That is my 1-year-old dog Sam after a December rainstorm hit our home in Georgia and Sam had too much fun playing in the backyard.  While I do love my dog, this post is not about him.  “The Dog Days of January” is a phrase used in the college basketball world to describe the cold, dreary time of year that college basketball players are back on campus without other students.  While everyone else is on Winter Break, college basketball players are back on campus, practicing and playing games until everyone gets back.  These are referred to as the Dog Days of January because this can be a mentally and physically tiring time.  With two, sometimes even three practices a day, followed by film sessions and walk throughs, it can be mentally challenging to stay engaged.  It is an enjoyable month of team bonding and spending time with your teammates while no one else is at school, but the grind of all that basketball can take its toll on anyone over that long period of time.  This period also marks the second half of the season, and the time when some players begin to wear down, due to the length of a full basketball schedule.  However, January has been a very different experience for me this year.  While most my days were filled with training and coaching, I also had enough free time to explore other areas and spend some time alone wandering around Cork.  Instead of being a long and tiring month, January was an exciting time that I got to spend playing and coaching the game I love, while also traveling on my own, with my sister, and with other friends.  Times like this remind me how grateful I am for this opportunity and everything that has come with it.

2016 marks the first year in my 23 years of life that I have not spent Thanksgiving with my family. Even all throughout college I always found a way to go home even if it was only for a couple hours. So this year was really a struggle not being able to be apart of the annual Thanksgiving tradition with my family. But, traveling to Belfast and seeing the other scholars was as close to a family gathering as I could ask for. It still amazes me how SCL managed to gather 23 of the most awesome kids from around the world and bring them together. When we’re together it’s just pure genuine fun. I thought that I would be feeling kind of down all day. Especially after I facetimed with my family and I realized how much I missed home but I surprisingly held it together for the majority of the day. At our Thanksgiving banquet we got to watch videos our family sent us and it was just so emotional. Being in Carlow and only having Mike around makes me forget sometimes that there’s 21 other people going through the exact same thing as I am. The togetherness and shared emotion that day was such a relief. Plus, we got to spend the weekend in Belfast which is probably the polar opposite of little old Carlow. I visited a mall (with big stores), ate Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and I got a chance to vist the Christmas Market which was so cool. 

Following Thanksgiving was the Fresher’s basketball tournament. Luckily, it was in Carlow this year so we had a lot of visitors come spend the weekend with us. My Women’s Freshers team did so good! We only had about 7 players but they came ready to go. The majority of the games I just sat back and watched and didn’t have to actually do much coaching. We lost in the semifinal qualifying game but I think everyone was content with how hard they played and how much fun they had. Usually, they are so quiet and reserved but they were so energetic and showed great sportmanship. This week was just a nice little mini vacation to get my mind off of school and being homesick. I had so much fun. Can’t wait to see the scholars again!

I recently read this quote that said “Sometimes the best moments are the ones you didn’t plan at all.” I laughed at this because before I came to Ireland I was someone who liked to have everything planned out. I always wanted to know what was going to happen and how it would happen. I wanted to make sure that I made the most of my Irish experience, and in my head I planned out all of the adventures that I would go on. However, when I got to Ireland I quickly realized that I was going to have to change my way of thinking or should we say “overthinking.” I was now in a foriegn country, where I do not know anyone and have to go with the flow more often than not. At first, everytime I would try to plan something out the bus would be running late, or the place would be closed. It made me realize that if I kept trying to plan everything out I was going to be upset more often than not. So I slowly decided that I would stop worrying about trying to make the experience perfect, and just see what the experience had to offer.

It was honestly the best decision I had ever made: Because the bus was late one day I now know a beautiful walking path that I have walked multiple times. I have ran into people that I know and have had genuine conversations with them. I have aten at restaurants that I did not know even existed, even though I had been going by them everyday. I guess you don’t realize what you miss when you don’t take the time to embrace your situation and your surroundings.

So, I am here to say that the above quote is actually true. Yesterday I had the pleasure of getting to play in Waterford against Scholars Brittney and DaLacy in school ball. We ended up losing by four, but it was a great game of basketball playing against my friends. It reminds me of when my friends and I all signed up to play when we were little, and would play against each other. I had always thought about playing overseas, but I had never really planned it out in my head. I got caught up in what I thought you were “supposed to do” after college and that for me didn’t include playing in Ireland. Looking back to a year ago, I am so happy that I applied for this program. Not only because of the obvious reasons (education, volunteering, and basketball) but because of how much I have learned about myself in the process.  I still smile everytime I think about it; such a surreal feeling. 

After the game, 3 of my teammates and I were on our way back to Cork when one of them said “We should stop at the beach!” I was tired from the game, and had practice later. But, the sunset was beautiful, and they all wanted to go, so I suddenly became excited. The beach is one of my favorite places to go, but due to it being February it never crossed my mind of going. We ended up hiking up a cliff over the waters right outside of Cork. I even put my feet in the water (Yes, it was absolutely freezing). The water was a beautiful shade of blue, and it was extremely windy outside: perfect irish scene. At that moment, as I looked out over the cliff, I laughed. I remember the quote that I had mentioned above and this moment finally validated the truth behind it: I got to play basketball, laugh with my friends, and go to the beach all in the same day. And believe me, when I woke up that morning I did not have that planned out.

So, in conclusion, no matter who you are or where you are reading this: this is your wake up blog!!! I challenge you to change up your daily routine, and be spontaneous. Don’t let life pass you by, embrace it. Do not be afraid to go a different way to work, try a new restaurant, go for a hike, or a new adventure. Change is not always a bad thing and it is never too late to explore a new part of the world. Plus who knows: you might even end up doing something you never thought you could and find out things about yourself you never thought you would 🙂

               During the holidays I was able to travel throughout Europe and see places I had previously only dreamed of. While traveling the world has always been a goal of mine, the timing of traveling during the holidays left me absent from the Christmas dinner table back in my families’ home in America. While I was extremely excited to see places like Paris, Rome and London I was sad to not be able to be home for the holidays with my family. Family is always special, but during the holiday season and especially as we all get older, it is an extremely important time to put life on hold for a brief moment and just enjoy the company of those who have such a huge impact on your life. Fortunately, I would not be without my family for long. My father had to be in Germany at the start of the year for his job, being the resourceful person he is, he used this as an opportunity to bring my mother and grandmother along with him for a visit to Letterkenny. Though they were only able to stop by for a long weekend, I was incredibly grateful to see them and show them my new life over here in Ireland. We spent the weekend exploring Donegal and Derry, much like my own first days in Letterkenny. Several meals, pints and laughs later, I hugged them goodbye and they were off to Germany.

 

              Each year before he would send us off for our brief Christmas break, my college Coach, Joe Reilly, would always instruct us on two things; to stay in shape and to hug our loved ones. He would say “you never know when the last holiday together would be.” This always stuck with me. As I get older and my life becomes increasingly busier and more complex, I realize that the time left for family and friends becomes shorter and shorter. At first I viewed this as sad, in comparison with my childhood the amount of time I now get to spend with my family is laughable. However what I am starting to realize is that with family time, as with many other things in life, we should practice quality over quantity. Yes, I do not get to see my family nearly as much as I should and yes, I am at a point in my life where my responsibilities and time commitments will only increase, but now when I see my parents I get to tell them about all the new aspects of my life and hear about what is new in their world. The time we spend together is more valuable. The previous time of sitting around the living room silently watching a movie is replaced by a boisterous meal filled with inquiries, jokes and lively conversation. Time is one of the few resources that is truly non-renewable(More on this in the next blog). While I intend on spending my time attempting to squeeze the most out of every second growing and developing as an individual, I will make sure that I allot a section of my life to sharing that experience with those I love. So while I am sad I only got to see my family for a few days, I am grateful I was able to see them at all and that when we were together we all had some new and exciting experience to share with one another. My Mother would tell you the exact opposite, that I should be spending all my time with my family (and she might be right, as all mothers are) but while I go on to chase my individual dreams that may not be possible, but don’t worry Ma, I’ll always leave time to share those dreams with you.

Last weekend I took part in my first National Cup Final, and it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever been apart of.  Not only was my team competing in the Presidents Cup Final, but my club was also competing in the under-18 and under-20 national cup final as well.  As a team who trains together every week, (National Team and underage Teams), I was just as proud to play in the final as I was to support our younger guys who I have watched and helped work hard all year.  After three very tough games, we prevailed in all three and made history by bringing three cups back to Neptune.  The environment in the gym was electric all weekend and the Neptune Fans once again proved why they are the best in the country.  There is no better feeling than looking up in the crowd and seeing hundreds of the “Tune Army” yelling and waving flags in support.  Having not had a great game in the final, I was very proud of my teammates for stepping up and performing down the stretch, especially the younger guys.  I was honored to share this experience with all members of the Neptune Club, especially my teammates that I have grown so close to over the past five months.  The joy that I felt on Sunday knowing that I was a part of a historic weekend that may never be repeated (until next year) by any Club again is something that I will always cherish.  We are now rewarded with a two week break, but the work is not done yet and we still have our sights set on a League title to close out a great year. 

Well, according to my last blog, we had the greatest house Ulster University has ever seen. Well, this is still true. There is just one catch now, I went from having all guy roommates to all girl roommates! Let me tell you, nothing on this earth could have prepared me for this. The atmosphere in the Elk House is completely different. Although, I’ll have to give them some time to adjust to Ryan and I’s amazing personalities and wonderful sense of humor. Not every day do you get to move in with two legends! (and yes, that was all sarcastic). But for now, they will do. Only time will tell how much we all get along. So, definitely stay tuned to see how the bonding of the Elk House goes! I’m sure it will be great! 

Since Ive been back the one thing that has been consistent every week is coaching. Pat and I added another school to coach during the week so most of my days are filled with interacting with people younger than me. That’s definitely not a bad thing. There are many times when I’m coaching those kids that I wish I could be that young again. Some obvious things that come with being that young are: no worries, no big people responsibilities, to be carefree, you can be your absolute true self and no one will judge you because you’re young and you can do whatever you want. Now that I have mentioned some positives to being young there are positives to growing up that I wont mention. So back to coaching. I love it. I absolutely love it with all my heart. And no I’m not saying that because “I have to” but because I want to. Why you might ask? Well because I feel like my presence in those schools or coaching sessions are necessary and mean something. Isn’t that what life is all about though? Feeling like we have purpose? Like what we are doing is important? Well I think so, because even the smallest of gestures of respect and appreciation I get from the kids keep me wanting to come back.

I feel the most warmth and gratitude after a session from coaching at Belmont Primary in Belfast. The kids range from about the age of 4-6 and they are just the cutest things ever. I think I love coaching these kids because they’re at that age when you can say absolutely anything and they are impressed by you. I’ve created a great bond with some of the kids that I will randomly get a hug and a thank you after doing something so little like saying “great job” or basically nothing. I don’t know if they have learned much about golf but I know that I’ve learned a little something from them and that is definitely to cherish the small things. Once I am able to do that I can be more present in the moment. So instead of them saying thank you to me, I should say thank you to them.  

So this past weekend, a few of us Victory Scholars reunited and it felt soo good! The National Cup was Friday, Saturday, and Sunday so it was a big couple of days for the basketball world out here in Ireland. It took place at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght which was handy because Dublin is pretty much central to all the Victory Scholars. So with weeks in advance of planning, Lace and I met up with JB and Jasmine and stayed at the dorms at DCU (which are really nice!). After kitten club on Saturday morning, we grabbed our Granville meal to-go and hopped on the next bus to Dublin. We made it to the dorm around 6pm and seeing my girls was the biggest breath of fresh air! We ordered pizza and just talked, laughed, and hung out for a couple of hours before we would get dressed for a night on the town. Dublin is such a beautiful place and the nightlife is incredible. We ended up going to Copper Face Jacks, which is a pretty famous club in Ireland, and all I can say is that it was definitely a night we will never forget. Sunday morning we woke up and found our way to the arena to watch the women’s games and it was very exciting and quite the experience to witness basketball on the big stage. After watching the two games, it was about that time to say our sorrowful goodbyes (yes, we are always dramatic). The whole drive back to Waterford, Lace and I just laughed and talked about what a great “craic” it was to get away for the weekend. I’m missing those girls already!

Since the Christmas break, my 14 and under boys team has had the opportunity to have a lot of available gym time. Between other teams having games elsewhere and practices at other gyms, we have been granted plenty of time to get better. With that being said, that is exactly what we have been doing these last few weeks. It actually has been to our advantage that we have not had a game as of late because it has given guys a chance to learn important fundamentals necessary for game situations, as well as other different stuff I have tried to drill in their head.

 

About three weeks ago, we installed an ‘offense’. For many of them, this was there first time ever being part of a structured setting and running ‘offense’, especially with continuity and purpose, which was a foreign language to them. They were so used to just running set plays, where one guy dominates the ball and other guys get secluded from the game. However, installing offense now meant that every guy on the team now has to be active and alert at all times when our team has the ball, and in scoring the ball every guy plays an integral part.

 

We have been running a “flex” offense, which many people familiar with the game of basketball probably have ran at one point or another in their careers. For those that aren’t aware, the “flex” offense is one of the simplest offenses (concept wise), as it involves continual screening and ball movement. In the case of “flex”, the reason I love it as a coach, is because every guy is a part of it and holds responsibility that is essential in whether or not it is successful or not. That means every guy on the team has to focus and learn the movements, so when they are in the game, they can succeed. It takes a total team effort to run this offense, and it has really brought the guys on the team together.

 

In the beginning, when we started running “flex”, the guys honestly had no idea what was going on. Then as I was able to teach and break down the offense slowly, more and more of them started to pick it up. However, not all of them were able to understand as quickly as others, which is very common when any group of people learn something for the first time.  Through numerous practices and repetitions, I started to notice a gained confidence when running through our offense and there was more of a flow to what we were trying to do. The thing that impresses me the most with these kids, which has been the real reason why guys have gotten better, is the ability of guys to step out of their comfort zone and be leaders. In the beginning of running through the offense, I would have to stop them every 30 seconds just to make corrections; now, before I even can get the words out of my mouth, there are two or three guys helping the other player that doesn’t understand, or is confused on where to go. This has built a bunch of individuals into a team, who constantly show their desire to get better and learn.

 

The ability to listen, learn, and work together has the 14 and under Limerick Celtics boys team getting better each practice!

 

DB.

So today I decided to finally take care of my bike which has had nearly flat tires for awhile now. I’ve only ridden it about five times, but one of my goals this year is to use it more. The bus does get annoying, so why not use the bike made available to me by my coach? I love bike-riding anyway, so I knew I’d enjoy it once it was all ready to go. I keep my bike in the sports hall, so I thought I’d ask the front desk if they had a bike pump/air pump. They said they only had one for pumping up balls. The lady was very nice and told me that the petrol (gas) station right down the street has an air pump costing 1 euro per use. Perfect. She also said I could try the Student Union center which was next door. I tried them on my way to the petrol station, but, negative. They said maybe the campus Estates building had one. I held this thought for later as I headed for the petrol station. 

So I strolled on down the street with my bike and saw the pump. I went inside the gas station to exchange some cash for coins to use the machine. The cashier informed me that other bikers (or as the Irish call them, cyclists) had complained about the machine not working. I said I’d give it a try anyway for one euro. Sure enough, it made my tire flatter, actually, from air leaking out and none going in. Cool.

So, I walked back up the street with my bike at my side and asked the local convenience store if they had a pump by chance. Plenty of people ride bikes around here so I figured somebody’s gotta have one. Why not try? My thinking at this point was that maybe a random location might prove helpful for me if the other suggested three didn’t. Two men were working and told me they didn’t have a pump, but that I should go down the street to a different petrol station. They said it was about a two-minute walk. Do the Irish have a different sense of time? Because I walked for about 10 minutes and only saw neighborhood after neighborhood. Ugh. Quickly losing my patience at this point…

I figured I’d try the campus Estates building since it was (sort of) on my way back. Sure enough, the people inside had no idea why others had suggested this building to me, but they called security for me to see if there was ANY pump on campus. Apparently there was one on campus the entire time—right near all the bike racks which are practically the next building over from where I live. I felt a little dumb at this point but was soon back to aggrevated and defeated when the pump I found didn’t even have an “ON” button or anything that might indicate air would come out. Was I missing something here? All of this for this stupid bike… 

As I sat crouched next to this fake/broken/disfuctional air pump, a man who looked like a maintenance worker walked by. I politely asked if he worked here or if he could help me. He didn’t really have a clue as to the pump either, but amiably invited me to his work van where he had a pump. OKAY. I realize this sounds super creepy but you have to understand that Irish people really are so helpful! It was still daylight and there were plenty of people around. His van was parked in the lot (or, as the Irish call it, the cark park) along with plenty of other cars and drivers going in and out. We were right next to undergrad housing, too, where a student was on the phone, looking out the window. So I was good people, okay?! Safety wasn’t an issue! Okay, glad I cleared that up 🙂  Anyway, I crouched to unscrew the caps to my tires while he pulled the air pump from his van. He blew up my tires in a matter of minutes and that’s all it took. ALLLLL of that running around just for that. I made sure to thank him a million times and let him know that he truly made my day.

As I rode off into the sunset with a big smile on my face and on my FINALLY-functioning bike, I felt something strange on my inner thigh. I looked down to find that my jeans had ripped significantly and my bare skin was rubbing against the seat of my bike. I then realized I had ripped my pants as I was tending to my bike just a few minutes ago—and didn’t even know. In utter disbelief, I began to laugh at my eventful, frustrating, stress-inducing evening. I also prayed the poor man helping me didn’t notice my mishap…

I guess that’s just life for ya! A little something to keep you humble yet hopeful.              

This Sunday ITC basketball traveled allllll the way up to Derry to take on LYIT. This drive was about 6 hours for us, and I do not recommend it under any circumstances! However, once we got there and stretched out the legs a little bit, I was able to reunite with fellow Victory Scholars T-John and Jack. It is always a pleasure being able to catch up with fellow scholars, but playing against them is something that doesn’t happen extremely often. Unfortunate Jack and T couldn’t be on the court at the same time due to league rules, but that meant every 5 minutes a fresh Victory Scholar was harassing me up and down the court!

It was a fun game, aside from my horrendous shooting, whether it was joking on the court or chatting during halftime, seeing them definitely made the trip worth it. On top of that, Deirdre and her daughter Erin made the journey over to catch the game. Playing without my parents in the stands has been a major adjustment for me, but having someone like Deirdre there really made it feel like back home.

In the end we came up short by 2 points, missing some crucial free throws down the stretch, but it didn’t ruin the mood. In college I would have been torn up about a 2 point loss and been depressed for the remainder of the day, but being around such quality people really made me realize that there are more important things in life than winning and losing. Being able to reunite with friends really made the journey worth it, yes even 12 hours in the car! But with that being said, maybe next time we can play the game half way!

Well I’ve pretty much lived on the buses this past week but It’s all been worth it to explore! I went to Bray, Kilmainham Gaol, and Teeling Whiskey Distillery. Bray was so beautiful with its trail along the coast, creepy black tree-like things towards the top of the hill, and woodsy areas on the way down. It was definitely more enduring than I thought, but it was so worth it (I admittedly was huffing and puffing on the trek up). Check out the awesome photo of it as the cover photo for this blog! It’s so cool.

I loved going and seeing these places while I’ve had off from classes this week. I’ve still been coaching and training though, and that’s been going well. The under 18s and the under 20s (the team I coach) play this weekend in the Cup finals which is super exciting! We get to play in the National Basketball Arena which is just outside Dublin. Can’t wait to see what unfolds! Prayers welcome 🙂  

Classes start up again on Monday and I already feel behind! But somehow my classmates and I get everything done, so we’ll be okay. I think I’ll have more time to focus on my PODs (explained in one of my earlier blogs) this semester which is great and I’ll have more time to travel once basketball is over. It’s safe to say I’m pretty excited for this upcoming semester!   

Kelsey and I attended the Trinity Sport Scholarship Event the other night, which was a blast. All of the Sports scholarship recipients were invited to the event which took place in the Trinity Dinning Hall. I had never been in the Dinning Hall before and  let me tell you, it was exquisite. On the outside of the building, there was an amazing projection welcoming the athletes to the event. In addition, Bank of Ireland, the sponsor of Trinity Sports, gave us all awesome gear. We were given sweatpants, a tshirt, another shirt with our name on it, and a sweatshirt. It was such a surprise and so generous of them!

The entire night was incredible! I was able to meet some new people and talk with athletes from all different sports teams at Trinity. Not to mention the delicious food that was served. There was also a ceremony with some motivational speeches. They then called us individually up to the stage to introduce us and give us our awards. It was amazing to see all of these dedicated athletes. I am so thankful to be a part of such a great community and also thankful for Trinity Sports for planning such a fun night as we returned to our classes.

Hi, guys! The second term starts next week. I’ve had some exciting things going on the past couple days and some cool things coming up that I am really looking forward to before school starts back up.

First, Jack and I recently took a short trip to Belfast to check in with everyone from Sport Changes Life. We haven’t seen a lot of those guys since Thanksgiving so it was good to see them all again and catch up with everyone. Also, Gareth and Deirdre kindly had us over for dinner, which was awesome to have a nice home-cooked meal with them. It was wonderful; it’s sure good having them so close to us, and knowing we always have a home in Belfast!

That is the recent past, but now talking about what lies ahead. Before the next semester starts, I planned an extended weekend to Prague to visit one of my best friends and ex-college teammate from the University of the Sciences. He now plays professional out there so I am really excited to get to see one of his games and to check out Prague as well. From what I hear everyone says it is a fantastic place to visit so I am definitely excited about the trip. It’s less than a 2-hour flight away so it should be pretty easy traveling. This will be my first time traveling to another country in Europe since I have been here so I’m really looking forward to it.

However, with all those exciting things going on, I wouldn’t be completely honest if I didn’t mention that there were a couple gloomy days here in Letterkenny as well. With final exams over and a new semester starting it means that a couple of our roommates are leaving. A few of my roommates were enrolled in a one-semester study aboard program so their time has unfortunately concluded here in Letterkenny. I couldn’t have asked for better roommates here. Jack and I say it all the time, we are very fortunate to have met some great people through this program. I wish them all the best on their future endeavors! It is pretty cool seeing how close we have become with students from various countries and how much they have taught me about their cultures. I definitely hope to travel to their countries one of these days or have them come visit me in the States!

The departures of these roommates mean that new roommates are moving in soon. I am excited to meet them, but jeez they have some big shoes to fill!

For those of you who don’t know me well, one of my first missions upon arriving in Ireland was to find a church. I’d just finished up an internship in Greenville, SC, with a church called Grace where I worked 9-5 with student ministry. It’s a big part of my life. Last semester, I visited around to a few places and sort of got my foot in the door at a church called Christ City. This semester my goal was to really dive in: go to every event, serve on Sundays, meet weekly with other members of the church. So far, it’s been going well. Last week was my first time serving with the worship team, and it was a really great experience.

I bought a used guitar during the first few weeks of my stay here in Dublin, and it’s nice to finally put that money to use (still keeping my fingers crossed that I may be able to sell it if/when I decide to leave). I played with a sweet English woman named Leanne, and I think she’s one of my new favorite people. Her and her husband started the church a few years ago after they moved to Dublin from England with their two ADORABLE kids. I secretly want to be temporarily adopted by their family even though I’m only probably ten years younger than the parents. Not only do they have the coolest accents ever, but they have the biggest hearts of anyone I’ve met here so far.

Long story short, my church rocks, and it’s making me second guess ever leaving this city.

 

When I was in my early years as an undergraduate at Johns Hopkins, going back to school after college was the last thought on my mind. Juggling my economics courses with basketball led to my schedule being full most of the time. I knew those four years would pay off eventually, but I always saw myself working directly out of college to make up for the four years of being a broke college kid. Nevertheless, here I am and I could not be happier with the path I took.

 

Studying for my master’s has proven to be much different than studying for my undergraduate degree in a surprisingly satisfying manner. When most people think of increasing their level of education, more often than not they assume that means an increase in difficulty and stress. While my current course is challenging, it is equally interesting since it is much more focused than my undergraduate degree. Instead of taking general economics courses with management courses sprinkled in there (I minored in entrepreneurship & management at Hopkins), I’m taking concentrated management courses with a strong focus on business strategy and the cross-cultural aspect. It’s funny how studying and researching don’t seem as bad when the topics are engaging. Knowing that I am receiving my master’s degree and will actually use the information learned for my first job is doubly rewarding.

 

While the academics are great, I haven’t even mentioned the fact that I could not have lucked out more with my 30 or so fellow International Management classmates. We all get along fantastically and know how to balance the school/social life. It’s been a treat pursuing my master’s with such a great class. And with all that said I’m forced to quote Adam Sandler in Billy Madison in regards to anyone who thinks that school is boring or wants to get out, especially after hearing a few stories of some friends’ first jobs: “Don’t you say that. Don’t you ever say that. Stay here. Stay as long as you can. For the love of God cherish it!”

With Christmas break coming to an end, I just got off the bus, and have finally returned to Carlow. I’m having mixed emotions so far, missing my family, but yet extremely excited for the second half of this journey. Christmas break was exactly what I needed to get rested, and recharge my battery for these next few months.

There is so much to look forward to in the next semester, and is making me anxious and excited just thinking about it. Varsitites is the big basketball tournament over in Ireland. All the colleges from around the country meet in Dublin for a weekend, and essentialy have one big AAU tournament. This is going to be a great opportunity to watch, play and experience Irish basketball all in one place. Not to mention all of the Victory scholars are going to be there, and we always have a great time together.

Another part of the second semester that I am looking forward to is how many visitors I will have during the second semester. Not only my family, but several friends will be making the journey across the pond this spring. Words can’t express how excited I am to show everyone my new home, as well as allow them to experience it just as I have.

That’s enough for now, time to go catch up on my sleep!

 

P.S. To all my friends that are coming over, beware the jetlag is absolutely BRUTAL!

 

My first week home was a success! I got to catch up and spend time with family and friends, along with sleeping in my own bed!! As I mentioned in my previous blog, basketball this time of the year is huge for me at home. My mom’s team took part in a Christmas tournament up in North Jersey, featuring some of the top two teams in the state. Day one was pretty uneventful for mom’s team, winning by nearly 50 points. However, on day two of the Christmas tournament they played the defending Tournament of Champions winners, St. John Vianney. I sat in the first row eagerly awaiting the start of the top tier match up. It was back and forth for the first quarter, when mom’s team exploded in the second quarter, en route to a 25 point victory! This was a fantastic win for the program, and seeing the excitement on my mom’s face after the game was amazing.

 

Later on that day I traveled down to Jersey City to watch Aunt Pat’s team take on conference foe Niagara. This was an intense game throughout, with Saint Peter’s coming out on top in the end! Bench players stepped up, as well as the underclassmen, and it was a pleasure to watch.

 

Lastly, Rutgers men’s basketball opens up Big Ten play tomorrow, and hopefully they can squeak out a win to complete the trifecta for the week! Well done to all, and keep rolling!

Following this recent inauguration I have come to the realization that all we need is a little bit of hope and love. Yes, I voted for Trump and yes I am totally in shock by the way American citizens and others around the world are acting. Why is it that because I voted for someone that I think is better fit to run the country I am all of the sudden deemed to be a “bad person”, a racist, or even uneducated? Because I have my own opinion and I see the world in a different way? I don’t get it. Why cant we give people a chance? I think its because we want to believe what the media is portraying to us. Instead why not base your opinion on someone according to facts, unbiased news, away from the outside noise we might read from Facebook? Don’t we have the right to our own opinion? Why is it okay to destroy businesses, properties, and others because we are mad things didn’t go our way? It doesn’t make sense at all.

Ultimately, I think the point of my rant is that there are multiple layers to the story and to any person that you come into contact with. We need to go beneath the surface and realize that most people’s intentions are not bad but come from good unless they’re complete lunatics (yes those exist). We need hope that everything is going to be okay. Even when we think the worst is to come the worst really could have been worse. Today and most days I am surrounded by friends who may or may not have the same opinion or background but, I always seem to find a commonality. Finding that commonality is key, there is always something we can find in common with someone else whether, that’s a sport, hobby, passion, or no matter what. When that is achieved anything can happen for the good. Lets challenge ourselves to find neutral ground with someone we may see totally different views with? You never know what that may lead to.

 

Just recently I talked to a friend who has been going through some tough times. Since I know he has been struggling as of late, I have tried to make it a priority to check up on him regularly and see how he is doing. This past week as we were about to hang up the phone, he said, “Thanks for staying loyal and being a true friend”. I didn’t think much of it. Which is probably more of a testament to my parents, as they have tried to raise me on the basis of being a good person.

However, as I sat in bed, I could not help but think about what my friend had said to me. It got me thinking about how grateful I am to have the people in my life that I do. The ‘friends’ I do have, who are more like family to me, are second to none. These are the people that have stayed around through the thick and thin. The people that have been around during my successes. The people who have been around during my failures. The people who reached out to me when I needed it the most. The people that are constantly motivating me to become better in all aspects of my life. The people that possess true loyalty, trustworthiness, honesty, guidance, dependability, and most of all, are genuine.

These types of people are your true friends.

They are ‘THE REAL ONES’

 

DB.

 

 

Today I traveled to Carlow with a couple of my teammates and Britt to watch Victory Scholar Jamiyah Bethune play against former VS Katie Fox. It’s always nice when you get a chance to see other scholars, as well as support them at their games. It was also great to see both the past and present scholars battle it out in a double overtime contest. Times like this show how being a VS can come around full circle.

After the game, Britt, JB, my teammate, and myself went to the cinema to see the newly released film, SPLIT. The movie was good, and we enjoyed each other’s company. It’s also enjoyable when you are able to introduce your friends (scholars and teammates) to one another. Doing so creates and even larger of network of people you are connected to, and to me that’s what this experience is about—branching out, enjoying new experiences, and meeting new people along the way.

Hi, everyone! I just wanted to give you a quick update. The past couple days here in Letterkenny were unbelievable. The sun was out nearly the entire time. I keep hearing about all this rain…. I’m not sure what they are talking about! It has hardly rained here since I arrived, just mostly cloudy. However, when the sun is shining, as it has been the past week, this area is pretty breathtaking. If you just take the time to stop and embrace it, it’s quite amazing. When the sun shines off the green hills and the blue water it is a sight to see. I have had the opportunity to see nearly all of Ireland, aside from a few places, and I think it is safe to safe that Donegal is by far the most scenic.

Therefore, I was not surprised to find out that National Geographic named Co. Donegal the “Coolest Place on the Planet.” Donegal came in front of numerous popular destinations.

The 2017 Top 10 goes:

1. Donegal
2. Santiago, Chile
3. Helsinki, Finland
4. Greenland
5. Peru
6. Aarhus, Denmark
7. Canada
8. Portland, Oregon
9. India
10. 10. South Africa

Nat Geo said, “We felt Donegal was in a real sweet spot– off the radar and hard to access, but on the cusp of a breakthrough.”

I think it is cool to be a small piece of getting Donegal’s named and attractability out there for more people. I can see the impact that my social media pictures have had on people that follow me. I've lost count of the number of family or friends that have said my pictures are unbelievable and that they cannot wait to visit. I feel like not that many people have heard of Donegal, in comparison to other more touristy parts of Ireland. I know I was one of those people when I first found out I was coming to Donegal for Sport Changes Life. Therefore, I enjoy showing people how beautiful this place is and, by doing so, I hopefully can encourage more people to visit this region of Ireland, as opposed to just seeing the more popular tourist destinations like Dublin or Galway. While those places are great, I feel like you get a much more authentic and natural Irish experience if you visit Donegal! As the people here say:

Donegal. Up here it’s different!

I knew this place was cool when I first arrived, but I’m now glad the whole world knows it too!

Fun Fact: For all you Star Wars fans, scenes in the last movie were filmed right here in Donegal!

So come visit Donegal if you ever have the chance you won't be disappointed, I promise!

It had been SIX weeks since my professional team had a league game! We were supposed to play the Mystics last weekend but the game ended up being cancelled (and sadly didn’t get to see fellow Victory Scholar, Ebony). So not only had it been a while since the last time we played together, but the first game back would be against the undefeated (until last night!) UCC Glanmire team.

In coming back from the holidays, we also had a new coaching staff. Jillian had stepped in as our new head coach! Everyone kept saying how things would be a lot different and she was a really tough coach, so we had no idea what to expect. We also got a new assistant, Trish, who played with Jillian back in the day (Trish is AWESOME!). They make a great team and balance each other out. Philip is our new defensive coach and he has made a big impact on our team play as well. My point in all this is that no one expected us to win considering the circumstances. No one except Waterford.

The entire two weeks of practice before the game, the whole team worked harder than ever to prepare us as best as possible to take on the second half of the season, one game at a time. Of course starting with the team sitting at the top of the league.

As soon as we stepped on the court to warm-up, we were focused and ready. Right from the tip-off it was a battle. Each team went on their own runs throughout the game but neither would go down easy. Fourth quarter with 1:30 left on the clock, we lead by 4. A player on their team gets the ball and pushes it up the court to cut the lead to one possession. Thinking back to halftime, Jillian had yelled for us to be brave and take a charge. Well, as the girl drove in for the layup, I bravely stood my ground and hoped the ref would make the right call (refs are a different breed out here). Next thing I knew, I was laid out on the ground (as pictured) and the gym was going crazy because I had taken the charge and helped protect our lead. It was one of the greatest feelings. Time expired and it was your Maxol Wildcats who came out on top! Proof that no team should ever be counted out!

Big shout out to all our awesome Waterford fans, our tough new coaches, and my amazing teammates! The Wildcats are on the prowl!

So, this week the kids we have been living with for the last 4 months have left. It was a fun semester to say the least with them! But now, it is time for the new roomies to move in this Monday! Not sure who is moving in, but they have some big shoes to fill! And I mean bug shoes, like Shaq size shoes! That’s a good joke to me because I am a golfer. But back to the real point of this, the new roommates. We shall see who they are how ready they are to move into this house of ours. Not toot my own horn here, but we probably have the greatest house that Ulster University has ever had. So, definitely get ready for the next blog once they move in!!

So this week, the other scholars and I had the opportunity to attend an event at BBC for The World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. And what an event it was. We were able to speak and listen to some of the most innovative minds Belfast has to offer. We learned about how the city council and how they wanted to improve Belfast and how another gentleman was giving kids affordable living conditions in the city center. Plus we were able to hear people pitch their business ideas to us and how they are hoping to improve Belfast themselves.

 

The event was unique because everything they were discussing and the ideas the crowd (myself and others) had were going to be broadcasted live to Davos for the forum. That to me was very cool. I have never been a part of something like that before and felt honored to be there. I really hope I am able to see what they broadcasted and how the ideas went that were pitched to them.

We have all seen it, the college brochure with 4 people of different races and ethnicities laughing in some aesthetically pleasing natural setting. Colleges and universities worldwide use diversity as a selling point of the 'well rounded' experience they seek to provide. However what kind of diversity are they promoting? Is it a diversity of appearance (skin color, ethnicity, etc.) or is it a less outwardly apparent diversity of thought (ideology, beliefs, etc)? Personally, I believe institutions, educational and otherwise, who seek to promote diversity would say they hope for a mix of both, but understand that in terms of a brochure picture it is easier to represent diversity of appearances. This brings up a crucial discussion of what diversity means. So often humans believe that a group of similar looking people will have ideas as homogenous as their appearance. It is the basis of the stereotyping and profiling nature of our society. However many times we see people of the same skin tone belong to a different religion or vote for a different political party. The adage "never judge a book by it's cover" comes to mind when attempting to explain this diversity of thought. Just because one woman may look like another does not mean they should be grouped together as like minded people. However it is the nature of the human brain to create shortcuts to allow the mind and body to operate more efficiently. The brain likes to compartmentalize and categorize what we see so that upon revistation of the subject it can quickly form an opinion to make a decision. It is by this reason that humans who lived before the scientific age could understand which plants were poisonous or safe and which animals were a friend or foe. When dealing with basic human survival it is an important skill to be able to quickly categorize and recall information on the world around you. However it is when we apply this generalization and grouping to fellow humans that this ability becomes dangerous.  In today's world we would be better served as a species by re-wiring our brain around these shortcuts and making our judgements based off the content of one’s character.

It is important to understand that what we believe about the world and what the world believes about us are not mutually exclusive. To this respect, those who look the same may often have similar thoughts because they have had similar experiences of how they are perceived by the world based on their outward appearance. It is a chicken and the egg scenario. When people are grouped by their color of skin and treated a certain way, it creates a shared experience between that group of understanding how the world around them responds to someone of their skin tone. Due to this, that group may develop similar ideologies which in turn cause more people to believe that all people of that skin tone have the same ideas. This is why we equate diversity of appearance to diversity of thought. While in some cases this may be true, often times (and particularly on college campuses) it can be said that though the population may look quite different from one another, they all think the same.

Studies show that there is a negative correlation between diversity (in this case meaning of observable characteristics) and social trust. More simply put, when a population looks dissimilar from one another, they trust each other less. Now is this because we assume that because we look different, we may think different? Or is it a more sinister development of a "them vs. us" mentality where one decides that neutrality does not exist, i.e "if you are not for us you're against us?" This is where, I believe, the importance of sport becomes undervalued. In a world where we have statistically proven this negative correlation between diversity and trust, we are constantly shown examples of rebuttal by teams who have an incredible amount of both. In America we have countless examples of members of different races and religions bonding over sports. This is because sports provide to us a shared sense of purpose, a common goal. When we join together to achieve a common goal it does not matter the color of your skin or which political party you support, only what you can do to help reach those aspirations. So it is time to ask ourselves as a country and a people, what is our common goal? Are we more focused with personal wealth accumulation or raising the standard of society as a collective? Would we rather become more divided or promote a greater sense of acceptance? Whatever that common goal is, we need to begin to come together to achieve it, because in these increasingly divisive times we should follow the example set out by sport and realize that regardless of how we may look, we can all be on the same team.

 

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have the opportunity to travel at the click of a button. I never made a bucket list or a “places I must travel before I die list” because part of me sees myself as a realist. I don’t have the funds or the time to be travelling I thought. But because of Sport Changes Life I am able to have the opportunity to do crazy things like travel across the pond for a few pounds. This past weekend Nyasha and I decided to take a chance and book a last minute trip to London. Why? Well, because, we had no coaching, no practice, and no obligations. So instead of just watching Netflix or just surfing the web, which we would normally do on our days off we, decided to fill that empty time with adventure. And boy was it worth it.

 

London. Its basically an English version of New York as most would describe it. I can only half back that up since I’ve only spent one real day in New York but my fellow New York buddies would have to agree. Since our trip was only going to be a day and a half we decided to bus into the center of town and sight see on foot with our backpacks. We saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, London Bridge, which we were able to see the famous Tower Bridge from, ran into pretty churches and landmarks, and met a friend in the shopping district. Something interesting about adventure is that sometimes the most unexpected things turn out to be the best part of the journey. That day we met up with Nyasha’s cousin that she had never met before. We were unsure about how the night would turn out since she only had communicated with her cousin the night before we had left for London. Not surprisingly though the meet up went great. I even had a great time meeting her family and friends. Some part of me felt like I was part of the family. Good conversation and hospitality can do that to a person. That’s the best part about that dinner we had at her cousin’s. The conversation. When you’re tested and challenged intellectually by others that’s when you get to know yourself a little bit more. I left that dinner knowing a little bit more about myself as well as others.

 

Adventure. Adventure doesn’t have to be about travelling to a new place to find out more about yourself or the world around you, it can simply be doing something different than your daily routine. That’s what I want to find more of-adventure.  I want to learn more about the world around the people, my own self, and me.

I have to take a moment to brag on my U12s team, not only because they’re the cutest and sweetest girls ever, but also because they ball so hard. After losing two games very early on in the season, they haven’t lost since! They’re 7-2 if I remember correctly… And they just recently beat one of the teams that beat them by 20 early on in the year!

At first, I was hesitant about getting moved from the 16s team to the 12s. I enjoyed really being able to coach the older girls with more advanced drills, but only recently have I realized that it’s with the younger kids that you really make an impact. They’re still young enough to correct flaws in their shooting form or fix bad dribbling habits and the like. Not to mention, they’re still young enough to not be “too cool” to goof off. I love being the assistant coach under the mature Terry because he gets the fun task of making the girls calm down while I still get to enjoy goofing off with them while he’s not there. It’s like good cop bad cop.

Before a training session a few days ago, one of the little ones taught me something very interesting. In the States, when you carry someone on your back, it’s called a “piggy back ride”. Who would have ever guessed that here it’s called a “camel back”?? There’s your fun fact for the day.