I think that it is about time to explain one of the main reasons as to why I am here; to attain my master’s degree in Sports Coaching and Performance. Now before arriving here, I really didn’t know what to fully expect from the coursework or classes that I would be taking. I didn’t know how strenuous it was going to be or what was going to be required? To be completely honest, I was extremely nervous and anxious for the first day and the program as a whole. *cue the Billy Madison back to school song*

However, I can honestly say that class has been nothing but enjoyable and interesting thus far. Having class only two to three times a month (yes, A MONTH) is pretty nice as well. More seriously though, I never knew that coaching education was so vast, and that there was so much to learn about the profession. I have only had five module sessions, and learned new aspects of coaching and leadership that I never knew existed. Another important aspect of the training are the discussions that take place with the rest of the people in this program. I am in this program with fellow scholar, Lexi, and a diverse group of full and part time students. This group is from many different walks of life consisting of varying sports, locations, and experience levels. These differences have made the discussions that much more interesting and valuable.

Just last evening, I turned in my first major master’s assignment; an approximately 2,500 word critical reflection essay on my leadership and coaching behaviors compared to current literature. A piece that I had nearly 4 weeks to complete, but ever so happily, decided to wait until the last 5 days. It can be shamefully said that I used all, but 15 minutes of the deadline. (Seems some things never change) At the end of it, though, I was happy with the work I had done. Even more, I was happy to prove to myself that I could study at this level. How well, exactly? TBD when I receive the feedback early next week. Regardless though, this assignment along with the first full module of teaching were extremely beneficial. I can only hope that the rest of the program and it’s modules are as influential and interesting as the first. Ultimately, if they are, this program will not only help me return to the states as a better coach and leader, but as a better person as well.

To give everyone an idea of what is ahead for me academically though, I will be attending classes and lectures for the next 8 months while completing a variety of assignments and presentations on a relatively monthly basis. At the beginning of May, I will go through my final module at Ulster University Jordanstown, and be allowed to return home to complete my master’s dissertation by the middle of September 2020. An opportunity that I could not be more grateful and excited for to be completely honest!!

I’ve been extremely fortunate to be able to host family and friends from back home for visits in Dublin. I love having people come, because I get to do tourist-y things in the city, and it gives me an excuse to explore. This past weekend my Dad was in town to catch our cup game, and then some of the other victory scholars came into the city as well. It was so much fun getting to see everyone, and I took them to all of my favorite spots in the city. If you’re planning to come to Dublin- these are my recommendations to try out. 

1. The Guinness Storehouse

Its only been two months since I’ve arrived, and I’ve already gone to the Guinness Store house not once, not twice, but THREE times. I think I should work there by now. But on a serious note- its a really cool experience when you’re in the city. The tour is self guided, and the view from the Gravity bar on the seventh floor is beautiful. Its Ireland’s number one tourist attraction for a reason!

2. Bunsen 

Bunsen is an AWESOME burger restaurant in the city. Theres one located in the Temple Bar district, and this weekend alone I went three times. Yes. It’s that good. Their menu is on a small business card, consisting of just choosing between a hamburger and a cheeseburger, with one or two patties. But trust me, if you like burgers, you HAVE to try it.

3. Elephant and Castle

This restaurant is located in Temple Bar as well, and they are known for their wings. The wings here are delicious, as is everything else on their menu. They have a really good brunch selection as well, but honestly any time of the day you’ll have an awesome meal. 

4. Pog

This is a small little brunch spot located on the water on Bachelor’s Walk. They have very aesthetically pleasing dishes- like avocado toast, acai bowls, and protein pancakes. I have gotten their acai bowl and protein pancakes, and they were both phenomenal. If you’re a foodie, you should definitely try this spot. 

Back in Ohio, I was an avid consumer of Chipotle (And I without a doubt will be when I return home). So when I arrived in Ireland and found out that there was something similar here, I was thrilled. In my eyes, Boojum is the Irish take on Chipotle. I’ve had the idea to write this blog for awhile, but I wanted to try Boojum several times before writing a proper review. I wanted to make sure I tried some different things, and made sure I got the full experience before doing this.

For starters, I am far from a food expert. If you know me pretty well you understand that me writing a food review is kinda laughable in a sense. In reality though, this would be one of the few I’m suited to do. I could go into detail about comparing each and every last aspect about the two places, but that’s not what I’m aiming for. I’d like to give a more general sense of my opinion, based on 5 key categories (Also note that these categories are based off my personal order, which truly doesn’t differ much between the two restaurants. I haven’t tried every topping at each restaurant, and never intend to) :

• Primary Bowl/Burrito Components: Chicken and rice
• Secondary Bowl/Burrito Components: Black beans, mild salsa, corn, cheese, lettuce
• Price
• Chips
• Atmosphere

So a few more things to add before I dive into this. The first is that I don’t have a predetermined winner for which one I think is better. I’m pretty torn at the moment so I’m going to kind of let this decision be made for itself as I write the review. Second, if you don’t like my personal Chipotle or Boojum order, then just be glad you never have to eat it yourself!

Primary Components: I’m already torn here, as I know I like Chipotle rice better, but I’m not sure on the chicken. Ireland does have higher food standards than the U.S., but Chipotle does pride itself on going above and beyond to use fresh ingredients. I’ll give the nod to Chipotle on this one.

Secondary Components: So what stands out immediately to me is the corn and the mild salsa. For starters, I really like corn (*Insert Midwestern joke here*). But in all seriousness I’ve grown up eating fresh sweet corn and there’s nothing like it. And for whatever reason, the corn at Boojum tastes better. Moving onto the salsa, I’m just not a huge fan of Chipotle’s mild salsa. Because of this, I’d have to put some hot sauce on my Chipotle order to add a bit more flavor to it, and truthfully that makes me sweat a little bit when I eat it. Luckily, the Boojum mild salsa gets the job done, and allows me to be more comfortable while I eat. This one goes to Boojum.

Price: Obviously this is an important factor for a college student. So Boojum offers a student discount, which seems like it would be enough to give it the nod. However, with the conversion from Euro to Dollar, I think Boojum is about $1 more expensive. Chipotle takes this one.

Chips: Ignoring the fact that chips typically mean fries over here, this one is tough. My first experience with Boojum chips was poor, like not good at all. However, I’ve had them twice since and the most recent time they were still warm and wow they were amazing. I can also think back to several experiences where I’ve had poor chip experiences at Chipotle. I think the only fair way to judge this one is to call it a draw.

Atmosphere: These were actually strikingly similar between the two. Granted, I’ve only been to one Boojum, but it has very similar vibes to any Chipotle I’ve ever been in. Hate to do this again, but it’s gonna be a draw here as well.

So overall, it’s 2-1 in favor of Chipotle, but there’s one more factor to be considered. Boojum offers a rewards card, so for every 10 bowls/burritos I get one free. And, if I get all the way up to forty meals there (easily achievable by next May), I get a free t-shirt. I like that quite a bit, like why doesn’t Chipotle have that?

But is this enough to push Boojum over the top? Truthfully it’s not. I boldly said a couple weeks ago that I like Boojum more, but I think that has to do with the fact that I was not expecting to eat Chipotle or anything like it for a year. So when I first had Boojum, I’m thinking, “Wow this is so good it’s probably better than Chipotle.” But after some time to reflect and think deeply, I give the absolute slightest nod to Chipotle. Honestly, if I only had the ability to eat at one of these places for the rest of my life, and not the other, I would not complain with which one it would be. That’s how close it is.

Thanks for reading! Tune in next time as I talk about something that I haven’t yet in my first 5 blogs.

A week ago my mom came to visit me in Limerick. The picture that is seen above was taken in one of my favorite spots in town called the Locke Bar. They always have live music playing there and I knew my mom would love it. We took this photo together after they had just played a couple of traditional Irish songs and my mom tried her first Guinness… And probably her last one too.

She asked me all of the usual mom like questions, “How is School? How is basketball going? How is the mentoring program going? Have you met a lot of people here? What are you eating daily? How are you getting along with your classmates and peers?” And to an outsider looking in on our conversation nobody would think anything of it but to my mom I could see that it meant a lot to her. She loves hearing about my life in Limerick and I love hearing about hers back in the states.

For anyone who does not know, my mom and I’s current situation has been difficult as my father has been very sick for the past 2 and a half years. And my mom has been the one overseeing his care and aid throughout this time. That is a full time commitment as she makes sure that he is being properly taken care of but that does not leave her much time for herself. However, through these obstacles she is still doing a phenomenal job of holding down the fort and always checking in with me. She has inspired me tremendously these past two and a half years with her selfless devotion to myself and to my father.

What made her trip to Limerick so special for me was when she got to see me doing well and enjoying myself in Ireland. She got to see me play a basketball game, go to Bunratty castle, visit LIT, and do a tour of dingle. So she was able to do a ton of activities with me in just 5 days here.

Overall, what I hope you as the reader take away from this is that you do not feel sorry for her or for myself because this tough situation has made the two of us stronger but it has also made us closer to one another. I really am grateful for my mom because without her support and guidance I would not be in Limerick Ireland today, being a part of this great organization.

Coming from a small town where there are generations of families living there. It is crazy to hear when someone does something like go to live in another country for a year. Five years ago when I was deciding on where I wanted to go to college, I was very hesitant to go to Bucknell because to me, that was too far from home. After a little help from my parents in reassuring that I would be fine, I decided to take a leap of faith, and thankfully it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

There were so many awesome people I had come into my life, that in reality I never would have met if I never decided to venture away from home in the first place. From teammates and coaches who are friends that became family. I think all the time how different my life and last four years would have been if I never would have made that leap in the first place.

A few months ago, when I thought my playing career was coming to an end I had to choose whether I wanted to continue playing overseas or throw in the towel. I knew I wanted to continue my education and I love to travel so when I was talking with my coach about this program, it was a no brainer that this was the best fit for me. When I was finally able to start telling my friends about how I was going to live in Ireland for a year, I finally had a few people, who I knew my whole life, tell me how they were nervous when I initially made the decision to go to Bucknell. They thought it was going to be too far for me and that I was going to be home after the first year. But after I made it through the four years there, they were so happy when I told them about the second leap of faith I was taking, going to live in Ireland for a year. Because now they knew I would be just fine.

Although I have only been here for just over two months, I have already met so many people and have experienced so many things that have taught me so much about myself. All of the kids in the local community that I have the opportunity to work with during the Honor Roll program and coach, have all already had a huge impact on my life and have brought me so many laughs and smiles that I could not me more thankful for.

So, looking back, if I never decided to take the first leap, then I never would have had the opportunity to take the second one. Both leaps have challenged me and taught me so much about myself, that now I never could have imagined my life without them.

“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”

November 18^th – Happy Birthday, Dad!

My dad is many things to me; my parent, my best friend, my workout partner, my breakfast buddy, my harshest critic, my biggest fan, and so much more. I love (and hate) that he wakes me up at 7 in the morning to get in a workout at the gym. At 55, he still kicks butt every day at CrossFit (even if burpees are involved!). He doesn’t always have the best taste in music, but we definitely share a love for food. We can always count on each other to spend the best meal of the day, breakfast, together – usually down the road from our house at the Manor Grille. When I need advice, he is always the first person I call.

The past four years my dad has spent every one of his birthdays watching me play basketball. In 2015, it was in Brooklyn against Rider University. My sophomore year he was traveling to Maryland to watch me play at Loyola University. In 2017 he watched from home while I played Manhattan college and last year him and my mom drove the whole way to the middle of nowhere in Kentucky for a weekend tournament at Morehead State. This year, for the first time in a while, I don’t have a basketball game on his birthday and I won’t get to see him.

When I initially showed interest in playing overseas and the Sport Changes Life program, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about it. Everyone else that I talked to was encouraging and told me if I have the opportunity I should go for it. I can’t tell if my dad was eager for me to start my career or if he was just excited to finally have me back home. After all, he had the same feelings about me going to Brooklyn for college… even though he hates New York City, he still made plenty of trips to visit me and watch most of my games. He claims that he won’t be making a trip to Ireland this year… but we will see about that! If you know my dad, you know that a perfect vacation for him would be laying on the couch watching TV for a week. He isn’t much of a traveler. Nevertheless, he was supportive (like he always is) and helped me find my way to Ireland. To be honest, I don’t think that either of us were ready for my basketball career to end. He still looks forward to watching my games every weekend with my mom and loves discussing all the details afterwards over the phone.

Over the past few years my dad has received plenty of phone calls from me. We talk or FaceTime almost every single day. Most of the time it is just chatting and catching up, but there have been multiple occasions when I call him in tears because I’m upset or raging because I’m angry about something. In these instances, I was usually looking for him to agree or empathize with me, but he never would. Instead, he would always tell me to stop feeling sorry for myself, to get over it, or to figure it out. While I always hate this answer, I know he is typically right.

I know that there are a lot of great dads out there in the world, but I am convinced that me and my brother, William, have the best one. A lot of people may not have grown up with a father in their life or may not have a pleasant relationship with theirs. I cannot imagine what that must be like and just feel so grateful that I can recognize how lucky I am to have the parents that I do. When I think about the person that I am and all the things I have accomplished up to this point in my life, I think that my mom and dad deserve all the credit. When I was younger, I used to hate how strict they were (and still do). I would always be so embarrassed when they wouldn’t allow me to do certain things, but now I understand why.

Dad – you always keep me grounded and set me straight when I need it. Even though I’m completely spoiled, you still taught me to be strong, independent, and kind. I can’t be with you today on your birthday, but I just wanted to remind you how much I value having you in my life and thank you for always being such an incredible and supportive part of it. Happy Birthday, I love you!

October 28^th marks my Dad’s birthday, which just so happens to be the day of my blog post!! So, this one goes out to him!

To start off, I have the best dad ever. I know, I know, almost all daughters like to think that they have the best dad’s, but mine is pretty darn hard to beat! I honestly don’t know what my family and I would do without him. He is an unbelievably hard worker, he’s selfless, caring, smart, generous…the list goes on and on! I take after him in a lot of ways, one way being my complete left-handedness (go lefties!). My dad was also an outstanding athlete throughout high school and college in every sport he played – basketball, football, baseball…you name it, he was probably great at it! He was even drafted to play for the NY Yankees back in the day! Unfortunately, he blew his knee out in a game and ended up having multiple surgeries and screws put in place. However, through all of that adversity, he managed to persevere and create a successful life for himself. He served as a firefighter and was a great beer salesman for some time…oh and then he decided to go to Med school, passed his boards, and now works as a nurse in the Veteran’s Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. Sooo I’d say I have a pretty AWESOME Dad! He will go out of his way to do anything for us and always makes sure we are comfortable wherever we are in the world. I definitely wish I was home to celebrate with him and make him his birthday dessert, but I’ll have to leave that up to my Mom and little sister, Leah…(sorry, Dad!).

So, Dad – I hope you have a great, RELAXING birthday with a nice glass of your favourite Bourbon and a good cigar! I miss you (and the rest of the fam, of course) so much and can’t wait till you travel across the pond to visit me!

Ireland Updates:

I can’t believe Halloween is THIS WEEK already…time is flying by! My national team does not have a game until November 9^th, so we’ve had some time to ourselves this past weekend. On Saturday, Kaylee and I had the house pretty much all to ourselves since the boys were playing away in Limerick and our French housemates were travelling. So, we took the opportunity to have a nice girls’ day and relax a bit. We had breakfast at the Honey Pot, a little café in town that has AMAZING pancakes! (Okay it wasn’t a complete girls’ day since Andy joined us before heading to Limerick for the game…and Manny was supposed to join but didn’t make it out of bed in time🤦🏻‍♀️). Anyway, we enjoyed a nice breakfast and then tried to figure out something fun we could do. With Halloween only days away, we decided to head to Lidl (a nice little grocery store by us) and buy some pumpkins to carve (see our results below!)

Now, please keep in mind – I am writing this blog on Saturday so I will fill in the details on this in the following weeks!

The Gaelic 4 Mothers & Others team invited me to travel with them to their match on Sunday and are letting me play, too! I am super excited, but there’s a catch…Eamonn and Brian won’t tell us where we are going! All I know is, it’s going to be great craic! I am really looking forward to it and grateful for the opportunity to join them – the adventure awaits!

Traveler Tip #13

Another grocery store tip for you – for some reason, a zucchini is called a “courgette” and eggplants are called “aubergines” here…don’t ask me why, I have no idea! But I guess that will be my next research task😉

Until next time!

-Dana D.

I love living in Waterford because our basketball program has such a supportive community. I am especially grateful for how generous the Granville Hotel is for welcoming me in every weekend for a warm meal! It sits along the river in town and the building dates back to the 1700’s. It is one of Ireland’s oldest hotels!

The Granville Hotel sponsors the Waterford Wildcats and provides me with a complimentary dinner every Saturday and Sunday. They have a carvery on their main floor. Carvery’s are pretty popular in Ireland, and I am a learning to love them! They are set up sort of like a buffet style and you get an overflowing plate full of delicious food. They serve a variety of freshly cooked meats like beef, lamb, salmon, chicken and ham along with plenty of sides including baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fries, veggies and stuffing. And don’t forget the array of desserts!

If you know me, you know that one of my favorite meals is Thanksgiving dinner… so I really look forward to heading over to the Granville every weekend! Thank you, Granville Hotel… I hope you know how much this is appreciated!

Episode 4 – Fee Fi Fo Fum 

This might have been the most Canadian thing I have done since I have been in Ireland. It was also one of those things that I have been looking forward to do since I arrived in Ireland and thanks to our head of social media, Rachel Stoops. I was able to go to my first Belfast Giant professional hockey game. 

Being Canadian you would think that I would have been to at least one NHL hockey game, but that is not the case at all unfortunately; and this Belfast game has changed my opinion on the atmosphere of a hockey game. I know about the atmosphere at a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game and I heard it is electric but if it compares anything to what it was like at the Belfast Giants game then I will have to buy some tickets when I get back home. The game that Kollyns, Lexi, Kyle and myself got to witness had everything a hockey game could offer. There were 9 goals in total (7 for Belfast), some good hits, some great plays and of course best of all there was a fight that broke out in the third period. 

It was great to see the support that the Giants had, because although the crowd could not compare to that of an NHL team, their team spirit and enthusiasm was second to none. The one section that caught my attention was definitely the section of rowdy fans who were banging the drums and making the most noise out of everyone in the whole arena. It reminded me a lot of division 1 athletic events back in the states, with the student sections that would be rowdy and exciting to not only play in front of but play against as well.  

To top it all off, the cherry on top of everything that was going on in the arena, from the game, to the rowdy fans, to the fights, were the nachos I had to go with the entertainment. Now these nachos may have just been good because i was really hungry or because the cheese to salsa ratio was perfect and exactly what I needed to top of the night. However, I know one thing’s for sure, i will have to find a way to another Belfast Giants game at the SSE Arena. 

It has now been officially over two months since I left my home in August. While it feels like I left New York awhile ago, my busy lifestyle in Cork has been making each week fly by. Our international business coursework has increased as presentation deadlines are approaching throughout all of November. Basketball season is in full swing as well, as our university’s practices have started to prepare for the upcoming matches against many other fellow Victory Scholars.

The culmination of coaching Neptune’s U18B team, playing in the Superleague, and attending CIT has been a challenging yet rewarding experience so far. Every week is filled with new obstacles that can be daunting at first but fulfilling if managed properly. While my time at Hamilton was certainly busy, Ireland has demanded more out of me. Relying on public transportation for practice and coaching has been one such aggravating adjustment. The 220 bus in Cork is infamous for running 30-45 minutes late despite it being scheduled to stop every 15 minutes. Another adjustment that has been challenging is working alongside international students to write group assignments. While we all have great ideas, it has been somewhat difficult to mesh our ideas together and make them cohesive. We all come from different countries with learning styles, so being able to operate as a team is of the utmost importance. I am grateful that sport has given me many previous experiences in a team setting where I have learned how to successfully work alongside others.

Despite many of the challenges I have endured over the past couple of months, it is all part of an unbelievable experience. These obstacles are helping me grow as an individual and are going to be invaluable going forward. I have learned that changing my vocabulary from “I have to do X,” to “I have the opportunity to do X,” makes all the difference when life gets busy. Opportunities should never be taken for granted, and this is a reminder to myself to continue accepting challenges with poise.

So it is month #2 and school is definitely kicking my butt. It’s coming down to the last couple of weeks and assignment due dates are starting to approach. Surely, it has taken me a significant amount of time adapting to my schedule and the curriculum of professors. It is a grind week in and week out. On the lighter side of things, I’ve had a chance to work with two of the local secondary school’s senior boy’s basketball teams. Once a week I have a session where I get to coach the boys on some fundamentals and drills that will help improve their basketball skills. Next to weekend games with my club, I look forward to working with these teams every week. They always bring this excitement and attentive mindset to learn and work hard. In turn, it gets me pumped up and hyped for each session. I’m learning more and more that I enjoy coaching the kids.  At the end of every session, the boys teach me a new Irish word and I am striving to say all of these words fluently. I love teaching them about all that sports has to offer off the court. These boys are a apart of a brotherhood and they may not even realize it.

This is the first week where I will get a chance to watch both teams play in their games this week and I am looking forward to watching each one. I always see some of the boys at our home games and now I can revert that same support back to them.

Let me just start off with saying how thankful I am for this program to give me the opportunity to continue the game that I love.

While sports not only helps in developing my physical and mental health, it also develops the life skills of my personality. It enhanced my capabilities and helped to have a better understanding of myself. Sports also helped me in developing social skills and getting along with people. I learned to interact not only with people of my age but also with adults like my coaches, staff, and parents.

Basketball taught me constructive use of time and discipline. I learned that this is a major characteristic of any athlete. The commitment of time to be in a particular place at a particular time everyday helped me develop this important thing called time management. It also taught me to be patient and disciplined which helped me cope with criticism and setbacks, which every athlete has experienced at least once in their lifetime.

Lastly, playing sports made me create friendships that otherwise might never have formed. I am currently 23 years old and remain intact with many of my former basketball teammates from college and even high school. I can happily say that I know these are friendships that will last a lifetime. Sports even bring people together from all over the world, regardless of their nationality, religion, culture, or skin color. For example, Sport Changes Life brought me 21 friends that I never would’ve met if it wasn’t for this program. It also brought me one of my best friends that I currently live with in Galway and play on the same basketball team. If it wasn’t for her, my experience in Ireland would’ve been so much different. Even when we go back to America, I know I will always have her, no matter the distance.

So thank you basketball. Thank you for everything you have taught me; the good, the bad, the hard times, the great times, and everything in between. You have truly changed me.

~Karlee

It’s good to be back. The last few weeks have been a challenge; I sustained my first concussion three weeks ago, which forced me to miss our game in Killarney and lay down in a dark room for five days. Thankfully, I’m back healthy again.

I want to use this post to explain my motivation to pursue the Victory Scholar Program earlier this year. Above all, I stand in Waterford today because of my love for the game of basketball. Over the last decade, this game has been a defining component of my life. After my senior season concluded at Hamilton College, I was not ready to walk away.

Over the last four years, my teammates and I worked incredibly hard to redefine the culture of our program. To provide some backstory, Hamilton was the perenial punching bag of the NESCAC when I arrived as a freshman. My class wanted to change that reputation.

As a team, we reached tremendous heights over the next few years – hosting the first four rounds of the NCAA tournament, making Hamilton’s first NESCAC championship appearance, and reaching the Sweet 16 two years in a row. In spite of our return to national prominence, it’s challenging to accept how we ended this past season. Our team had the pieces to win the league and make the Final Four. However, two narrow defeats in the NESCAC championship and the Sweet 16 – both on our home floor – were by far the most devastating losses I’ve suffered in my athletic career. The mental agony of those defeats consumed me. One moment I will never forget was how demoralizing it was to sit in our locker room, just minutes after our final game, knowing that my college career was over. I didn’t want basketball to end.

The Victory Scholar Program provided me with an opportunity to have another year of competitive basketball. But as I continue to experience what this program encapsulates – coaching, mentoring, playing, and studying – I’ve gained a greater understanding of what this year is truly about. This year is more than just fulfilling my dream of playing overseas; it’s about witnessing the considerable impact I can have on young people by speaking about leadership, hard work, and believing in yourself.

I’m still afraid of filling the void that basketball will leave behind. This game has become a substantial part of my identity. The 8-year-old child in me wants basketball to go on forever. I fear accepting its inevitable conclusion.

Regardless, I’m going to challenge myself to make the most out of the opportunity I have in front of me. When I was young, I never envisioned that basketball would carry me across the globe. I want to spread the message of how far this game can take you if you’re willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

I feel like every time I sit down to write these blog posts, only two weeks has gone by, but I have done so much in that time. Last Saturday evening, my club team, the UL Huskies played against the NUIG Mystics, a team that has two other scholars on it. I was able to play against Karlee and Becca who both had amazing games. While we faced a tough loss, it is always nice to see familiar faces and the best part was the two of them spent the night in Limerick with Ian, Reece and myself. After a fun night out in Limerick, we spent Sunday getting lunch in the city and enjoying nice weather by the Shannon River. My favorite part of spending time with other scholars is hearing about their experiences wherever they are located. While we all have Sport Changes Life to thank for being in Ireland, our experiences within the country are completely unique. It is interesting to hear about the different aspects of their day to day lives with regards to school, outreach, and basketball. The five of us had a great weekend and I am excited to make it over to their neck of the woods in December!

This weekend my club team played Templeogue, and to be honest we had a very tough loss. After the game was finished, my teammates and I had a difficult time coming up with words to say because no one had a good game and we all felt so defeated. It was pretty discouraging, but when we finally came up with a way to verbalize our issues and start to create solutions it made me feel positive about the future. One of my old coaches used to say that basketball was a game of runs, and whoever had more won the game. As simple as it sounds, it is so real because every team faces lapses within the game but it is the team who is able to persevere through the lows to come out on the other side as the victor. With all of that in mind, I am looking forward to getting better as a team this week in practice and looking inwards to see what I can do to become a better teammate and individual player. It is also moments like this in basketball that I remind myself why I am in Ireland. Going undefeated the whole season and breezing through every game would be great, but at the end of the day I am not just a basketball player, I am a Victory Scholar. So when things are not going my way on the court, I remind myself that I am here to raise the aspirations of young people in Ireland. As long as I can confidently say that I am accomplishing that, then I will continue to hold my head high and turn each difficult moment into a learning experience. I am excited to get better as a team in the weeks to come and hopefully turn our weaknesses into strengths, and more importantly, I will continue to approach each day with a positive mindset.

This weekend, I was lucky enough to have my home come to me! My mom, dad, and sister arrived in Dublin and surprised me while I was running a clinic for Templeogue basketball. There are few moments in my life where I have felt happier, and I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since. My team manager and ladies secretary (shoutout to my Irish parents Alan and Glenda <3) set up a reservation to get brunch so we could catch up.

My parents were lucky enough to catch a game on Saturday night (we got the W). We played other SCL Victory Scholar, Summer, who my parents and I have known since Summer and I were about 10 years old. So they not only got to see me play, but also one of my long time AAU teammates and competitors.

On Sunday, my family and I did a hop on hop off bus tour of Dublin. We stopped off at (you guessed it) the Guinness Storehouse. If you have never been to the Guinness Storehouse, I would definitely recommend it. Inside there were 7 floors, where we explored the ingredients of Guinness, how it is made, how to taste test it, past and present advertisements, restaurants, and finally, the gravity bar. The Gravity Bar is one of the highest points in Dublin, where we were given a free pint of Guinness and got to experience the entire skyline of Dublin. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Check out some of the pictures that I have from this weekend, including Summer and my lovely family

TTYL

Morgan

American football has always been a HUGE part of my family. My grandfather, Dan DiRenzo, played for the Philadelphia Eagles and was a member of the World Championship (now known as the Super Bowl) team with them back in 1948 and 1949. So that would be why we are such big Eagles fans!! See pictures below of the 1948-49 Eagles team (with my Poppop circled) and a picture of me and my Poppop before the Eagles’ Alumni game!

My father was also a great football player, but he chose to pursue baseball throughout college (and almost to the pro league if it wasn’t for his knee injury!) And of course, the current DiRenzo football player is my not-so-little brother, JD (my Poppop gave him that nickname when he was born). JD plays Division I football at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut as a left tackle. At 6’6″ and over 300lbs, he has started every game since his first year playing and is doing great for the Pioneers! I definitely miss tailgating before his games with my family and watching him play, but he still has two years left so I’ll get to see plenty! Hopefully one day we’ll be in a special family suite watching him play in the NFL😉

When we were little, we used to love playing football out in the backyard. My brother was a quarterback for some time, so I used to run routes and pretend to be a wide receiver so he could practice his passing. We used to LOVE summer nights like these, being outside with my parents (and eventually my little sister, Leah) playing different sports. They were some special moments that I will always remember!

Anyway, before I get too sappy, the reason I am giving some of my family background is because two weeks ago I had the opportunity to play football! However, this was not American football, but Gaelic football. Gaelic football is an Irish sport that basically involves different aspects of American football, basketball, soccer, and I’d even mix volleyball in there, too! It is played on an outdoor pitch and is definitely a high contact sport! Here is a link that quickly explains the basic rules if you want to know more about it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSOe-USZzok

I’ve wanted to try Gaelic since I arrived in Ireland, so I was really excited when my landlord, Ed, messaged me and said that a woman named Monica Gribben wanted to take me out to one of the training sessions for the “Gaelic 4 Mothers and Others” team. Monica lives here in Letterkenny and usually plays for the team but has been out due to injury. However, she was still so generous to pick me up and take me to my first Gaelic training session! I actually coach one of her daughters, Emma, on the Academy team (which will be going to Spain next year). Monica also has two other younger daughters that came along with me to O’Donnell Park, which is where the pitch was. Thankfully, Monica and I have the same shoe size so I could wear her spare boots (cleats), which even had nice insoles in them – important to get that good arch support! Her daughter, Kira, also let me borrow her gloves, so I was fully equipped for my first time out on the field!

This team was perfect for me to play with because it is a group of women that just come together to have fun and get out on the field. The team is coached by two men named Eamonn and Brian, who were both so nice to let me train with them and learn the game! The first night I went out, I was thrown right into the mix and we just played a match. I played mid-field (I really just ran around everywhere because I wasn’t really sure what that position meant), and it turns out I wasn’t too bad! The women were all so nice and fun to be around – they definitely know how to enjoy it. Afterwards, I was invited to join the team and coaches for tea/coffee and buns from Highland Bakery, which is their sponsor. The owner of the bakery was there to present new tops for the ladies, too! I was so appreciative of the opportunity to try something new and be a part of such a nice group of people. They were all so welcoming, I couldn’t wait to go to the training session the following week! (I was even invited to get in the team picture below)

Unfortunately, I can’t play in real matches with the team because you have to be at least 25, but I’ve really enjoyed the couple of training sessions I’ve been to and will definitely continue to go when I can until their season is over (which is soon, sadly). And who knows…once basketball season is over, maybe I’ll pursue Gaelic and really go for it!

Signing off✌🏼

Traveler Tip #12

If you are going grocery shopping in Ireland and have eggs on your shopping list, you won’t find them in the refrigerated section like you would in America. You’ll actually find them on shelves in a different aisle (i.e. the bread or baking aisle)!

I still keep them in the fridge whenever I buy them though…(Is there a proper way to store eggs???😅)

-Dana D.

Throughout my first month living in Northern Ireland, a certain theme has often reoccurred over and over again. It is the little things that you take for granted at home. Little things such as having the right cooking utensils, or not having to make sure your health appliances can be used in the outlets. Even simple tasks that would be routine at home such as going to get a haircut, getting groceries, or many others become a little harder when you are in a foreign country. Perhaps the most prime example of this to share would be my first lifting experience here.

At home, lifting is an extremely accessible and routine task for me to perform, but over here, NOT QUITE. NOT IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY. As I arrived to the gym that day, I went through my normal warm-up, and got to the point where I was ready to begin my workout. As I walked over to the dumbbell rack, I quickly realized that this lift may become a little different. Mainly because the weights are not measured in pounds here, but instead, kilograms. Okay, so what? Pull out your phone and convert kg to pounds and be on your way. Awesome idea from the peanut gallery, but accessing the internet when you don’t have any reception/Wifi in the gym becomes pretty tough, some may say, impossible.

“Somewhat” lucky for me, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a conversion chart.

Great! Convert kilograms to pounds and begin my workout. Eh… not so fast. Unfortunately, the chart didn’t change kilograms to pounds. It changed kilograms to stones to pounds. Now, I don’t know about you guys, but I have never heard of stones as a measurement. I instantly started thinking okay well how big are these stones? Are they pebbles? Massive boulders?? How big are they???

After about 5 minutes staring at the chart, I was able to figure out that every stone is equal to 14 lbs. Because of this, I came to realize that through some supposedly easy math and utilization of the chart, I would be able to convert the weights I needed from lbs to kg. So from there on out, my main workout that day became walking back and forth to the conversion table and completing second grade multiplication tables. 14×11… 14×8… and so on. While at the time this was frustrating to say the least, it is definitely something that I won’t soon forget (just like the multiples of 14 that I re-learned that day).

So as you can see, through my first month here, I have realized that it isn’t the real big things that make you appreciate home, but rather, it’s the small things. It’s the tasks that you think would be routine and easy that end up being not so simple. It’s things such as going to get a haircut or going to lift. Things like having the right pan to use to cook or big bowl to eat out of (Sidebar: been using a big measuring cup for that… sorry Aunt Bea lol) However, I realize that those little things that have become slightly different and harder will be what I reminisce on and remember in 9 months when this experience of a lifetime comes to a close. So until then, here’s to all the little things!

1. Get a leap card. DCU is located just north of Dublin city center, and the most efficient way to travel to and from is with a student leap card. You get discounts on public transportation, and some local discounts too. All you have to do is top up the balance every time it gets low, and you’re all set! 
2. Always have an umbrella on you. ALWAYS. Every morning I check the weather app before leaving for class to see if it’s going to rain (it usually is) but on days it doesn’t I don’t wear a coat. Nine times out of ten, any day I don’t bring a jacket/umbrella, I get caught in the rain. One day when I went into the city, I had to run into the nearest store and buy an umbrella because it was so bad. But also keep in mind, if it is raining, a lot of the time it will only rain for a short period of time, and clear up right away. So you might just want to stay inside while the rain moves out. 
3. Download the Circuit app. Instead of purchasing a card every time you need to do laundry, it’s the app where you upload money when you need to do a wash. 
4. Try the Food Box. The grab and go cafe in the sports hall is one of my favorite places to eat on campus- the panini’s are my favorite. And they’re the only place on campus that serve iced coffee- one of the things I miss most about home.
5. Explore as much as you can!! Dublin is an amazing city and has so many awesome things to do. The city is beautiful and you can always find something to do!

So naturally I would like to keep these blog posts totally about my experiences over here. But this one has to be an exception. It’s literally been apart of my entire life and this is the first year I’ll have completely been away from it for the whole fall. So what exactly is it?

As many of you already know, and as some of you have been able to gather by the childhood photo above, my family owns a pumpkin farm called Dupler’s Pumpkin Land. While I could describe every last detail that involves everything from how pumpkins grow, to the ins and outs of the operation today, I want to focus on a different aspect of it. Specifically, how this family business helped mold me into the person I am.

So a little background, the family business was started by my parents 22 years ago. The initial start came as an idea to help pay off the 26 acres they had purchased. After planting 1/2 acre of pumpkins, they sat out in lawn chairs and sold every last pumpkin. After doubling the size of the field to 1 acre the following year, and again selling every pumpkin, they realized they might be on to something.

So over the years, the business continued to grow. While this was far from a 2 person operation (family and friends have played and still continue to play a massive role) the work that my parents were putting in was mind-boggling. They both worked full-time, raised my sister and I, and continued to work the pumpkin business year after year. While most people will never understand how much work goes into the process of starting with a seed to putting the pumpkin up for sale, I witnessed it growing up.

And It wasn’t until I got older that I truly began to appreciate two things: the first one being how hard my parents worked simply for the love of fruition, and secondly the impact that this had on myself. Despite everything going on in their lives, my parents never used it as an excuse for anything. And while I think I still have a long way to go in terms of matching their level, I’m always trying to embrace their hard work, no excuse mentality, that was instilled in me growing up. I truly believe that without this experience, I wouldn’t be near the person I am today. And while it is impossible to say for sure, without pumpkins, I may not have ended up in Ireland in the first place.

Here’s a picture from a couple years ago, with my dad, Roger, my mom, Traci, and my sister, Chelsey.

Here’s one more picture that shows how my sister and I have literally grown up in the pumpkin patch.

Again, I had a couple other ideas for this post, and I wanted to keep these blogs primarily about my experiences here in Ireland. However, I truly believe that this has played such a big part in my life  development and is a strong reason that I was granted this opportunity to be here. I also don’t want people reading this and think that I’m desperately homesick. Yes I do miss being around it all, but my experience over here so far definitely makes it worthwhile to miss out on the farm for a year.

Tune in next time where I make some hot takes on a food review!

What a great Sunday in Sligo.

Two months have came and gone, time is flying right before my eyes. Three games have passed and we are 2-1 for our club team, classes are starting to get busy but they are manageable.

The college team has our first friendly (scrimmage) November 6th.

This past Sunday I got the chance to go bowling and see some awesome views. It was a great day to get out of the house and see what Ireland has to offer.

This past week a couple of the other scholars and I have been trying to plan a trip during our Christmas break. The locations are yet to be determined and you will have to stay tuned to see where we will end up. It’s going to be a fun time no matter where we go.

This week we have a fashion show that is going to break a world record. My next blog will be about that and i’ll show you some photos from that.

I just want to thank Sport Changes Life for giving me this opportunity.

Proverbs 19:21 “Many plans are in a man’s heart, But the counsel of the lord will stand.”

This past weekend, the EJ Sligo All Stars had our first home game against a tough and talented Portlaoise Panthers team.  It was arguably one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever played in. The game itself was intense, the crowd was going crazy (especially the kids under the basket beating on their drums) and we won in overtime. As basketball players when the going gets tough, we often find extra energy from the crowd cheering us on. The town of Sligo came out in full force to support us during the game and ultimately helped give us that extra motivation to pull out the hard fought victory. The noise levels were deafening at times and truly created a sixth man atmosphere by how hard our crowd cheered for us.

Before arriving in Sligo I had heard that there was a tremendous basketball environment but I could not have imagined that the town was that supportive.  It was great to see people from the IT, kids from camps and their families all out to enjoy a Saturday night full of good hoops! There were times throughout the game when I couldn’t help but smile and get goosebumps when I heard the crowd and kids chanting my name and encouraging us to keep giving our best. I’m sure that the town will continue to come out and create such an amazing playing atmosphere throughout the year and I look forward to doing all that I can to win and ensure that they enjoy their night out at the game!

The best thing that basketball has given me is lifelong friendships. Every single one of my best friends just so happens to be a former teammate of mine. I think that this is because we are wired the same. As athletes, we understand the importance of our sport and how much we care about it. We know how much effort it takes to achieve our goals and how devastating it can be when those goals aren’t met. Most importantly, we can always count on each other for support. Some people don’t understand why or how much a game can mean to someone, but my friends do. They understand if I am late for dinner because I was rushing to shower after practice or if I cancel last minute because I would rather let my aching body lay in bed. They have all been there before and don’t take it personally. I have spent hours, months, and years playing on different teams with many different girls. Developing strong friendships along the way was inevitable.

Being a part of an AAU team has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life. I feel lucky that I get to say this because I don’t think most people can. My teammates and I would spend hours together driving across the city to practice, and even more on road trips to different tournaments all around the nation. We looked forward to spending every weekend of our summers in a hotel because it meant we were all together. Because we were so close off the court, it made playing all those games so much more enjoyable. This was probably the most fun I’ve ever had playing basketball. To this day, I can say that a majority of my best friends came from this AAU team.

One of these friendships is with Lexi Posset. Lexi and I played AAU basketball together for about 5 years. We played for the Drill for Skill Wildcats (I am just realizing now that I am a wildcat again!) under Coach John Miller, a Pittsburgh legend. Our squad was very competitive and most of our teammates have had/are still having successful basketball careers. We were so lucky to have a core group of girls that stuck together for so many years and even luckier that we have become even closer as we’ve grown older.

Although Lexi and I never got the chance to play each other in high school because we fell under different divisions within our conferences, we met a few times on the court in college. Unfortunately, the overall record throughout the four years would be 0-2, favoring the Rider Broncs. When Lexi and I found out that we both applied to the Sport Changes Life program, we were ecstatic. From AAU to Ireland, we have come full circle. How cool is that we get to experience this together?

Lexi is attending Ulster University and plays in the National League for the Ulster Elks. She is living near Belfast, which is about a 3-and-a-half-hour drive from Waterford. Since our teams are in different leagues, I won’t get the chance to redeem myself from my college losses. While our days of being on the court together are most likely over, we are still making the most of our friendship. This past weekend, Lexi’s grandparents came to Ireland. Nun and Pap were THE biggest Drill for Skill fans there were. They made it to just about every single AAU tournament we ever played in. Lexi, Nun, and Pap were able to come to my game in Dublin on Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed a delicious dinner together in Kilkenny afterwards. Before they returned to Belfast on Monday, I was able to show them around Waterford. I was so happy that I got to see them while they were here!

I once saw a quote that read, “Everyone has a friend during each stage of life, but only lucky ones have the same friend in all stages of life.” Well, I started playing AAU with the Wildcats in 2012, and 7 years later look where we are at. I am truly lucky that basketball has given the friendships that it has!

As the weeks continue to fly by I had to take some time and reflect back on all that I have already done during my time in Ireland. If you were to have asked me at this time last year about going abroad and living in another country for a year, I would have laughed and said you are crazy. Although I love to travel, I never thought I would have actually packed up two suitcases and flew over 8,000 miles away for a year. Before I initially left, there were not many things I worried about. However, two things I did think about a lot were what was my team and coach going to be like, and having to make some friends to go and do things with.

Thankfully, I do not have the worry anymore. My two teammates Alyssa, who was a Scholar last year, and Meg Dunne, our Irish teammate, have been more than welcoming in making sure I am doing alright. From the start of my time in Carlow, I have always felt welcomed by everyone I came in contact with and I never felt like I was an international student trying to fit in. Meg and Alyssa have truly taken me under their wing and I could not be more thankful for that. They are the type of people that although I have only known for a little over a month, I feel like I have known them forever.

During my four years at Bucknell, there was a family that I had met through Church and always invited the college students over for a home cooked meal on Sundays. It was a time for us to get away for campus and unwind for a little before having to hit the books again Sunday night. During my first Christmas Break, when no one was on campus besides the basketball teams and wrestling team, I found myself going over there house a lot. It was the comfort of having a comfy couch to sit on, being included in the family meals, and feeling right at home that helped me get through my first year away from my actual family. In Ireland, that family is the Dunne’s. I have been so thankful to have this family who I know I can go to if I ever need anything.

To Alyssa and the Dunne Family,

Thank you for making me feel so welcomed and for treating me like one of you own 🙂

The start to my super league season has been pretty frustrating. The whole situation has been great, don’t get me wrong; I love living in Galway. My professors, coaches, and teammates have been some of the kindest people I have worked with in my career. But, I haven’t been playing as well as I know I am capable of.

Irish basketball is a little different than what I am used to. It is much scrappier than what I played for four years at university. It’s not that there are less fouls called by the refs, but it’s more about where the refs are calling the fouls. Here they let you be a bit more active with your hands playing defense on the perimeter. I refer to it as a hand check. Which for me as a defender has been great. But, I don’t think I have completely adjusted to it on offense.

The offense my club team runs has been completely new to me. While, I think I have a good sense of it at this point, learning this new offense within a completely new basketball setting hasn’t gone as well as I would have liked. The floor tends to be less spread, and the help rotations come from everywhere and anywhere. When these rotations are allowed to hand check more than I expect them to it has resulted in me turning the ball over too much, and ultimately my own frustration. There is also a rule in Ireland that only one American player can be on the floor at one time, and there is a second American on my team, so I am fighting for every minute I get on the floor. More turnovers leads to more frustration, which leads to less playing time, and, you guessed it, more frustration. I have been trying my best to play through it, and I have had stretches where I play well. But, like I mentioned at the start of this post, I am a better player than what I have shown on the court so far.

While I was at Hopkins my team had the opportunity to work with a Dr. Doug Polster who works in Sports Psychology at UCLA. Lucky for us, he is an alumni of our program, and was really excited to work with us about how we can train our minds to be able to deal with the stress that it takes to perform and play as well as one can. Dr. Doug showed us a lot of great exercises, but there is one in particular that has stuck with me: Leaves on a River.

The exercise is super simple. It doesn’t take long at all, you can do it anywhere, and while I have mostly applied it to playing basketball, it can be done deal with any sort of stress. Basically you picture your mind as a river. With your thoughts flowing from one side of your mind to the other. You simply place each of your thoughts on a leaf on this river, and watch them float from one side of your mind to the other where it is lost downstream. The aim is to acknowledge both the good and the bad thoughts that come up, and watch them float away downstream. Leaving you calmer, more level, and hopefully in my case, ready to make the next play, instead of another mistake born from frustration from a play before.

It took me a while to come around to this exercise. In the beginning, it felt corny. For some reason in the middle of some intense and competitive situation on the court I just felt stupid picturing leaves and rivers in my mind. I think I felt like I was too cool. But, from experience, I have found that this exercise really works, and to be honest I should do it more on the court. But, it is not limited to basketball, or any other sport. You can do it anytime you are down, stressed, or overwhelmed. Just make a few of your thoughts into leaves; “I just turned the ball over again”, “This assignment is too difficult for me”, “I’ll never meet my boss’ stupid deadline”, and watch them float on down the river.

Quick shoutout to Dr. Doug, if anyone missed the link above, for more info on Doug’s work go to: https://www.polsterperformance.com.

On Saturday 12th October the Galway Girls, Becca and Karlee came to Limerick to spend the night with us. Becca and Karlee had a game against Summer on Saturday and so they decided to stay with us for the rest of the weekend. The next 24 hours were a blast! We all talked about our different experiences here in Ireland and how much we enjoyed meeting a ton of people here.

Saturday evening we went out and that was a load of fun. Then Sunday during the day, we had a more relaxing day where we sat outside and listened to music. We then proceeded to eat some breakfast before we went into town to try out this new restaurant that Summer recommended called La Cocina. Oh my goodness was this place amazing! They had one of the best milkshakes I have ever had. The milkshake that I got to try had a donut, oreo, whipped cream and chocolate chips and then there was the milkshake. It was heavenly. After that, I got one of the pizza meals that they offered and wow was this some good pizza. The pizza had some thin crust and the meat that they added to the pizza was really fresh. Needless, to say I will be back there again very soon!

After that delicious meal, Becca, Karlee, Reece, Summer and I went to the river to watch the sunset. We got some great pictures and we just laughed and talked about life. It was definitely a memorable Sunday to remember as all we did was talk about our different experiences living here and what we have learned from our journey so far here in Ireland. Once the sunset finally went down, Summer, Reece and I said goodbye to our Galway gals but we knew that we would see them again soon.

Even though it was a short weekend with the Galway gals it was just perfect. As it allowed the three of us in Limerick to be able to properly catch up with them and learn about what their journey in Galway, Ireland has been like.

55,018 steps. 25.05 miles. That is how much ground we covered in just TWO (and a quarter) days in London, England! If we don’t win our “Walktober” competition at school after all those steps…I’ll demand a recount!!

This past weekend, we did not have a game or any other commitments until Tuesday night. So, Kaylee and I decided to take advantage of our time off and go on a little weekend trip to London! We booked super cheap flights through Ryanair (only an hour long!) and found a pretty reasonable Airbnb for our time there.

Saturday:

We left for Dublin airport via Buseirann in the morning (the longest part of our travels) and took off at 4:30pm for London-Stansted airport. Once we arrived, we took a coach from the airport to our Airbnb – which we struggled to find at first but eventually we made it! We were STARVING when we arrived, so we quickly put our things in our room and ventured out into the City of London. Now, I have to say that I’ve really taken the kindness of the Irish people for granted – we had to deal with some pretty rude people along the way and we were definitely not used to it. However, London definitely had more of an NYC vibe to it, which was pretty fun for me! So after aimlessly walking around searching for a restaurant, we came across a happening place called The Crosse Keys. This wasn’t your typical restaurant where you are seated by someone and waited on…we actually had to ask the bartender what to do because we had no idea! Basically, it was just a free for all – you look for an open table (which all had numbers on them), figure out what you wanted to order, go up to the bar and give your table number and your order, then wait for your food to be brought out by someone. Interesting process! After we finished eating, we walked on the London Bridge (which wasn’t falling down) and on St. Thames Path along the water before resting up for our next full day in Central London!

Sunday:

Besides a little wind at times, the sun was shining and the temperature was really nice on Sunday! Before heading to London, Kaylee and I decided we’d just wing it and kind of walk around and give ourselves a tour – and we ended up being some pretty good tour guides if I do say so myself. I actually had to start making a list of all the things we saw throughout the day so I didn’t forget!

Our first challenge of the day was figuring out how to travel using “The Tube” – which is basically the equivalent to the MTA subway/bus system in NYC (but a lot cleaner and more reliable!) We had to purchase “Oyster cards” which are essentially like NYC’s Metrocards, except you have to scan this card when you enter the station AND when you exit your destination station. I thought that was pretty interesting; maybe NYC should take some notes if they really want to try and reduce fare evasion! My New York experience definitely came in handy though – we traveled all around by train like it was nothing! (OK, I’ll admit we got on the wrong train just once – but that was the only time!)

Our first tour of the day included Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey, which were all in very close proximity to each other. Unfortunately, Big Ben was almost completely covered with scaffolding – but it was still cool to see! The architecture of Westminster Abbey was absolutely stunning. Pictures don’t do any of these places justice, but they will have to do for now!

Then we continued to walk on towards Buckingham Palace. I guess my luck followed me to London, too because we got there just in time to see the changing of the guards! There were SO many people waiting outside the gates to see this take place. The whole time we heard the security officers yelling at people to keep moving and to watch out for pickpocketers! This immediately reminded me of the song from Oliver Twist, “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two.” My brother and I used to sing this song and pretend to go around pickpocketing each other when we were younger at my Mommom’s house, so it brought back some fun memories and nostalgia!

After the ceremony, we continued walking around the palace through some nice scenery and into Hyde Park. This park was beautiful! We walked through the Rose Garden, along the Serpentine River, and saw the Princess Diana Memorial. It was a really nice day to walk along the Serpentine, which was teaming with swans, geese, and the like. However, I have a small fear of being attacked by swans, so when I saw people trying to feed them or take pictures near them, I walked quickly past!

Then we had a little lunch break at a restaurant on the Serpentine, and after made our way to Convent Garden, which I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone visiting London! There were markets, shops, magicians and other entertainers in the streets, and just all-around good vibes. Of course, we had to splurge a little and buy ourselves a touristy gift, so we each bought London hoodies that we could wear on the way home!

To end the night, we ended up walking down to Soho (also a really cool area, a lot like Times Square in NYC just less crazy!) and found a casino called the Hippodrome. The roulette tables had a minimum bet of £2, so of course I had to play! I put £20 down and stayed alive for a while with my conservative betting tactic (placing chips on corners or in between two numbers to increase my odds), but then they raised the minimum bet to £5…I could’ve walked away with a few extra pounds of profit but I was alright with losing the money so I just went for it to see what I could do. I ended up walking away with £2…but hey at least it wasn’t zero!

Then, Kaylee and I continued to walk around the casino and we noticed there were a lot of people walking around wearing different NFL jerseys. We asked the guy at customer service what was going on and he took us downstairs to our version of HEAVEN!! There was a bar and a few roulette tables in the room with seats lined up (like a movie theatre) in front of 5 or 6 big TVs that were all about to stream the Sunday NFL games!! It was a really cool environment once the games started because people were cheering, laughing, and having a good time watching their favorite teams play. Of course, I found the few Eagles fans there and bonded with them over our team! As I’ve written in my previous blog, Kaylee is from Boston and happens to be a Patriots fan…but we have fun with the little rivalry! Apparently, the Patriots game was being streamed on a different floor, so after watching the Eagles kick butt in the first quarter, we went upstairs to the room where the Patriots game was being played. They had a whole separate room JUST for the Patriots fans (typical) and the vibe was…BORINGGG but I was a good friend and watched the second quarter anyway😉 All joking aside, we had a really great time going back and forth between the games! Maybe we’ll get another Eagles v. Pats rematch in the Superbowl and venture back out to watch it at the Hippodrome😬

Monday:

If you know me, you know I’m an “old-soul” when it comes to music. I used to say Frank Sinatra was my favorite singer when I was just a little girl! I love all the old school bands and musicians, like Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and of course…the Beatles. So, one of my priorities on this trip to London was to see and cross the one and only, Abbey Road. And we did just that! We took “The Tube” out to St. Johns Wood Station and walked to the legendary crosswalk. One of the most entertaining parts of this was watching people cross the street and try to take pictures while cars were coming in both directions. The UK drivers don’t like to stop and wait for tourists at this road, so you have to walk across and get your photos quickly! It was surreal walking the same path as some of the most iconic musicians in history and seeing the place where such great music was made at Abbey Road Studios. I was definitely fan-girling! Then, we walked to Paul McCartney’s house (about 5 minutes away from the studio) that he bought in 1965 for £40,000! He still lives there today whenever he is in London, so I obviously had to ring the bell outside of the gate to see if he was home! Unfortunately he was not, but not many people can say they rang Paul McCartney’s doorbell, right?

We also saw the London Eye and found a Nike store and browsed a bit, then bought cheap tickets to see the musical “Waitress” at the Adelphi Theatre in Covent Garden. Before our showtime, we decided to go near the theatre area and walk around to find a place to eat. Upon getting off the train, we found ourselves in the middle of a huge climate control protest! It was apparently a global 2-week campaign called #InternationalRebellion to demand that governments take action on the climate crisis. At least 217 protesters were arrested in London from this! I’ve never seen anything like it, so it was definitely an experience! Then we made our way out of the action and browsed the National Gallery museum and found a cute Italian restaurant for a nice meal before heading to the theatre and seeing a really good show! We walked back to our Airbnb after and saw St. Paul’s Cathedral along the way, which was amazing!! It was really a great ending to our “little” weekend trip.

Tuesday:

We were awake at 4am to catch a bus and train to London-Stansted airport and were back in Ireland by 9:20am! We were welcomed by a beautiful rainbow (pictured below) and made it back to good old Letterkenny by the afternoon.

It’s amazing what we were able to see and do in just two days in a different country. I am so grateful to be able to travel and see new cultures so easily while living in Ireland and being a part of Sport Changes Life. I can’t wait to see what country we end up in next!

Traveler Tip #11

It is definitely worth it to buy and “top up” an Oyster card while you are traveling in London. HOWEVER, make sure to check and see if the train that Google Maps tells you to take requires you to purchase a ticket before riding. We took a train to London-Stansted airport to get on our flight home and were met by a man who was not very nice when we presented our Oyster cards to him after getting off the train thinking we could pay with them…He made us EACH pay a penalty fee of £38 for not knowing that we had to buy a train ticket beforehand! (Good news though…after a strongly worded email to the train line, we are getting fully refunded for our penalty fee!)

Cheerio!

-Dana D.

Since I have already discussed the volunteer and basketball aspects of my experience so far, I think it’s appropriate to shed light on my experiences at the Cork Institute of Technology. I am currently working towards a Master of Science in International Business at CIT, working alongside 12 other students from all over the world. Our class’s international composition has been extremely beneficial when comparing different markets around the world across various subjects. It is fascinating to learn about consumer trends in other parts of the world, as American’s tend to have a narrow perspective on ordeals outside our country. Coming from a liberal arts background, it is also great to explore concrete business concepts that I did not have the opportunity to do in undergrad. While Hamilton provided me with invaluable critical thinking and interpersonal skills, I never received a formal business education. I am excited to apply what I learned at Hamilton to the new principles I study at CIT.

For some fun team building, our international business class was sent to an activity center known as Oysterhaven, which is located on the south coast of Ireland. It was great to get outside and work with one another in a non-classroom setting. The morning was filled with various exercises focused on building morale amongst our peers. In the afternoon, we grabbed some wetsuits and kayaked throughout the bay, which was extremely cold despite the sun shining. Our class became a tight-knit group by the end of the day and we hope to carry that same energy into our upcoming academic presentations!

It rains a lot here, at least way more than it does in America. Some people feel like the weather can affect your mood and let me tell you, I am one of those people.

To be completely honest, I don’t like rain. I love sunshine. I love warmth. I love lying on the grass looking up at clear blue sky. I knew coming to Ireland I was going to have to bring a rain jacket, but what I didn’t know was how I was going to be able to put up with it.

Rain makes my mood instantly worse for absolutely no reason at all. I know you’re thinking, isn’t that going to be huge problem for me? After a few weeks went by being here, I realized something had to change and it wasn’t going to be the rain. It had to be me. So I decided to look at it as the rain is what makes Ireland such a beautifully green place and being in this beautiful place puts a smile on my face.

Moral of the story, the rain should make me happy because this place makes me happy and it wouldn’t be as amazing as it is without how green the island is.

The point of this that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them. Your life is as good as your mindset.

Giants Causeway was absolutely beautiful!

The hiking trails here were wonderful as well. 8 miles hiking and about 42 flights of stairs. This experience was absolutely breath taking. It is crazy how beautiful our nature is on its own. Hiking on all the different trails was fun and some of them were difficult which was good for a workout.

The only bad thing was that I was a little underdressed hahah! It was quite cold and windy and I was not prepared for the wind! But that did not impact my experience here at all. I love to explore and see different places. I love being outdoors and seeing all the beauty in the world. This will be at the top of my list of places I have seen.

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