coast, seeing the beautiful sights over the water. We then went to the Carrick a Rege Rope Bridge at the top of Northern Ireland. This was pretty scary, especially because the girl in front of us wanted to shake the bridge, but it was an amazing experience. 

The rest of the weekend was spent in basketball gyms and Dublin Pubs, making memories that I will cherish forever. I’m so thankful that my family could make it over, and that I could show them my home away from home. 

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I was lucky enough to be able to spend it with my Sport Changes Life Family up in Belfast. It was so nice to see all those involved with the program, including the Victory Scholars. Although not everyone was available to make it, it was still so much fun to see those who could come. It wasn’t with my actual family, but being able to gather with a group of people I care about and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal (nontraditional, but still delicious), is what Thanksgiving is all about.

I loved hanging out with my Irish family, and it made me feel a little more at home. Speaking of home, I guess my cousins were missing me too, because they photoshopped me into the annual cousin picture this year (and added an extra 4 or 5 inches to my cousin Mandy but who’s counting?).

After Thanksgiving dinner, The other Victory Scholars and I enjoyed a nice night on the town, where we got to catch up and have some fun.  It was a blast, and I hope we can all get together again soon!

Cheers,

Morgan

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and I sit here and reflect on how every year I always have so much to be thankful for, but this year, I am extra thankful. After not having been home for Thanksgiving to be with my family for the holiday in a few years due to my college basketball schedule, this year, my family came to Ireland!

When I left back in August, Thanksgiving felt like a long time away. But now, looking back, the time has flown and I cannot believe in a few more short weeks, I will already be heading home for Christmas.

As we head into this holiday season, we are also wrapping up our Honor Roll program. Over the past 10 weeks, we have spent a lot of time over at Tyndall College getting to know some of the students. Although some weeks they challenged us more than others, today, as we celebrated everything we have done with them, we went over all the topic and I was surprised by how much they retained. But I guess having “The Americans” talking to you and spending time getting to know you can be sort of fun!

So this Thanksgiving, I am extra thankful to have had the opportunity to meet and hopefully have an impact on these students… because they surely have had an impact on me!

Last weekend, the Limerick Sport Eagles were on the road. We had to travel cross country, and literally into a different country, for our Saturday game up in Belfast against Ulster University.

The trip up to Belfast wasn’t too bad. We left Saturday morning around 10am for a 5:15pm tip-off. The drive was about 4 hours, and an extra hour or so was added by stopping to eat lunch. We arrived in Belfast with plenty of time to get ready to play.

The game itself was a fun one. Not only were we squaring off against fellow scholars Kyle and Kadeem, the game turned out to be a wild one. It was back and forth throughout the whole game, and ended up going into overtime. After some big plays down the stretch by the Sport Eagles, we were able to come up with the close overtime win.

After the game we were able to catch up with all the Ulster scholars, and have a chat about how things were going. It was interesting that while we are all enjoying ourselves, we found out that our experiences are a lot different. I’m excited to hear about how everyone else is doing this week when we all return to Belfast to celebrate Thanksgiving!

The next day turned out to be a long one, of using a combination of buses and trains to get back to Limerick. While it’s only a 4 hour drive to Belfast, we found out taking the public transportation takes a little bit longer. We left Ulster to head into Belfast around 1pm. We took the train in, then had a quick stop at Boojum for lunch. We then barely caught the bus from Belfast to Dublin around 2:30pm. This was when we got unlucky as our bus was delayed in Dublin for well over an hour. Finally, around 7pm, we were able to board the bus to head back from Dublin to Limerick. Hopefully I get a bit luckier this week with my travel to and from Belfast!

Thanks for tuning in, tune in next time for another episode!

I recently stumbled across a cool article titled “Sligo is Quickly Becoming the Trendiest Foodie Spot in Ireland” and this couldn’t be further from the truth. People who know me and have spent any amount of time with me know that I love eating. I eat anything, anytime and anywhere. Going along with that, I love exploring new restaurants and trying new food. Sligo hasn’t disappointed. I’ve had some great meals during my time here and have a list of food places I need to try before my time here is up. Luckily, my teammates always make great recommendations and enjoy eating as much as I do so it makes it fairly easy to cross those places off of the list.

It’s tough to choose which meal or restaurant is my favorite, but I would ultimately choose FlipSide. This burger place is unreal. Some of the food they serve is extremely creative and most importantly tastes amazing. My go to meal there is the dictator spicy chicken burger with fries on the side, hits the spot every time. Rather than telling you about some of the food I’ve had here, I’ll show you through pictures.  My advice to anybody traveling abroad or interested in trying various foods would be “If it looks good, eat it.”

Warning: Looking at these pictures might make you extremely hungry. 

Hey everyone, unfortunately it’s been a rough week or so as I have just found out that I have mono. This illness means that I have to rest and sleep a ton for 4-6 weeks. The doctors told me that if I tried to come back too early from this then it could rupture my spleen and I could be in recovery mode for an even longer period of time. Anyway, this has been rough for me as I’m currently taking medicine every 6 hours of the day. And I’ve been sleeping as much as 18 hours per day. That’s a lot more beauty rest than I ever thought I would have needed. However, there have been some really nice factors while I have been sick and in the hospital. One example is the amount of people that have checked up on me or reached out to me while I have been sick. It is very heartwarming. 

So anyway, I chose to write this blog post to thank all of the people that were constantly checking up on me while I was in the hospital. Starting off, I want to thank Sam Woodside for checking in on me. He sent me a text and asked how I was feeling/what he could do to help and I really appreciated that. Next, the nurses at LIT were constantly asking Wayne and the hospital how I was doing and what they could do to make this situation easier. Those nurses truly went above and beyond what was expected of them. Then I want to give a huge shoutout to two girls who Reece and I coach on the LIT women’s college basketball team and they are Liv and Clare. Liv and Clare visited me on Thursday and that cheered me up tremendously. They spent around an hour and a half with me and that put me in such a better mood. It meant a lot to me. After them, I just wanted to say how much I really appreciated my two coaches for reaching out to me and asking me how I was doing. In particular Matt Hall was amazing in the way that he was constantly checking up on me. Lastly, my roommates were incredibly supportive of me and checking up on me but overall, I feel extremely lucky to have had Wayne Fanning watching over me this past week. If it had not been for his help I honestly do not know how I would have been. He made such a difference to me this past week. And I also know that my family also really appreciates how helpful he was to me this past week. He brought me candy, fruit, jokes and other sorts of things but his company was what I really appreciated overall. 

So anyway, I am on the road to recovery and hopefully in about two weeks or so I should be a lot better.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, we thought it would be a nice idea to have a little Shalom House Family dinner last night. We’re all going to be busy the next few weeks and before we know it, it’s going to be Christmas break! So, last night was perfect for us all to get together and have one more fam dinner before we go our separate ways for a little bit.

This year will mark the 5^th year that I haven’t been home for Thanksgiving. I was always away each year playing basketball with SFBKWBB in some pretty cool places! BTW, the featured image of this post is the annual Thanksgiving Snapchat of the talented Lorraine Hickman (feat. Kat Phipps and Maria Palarino). As a team, we played tournaments in Vermont, Colorado, and Florida, and celebrated Thanksgiving with families who so kindly offered to invite us into their homes and make us dinner (shout out to the Derda’s in Vermont and Coach T’s daughter and family in Colorado!) And of course, I can’t go without giving a HUGE shout out to the Hickman family for inviting us over every year to their house in Long Island for a huge feast! Mr. and Mrs. Hickman were amazing hosts and always made sure we had MORE than enough to eat. They even had to-go boxes for us so we could take leftovers back to the dorms, which would last us for days! We always loved going to their house as a team and seeing their two dogs, Murph and Seamus (pictured below). I also dedicate this part of the blog to Murph, who recently passed away. RIP Murph, you made us all smile every time we walked into your house!

Although I had some nice experiences the past few years away from home, I think it’s safe to say that I am really excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with my own family next year and with my Mom’s amazing cooking!

So, no one really understands or celebrates Thanksgiving here in Ireland, but our dinner last night kind of felt like our own take on the American holiday! We decided that we’d all contribute something different to the table: Kaylee made her signature salad, Léonie and Anna made a cheesy sweet potato dish (I think they called it some kind of gratin? Not exactly sure but it was really good!), Dom bought some nice garlic bread, and I decided to attempt my Dad’s famous lasagna recipe (and bake a dessert, of course). Anyone who comes to our house on Christmas Eve and has tasted my Dad’s lasagna knows it’s AMAZING. So, I knew trying to replicate it would be a challenge, but I did my best! Although Ireland doesn’t have the exact ingredients we’d use at home (Sorry, I can’t give away his secrets), I worked with what I had and actually made a pretty darn good lasagna if I do say so myself! (See before and after pictures below)

I felt a bit of nostalgia as I was preparing the lasagna and assembling it in the baking pan. Kaylee had also put on some Christmas music while we were cooking, which made things even more nostalgic! Each year before Thanksgiving, we’d pick a day to make our lasagna. We’d make one for Thanksgiving and freeze another one for Christmas Eve. I always looked forward to this day because JD, Leah, and I had so much fun helping my parents in the kitchen with our lasagnas. Plus, I knew it was getting closer to Christmas time (my favorite holiday) and my birthday, so it was always a great memory for me!

Fun Fact: My parents surprised me and JD one year on Thanksgiving and told us that we were going to have a new little sister. When they told us, my brother ran downstairs all excited and brought up one of my dolls from the basement. He said we were going to call the new baby Jessica. I guess that name wasn’t a fan-favorite, so she was named Leah instead. Maybe next time, JD! Pictured below: Leah and I goofing around on our lasagna-making day one year😝

Back to our dinner last night, we all gathered around the table once everything was ready and said a few words of thanks before digging in! The meal was delicious and we all had a good time just sitting around and talking. Then for dessert, I made chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies. Now let me tell you, it has been a bit of a challenge trying to bake here. Since baking requires precision and measurements, I’ve found myself having to Google a lot of translations between cups, milliliters, grams, etc. And if that isn’t annoying enough, we have a fan-assisted oven (aka a convection oven) in degrees Celsius! So, I also had to figure out how to adjust the heat and baking time for this kind of oven AND change the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius. THE STRUGGLE! However, I can proudly say that I have conquered the measuring/temperature differences here and can resume my baking talents. I have to say, I was feeling pretty proud of myself when Léonie said that the cookie I made was one of the TOP THREE cookies she’s ever had! Not too shabby😉

So, our dinner was definitely a success, but I do have another one to look forward to this week on the actual day of Thanksgiving (Thursday, the 28^th) with my Sport Changes Life Family in Belfast! I’m so excited to catch up with all of the other scholars and have some great craic😊

Traveler Tip #17

The other night, my teammate Ash bought something from a shop that she thought was “too dear.” This means it was expensive! Apparently, it’s a pretty common phrase here that we should have known by now (thanks Shannon and Ash!)

Until next time👋🏼

-Dana D.

My time here has been nothing but enjoyment. I can feel myself growing as an individual. Becoming more comfortable with who I am and what I want in life. Beginning to realize who my true friends are and who isn’t. But, most importantly, I am for the first time in a while, happy and content with my life. Ireland has taught me to enjoy the present, forget about the past, and prepare the future.

With this being said, I wanna write about some important people in my life. Some people I have met in Ireland that have changed my life for the better and who are the reasons I am beginning to shape into the person I want to be. Karlee and Aryn, thank you. You both have truly impacted my life in ways you do not even know. Its been both a pleasure and honor to call you two my best friends. From the million of laughs, tears, deep convos, fun nights, you two have made this transition bearable. Although we have only known each other for a short amount of time, I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You constantly lift my spirits, bring me hope, drive me to my full potential, but mostly, you let me be me. In the past I’ve felt I have been unable to fully present myself to the world. Always worried or embarrassed or scared. Meeting you two, Ive opened up, and become someone I always knew I was. It is so important to surround yourself with genuine, positive people. I have always had true friends in my life, friends that I could  always count on to be there in both good and bad times. But with moving so far away, these relationships can shift. Friends that I thought would also be apart of my life are starting to show their true colors. But that is life. You grow apart, you meet new people. Karlee and Aryn have opened my eyes to this. They are two awesome individuals. And I am just so thankful to be apart of their lives. “There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family”

With this, here are some fun pictures of us enjoying our time together in Ireland!

The majority of the first semester is on its way out and I’m so excited to get home, relax a bit and see family and friends for the holidays. Thanksgiving is around the corner so I thought I’d write a post acknowledging and thanking the people that I’ve met here in Carlow thus far.

The main pic for this post is me and my guy Jake. Jake is an assistant coach on women’s and men’s basketball team and I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t love the game of basketball. The first time I met Jake was before one of our practice sessions but I really got a chance to sit and talk with him during the women’s preseason tourney games. In talking to him, I learned about how one small conversation with the head coach a year ago got him an opportunity to experience all that Ireland has to offer. He’s had a good amount of coaching back in the states from various colleges on different levels. The first thing we had in common was how confusing everything can be here after a couple weeks. Fast forward to 3 months later, Jake and I have become good friends. He’s been a great mentor to me and pushes me every week in my games. We’ve even been in talks about running a camp for the local kids some time in the new year. I’m thankful for Jake and all his knowledge about the game of basketball, giving back to the community, and becoming the best me.

This next person I’m about to mention is one of the most annoying people I’ve ever met in my entire life. His name is Jason. Ok, I’m definitely kidding. If anyone, I’m the most annoying person that he’s ever met. The amount of time I spend asking him every question there is about our course assignments. But I met Jason in the first week of classes at Carlow. In that week, I found out that he had lived in New York for a couple years but he is from Ireland. He taught me numerous Irish slang and has suggested some of Ireland’s popular food venues. Jason has been a huge help to me in course work and getting adjusted to Ireland. Sometimes we need that extra push to get through the rough days and Jason has shoved me right through em. I am thankful for Jason and all his help and positive outlook every day.

As I am nearly halfway through my time in Ireland, I want to briefly update you on some of my experiences so far. To begin, let me start off by saying that I was finally able to receive my student visa in order to stay for the remainder of the year. Yesterday was my fourth attempt at queueing at the Garda Station, and it was a relief that they were accepting walk-ins since no one came for their scheduled appointments. Despite waiting for four hours, I successfully made it to the visa window and had my passport stamped. This whole process has been rather difficult, but I had some great conversations with people from all over the world while waiting in line. To me, it is always important to find the positives in situations that most people would consider negative. If there are obstacles out of your control, embrace them and put a smile on your face! 

Coaching the U18 Neptune team has been a great experience so far. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the team progress week after week. However, I finally understand the immense amount of work that goes into planning each practice. It takes a lot of reflection after games to implement beneficial drills for your players. S/O to all of my previous coaches who spent countless hours ensuring proper drills were conducted that focused on our weaknesses. Our team is currently 3-1, with a big second-round cup game tomorrow! 

In the Superleague, our team is currently 6-2 and tied at the top of the tables with two other clubs. We have a big game tomorrow against the Belfast Star, in which my parents will have the opportunity to watch their first game in-person. We have some exciting adventures planned for the week as well, so make sure you keep following my blogs, as I will have plenty of content to discuss in the next post! 

P.S. The castle above is CIT’s Blackrock Observatory, a very neat planetarium that I visited a couple of weeks ago. 

Before coming to Ireland I would consider myself a regular coffee drinking. While in college I had plenty of late night study sessions followed by an early morning. I would relay on coffee to get me through some of my days.

Since being in Ireland I have found myself not drinking as much coffee and maybe a little more tea. I have found that tea is a little more soothing for me and I enjoy that.

I have two teammates on my club team that are from Spain and it has become a regular for us to go have long coffee and tea talks at a local restaurant. Usually on a Sunday (that’s our off day) we go and have an hour or so conversation. These talks can range from what we did during the week or where we think we will be in 10 years. Many different topics are discussed.

I have learned some new things about Spain and riot’s that are taking place. I have been able to explain some things that are going on in America. It is a good friendly talk that look forward to each week. I have learned a little Spanish while being around my teammates as well as I’m helping them with their English.

Next week all the Scholars are meeting in Belfast for a Thanksgiving meal. It won’t be anything like going to my grandparents house in Tennessee, but getting together with the other Scholars and hearing how their experiences have been will be a blast.

Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.”

Attack and Finish

While over here I have been waiting in anticipation to watch my alma mater play because I have been there for the past four years and I wanted to see what is like to watch them from the outside looking in. In all honesty, it was one of the weirdest things I have watched, just merely due to the fact that I’m so accustomed to being there and going through the pregame rituals around this time of year, and this year I was laying in bed at 12am about to cheer them on as a fan. I went through so many different problems just trying to get the game set up with my housemate Kollyns (Also Siena Alum) trying to get the game setup.

They were playing a good team in American University and once kollyns and myself were finally able to get the right website it was a good one to watch because the Saints were in command from start to finish. It felt good to watch them and a couple of the guys that i have played with for two or three years have success after all the different difficulties and problems that we have seen in the past. I was also happy for Coach Carm who was able to get his first Collegiate win as a Head Coach. 

Now the best part of it all is that they showed that they have all the pieces to go all the way and win the MAAC this year, and I have a website and links to watch them do it all. So, basically i will be staying up until 2am trying to watch these guys ring chase and if they don’t, I might have to ask some of them for my sleep back. I guess depending on their record I’ll do that when I go visit them around December 19th and catch a game or two. 

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