Last semester there were a few simple meals I learned to cook and this semester I plan on adding a few more to that resume. Coming into the year I think the best meal I ever made was…..cereal. Now, I got about three different meals that I cook on a daily basis and besides that just staying with the simple pasta, chicken combination. Some of the simple meals I learned to throw together were scrambled eggs, chicken caesar salads, cheeseburgers, pork chops, and this garlic pasta that I recently learned how to make. This semester I might experiment with a few more complicated meals but I haven’t decided what those will be yet. I’ll have to do some research and find something a little more complicated than what I did but not too complicated so I can actually make it! Once I figure those out and cook ’em up I’ll blog and post some pictures of them! I have to give a shoutout to the butcher down the street at Maguires Meats! None of these meals would be possible without him and we have and will still be seeing a lot of each other this year!

 

 

 

This week I had induction for my course: MSc. in International Management. It was a three – day induction and orientation to Trinity’s campus, as well as an informative session to our core and optional course modules. The last two days were dedicated to get to know ourselves and our classmates through personality tests and activities.

 

There are about 35 students in the program from 19 different countries! We have quite a few Germans, Chinese and French students, one from India, Spain, and a couple from Italy. I am the only American! One girl is from Calabria, Italy – in the town of Reggio where I have relatives! I couldn’t believe it; I was in such disbelief at the odds of having an Italian in the group, let alone from the same town where my relatives still live today. I am planning to travel here to meet them as my sister, cousin and aunt have in the past.

 

The rest of induction went through a variety of personality tests such as the Myers Brigg’s and Belbin Team Role evaluation.

 

This testing taught me about myself in considering why and how I work at my best, and more importantly how to work and understand my classmates! From our physical actions, to verbal and non-verbal communications, we discovered differences due to the variety of cultural backgrounds we hold. I am looking forward to working with and getting to know each member of this group over the course of the year!

Back when I first learned I would be coming to Galway I received a Facebook message from a strange Irishmen named Joe Coughlan. He mentioned how excited he was for me to be a Galway Titan, how I had some big shoes to fill after Andre “the legend” Tongo, and that they have been to five straight finals but came up short each time. So yeah, no pressure at all Chris!

 

Well here we are in the National Cup Finals, the first time the Titans have been to a cup final, but yet another final nonetheless. I received a message from SCL’s Deirde Brennan the other day congraulating me and telling me that I am the first victory scholar to play in a Cup Final, but I had to remind her I am not just there to play but to win! I was voted player of the month in December by Basketball Ireland which was quite an honor. However, as I’ve gotten older I have started to care less about personal accolades and checking the stat sheet after games and more about the win column. This is something that I have been trying to instill in the players I coach over here, especially the really talented ones. 

 

Millions of people play basketball around the world, but after years of playing you begin to realize that it is actually a small community. Usually only takes about 3 degrees of seperation to make a connection. In the semi-finals of the cup I played against one of my AAU teammates from 11 years ago! Kevin Harrington and I grew up playing with the storied Long Island Lightning program but had lost touch over the years. Turns out he is getting his masters at UCD with Marian and that’s who we ended up against. 

 

School is back in session this week and I couldn’t be happier, my classmates are such good craic! We have to choose a topic between economics or styles of managment practice, which we will research and then observe when we go on our trip to Hong Kong. Anyone reading this I am open to any and all suggestions. Joe C had myself, Michele, Sergi Marti (my Catalonian teammate) and Mike Callaghan (American player for Moycullen) over for a back to school dinner on Sunday night. It was mostly prepared by his daughter Katie, as to not give him all the credit! After we ate his neighbor stopped by with the guitar and we basically had a sing song for the next three hours. From Joe and I belting out “Fairytale of New York” to Sergi giving us some Bob Dylan in Catalan it was a great way to spend a Sunday night. I learned the words to Galway Bay, one of my grandfathers favorite songs. He told me forty years ago he sang it in this pub in Ireland and I need to do the same for him. Might need a few pints in me to muster up that courage, but I owe it to him! 

Although I don’t think any blog I write can beat my previous one, have no fear for I’ll keep writing anyway! I had an amazing short but sweet time home… that is since I actually made it home.  From the moment I got off that plane it felt like I was running on pure adrenaline for ten days straight.  My story about the airport angel spread like wildfire as my blog was submitted to various news stations in both Philadelphia and Galway. It was really sweet to see others appreciate the amazing ‘pay it forward’ ordeal that I happen to be a part of, and made my time at home truly special and worthwhile.  

 It was great to see my friends and family. I was even able to meet up with fellow scholar Kerri Shields a few times as we ironically live not too far from each other. We were able to attend the traditional Philadelphia News Year Day Mummers Parade and also watch our Philadelphia Eagles win the NFC East title, while enjoying amazing buffalo wings which I missed so much.  Aside from the food and familiarity of being home, it was great to feel as if I had never left.  Even though there were some minor changes since I’ve been gone; my little brother still isn’t so little anymore, my cousins are able to legally drink at family parties now, and I met an adorable little addition to my family for the first time, Abigail Jane.

 The love and support from my family and friends over break was just what I needed to head into the second half of my year in Ireland. I’ve just started classes for my second semester of grad school this week and it looks like this last half of the year will be busier than ever.  I’m ready to get back to work!

 

#Motivated

Phew, what a long two days. The Elks traveled down South to Carlow to play three games this weekend. Or should I say some of the Elks did. We ended up having only seven guys, so needless to say everyone got to see the court this weekend.

 

Saturday afternoon we beat the Carlow select team handily before checking into our hotel for that night. A couple of hours later we returned to Carlow I.T. to play our second game of the day against a Kilkenny squad that included superleague legends Jermaine Turner and Puff Summers. It was an up and down game but we ended up pulling out a victory by around 12 points. Finally on Sunday afternoon we played a very strong Dublin Thunder team. It was tight throughout, but we made a big run in the fourth quarter and won by 18. It was a great weekend for the team and I was ecstatic with how we played.

 

What I really wanted to mention in this blog though, was how this weekend was a throwback to my basketball youth. Anyone growing up playing a sport has spent untold hours driving to games and tournaments, but it’s easy to forget that as you grow older. This weekend brought back a lot of memories of competing all over Ontario and the U.S. throughout my childhood. I can’t remember the last time I road tripped with my team in cars to get to a game; I’ve gotten spoiled by a team bus in recent years. Or the last time I played two games in one day; hopefully I won’t be doing it too often because I’m feeling the pain today. But all these things were commonplace growing up. It was a great way to see this country but more importantly get to know my team mates a little better on the road. It’s wild how quickly you forget after four years of collegiate basketall and beyond. Sidenote, I also got to wear my old #13 jersey, something I haven’t done in probably ten years.

 

It was a good bit of fun to travel as a team like that and spend some quality team bonding time together. Hopefully the team keeps improving and we continue to compete at a high level. Preseason practice continues this week. Looking forward to having all the guys back together in the gym and getting better as a team.

On January 8, 2014 Jennifer Hudson, a well known singer and actress in America received the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Humanitarian for the charity she founded with her sister, Julia, after the tragedy that took the lives of their mother, brother, and Julia’s son, Julian.

 

When walking up for the award, the audience gave her and Julia a standing ovation. During her acceptance speech, it was the words that she used that reminded me of why I am with Sport Changes Life.

 

She related a story from her childhood, when seeing a celebrity who visited her school got her dreaming of success in Hollywood: “We’re all so quick to say we can’t or ‘It happened to them, but it will never happen to me.’ Yes, I am a witness. It can all happen to us all. And it’s one thing to be a celebrity and have power … but it means nothing if we’re not making a difference with helping someone else and trying to change a life.” With Sport Changes Life, it is allowing me to be a role model not only for people back home, but for people in Belfast as well because for me all it took was for me to have a dream, and follow it. And for me to be able to tell my story could change a life.

 

She continued by saying: “We want to show them, ‘Look, I came from the same area as you, and if I can do it, you can do it, too. It does not stop there.’ And I always say, there’s more to life than the block you live on.” Every time when we talk to THE YOUNG PEOPLE, I say the exact words she SAID because it’s true. I am not from the nicest area of Maryland, however I made it, and just saying that could give them hope.

 

Check it out yourselves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5C1ZVpaH1U

#victory

What happens when you put a Biology pre-med major into a business masters program? If you know the answer to this “riddle” please let me know because I am not quite sure. That being said, I had my first day of class today and it went great! The way we take our classes at Trinity is different than anything I have ever experienced before. We have one “module” for 2 weeks MWF for 4 hours and then it’s over, with a final exam in December. This means that I have to save all that information for a loooong time in my brain, which also means study guides on study guides on study guides! Not to toot my own horn but I have become the queen (self appointed) of study guides after my 4 years of college (toot toot) (shout out to Kelly Hamner who will attest to this).

 

The first module I am taking is Marketing Management. I walked into class this morning and instantly liked the professor because she said the word “url” instead of saying out the letters U-R-L for a website and I found this hilarious. The first thing she asked us to do was write our names on a name tag as well as a business we would like to either work for or own. Any guesses to which one I picked? It was Costco. Duh. I think this is my dream business. I could spend days inside Costco. And what a simple business plan, it’s basically a warehouse full of awesome food and they give out free samples! Flawless if you ask me, and I’m not even going to mention their pizza.

 

Anyway, class went well and I was laughing the majority of the time because my professor was so appalled at herself that she was wearing the same dress as in the YouTube video she showed us of herself teaching. I could have made her feel better and told her I have about 3 outfits that simply rotate every 3 days. Oh and speaking of outfits, I have to actually wear real person clothes to class here! Anyone who knows me from class at home would know it was a once a semester thing (if that) for me to wear anything but sweats. So I am channeling my inner fashionista and crushing the real clothes. But don’t worry too much, I sprint back to my apartment after class to change into my sweats.

 

Now, back to the “riddle” at the top. I will be sure to let you know the answer to it as classes continue and I learn how to succeed in business without really trying (that’s on my “To See” list for Broadway shows by the way and spoiler I am going to try really hard).

 

P.S. Official Ed (the nickname of my younger sister) countdown starts today: 19 days

Before I got home I had a list of all the places I wanted to get food from Chipotle, Famous Daves, Chick-fil-A and many more, but I soon realized there is nothing like my mom’s home cooking. She made all of my favorites like fried chicken, sweet potatoes, and she even made homemade macaroni and cheese for the first time! She also didn’t waste any time informing me of how she isn’t mentioned in any of my blogs. Shortly after, my dad pointed out that I talk to her twice and sometimes three times a day, so maybe that is how I overlooked it. My bad mom… J

 

Needless to say, this blog is dedicated to my mom, Keia Jones Brooks. I was so happy to see my mom. She is the funniest person I know, she always tells it like it is and keeps everything in the house in order. She is a total neat freak and definitely had Olivia and myself doing chores double time at the house. All I heard was “Marian do the dishes”, “Marian walk the dogs”, and “Marian go to the store for me.”

 

It felt good to be back in that atmosphere, even though I’m not a huge fan of chores. I also went to work with her and spent the day just hanging out, some quality mother first-born daughter time. When I first arrived home, I went upstairs to let Princess and Blizzard out of the cage, but didn’t notice the room, so my mom made me go back upstairs and to my surprise I had a brand new room…haha. She hung up my pictures from senior night at NSU and she bought me a nice all black platform bed from IKEA. Me and my mom like IKEA, but we don’t have the patience to put the furniture together so after my family told me about how she spent 2 hours in the store looking for the perfect bed and then more hours putting it together, with the help of family members, I knew she really missed me. That was one of the most exciting parts for me.

 

Normally my mom isn’t emotional, but when she said she wanted me to come back home after I’m all finished, I knew my absence over the last 4 months hit a soft spot (which I didn’t think existed anyway…just kidding mom). She also did it up real big for Christmas! She pretty much got me everything I asked for and more (yes, I still write a Christmas list). I also got her a Pandora bracelet with a passport charm on it to remind her daily that she needs to work on getting one. She has worn it everyday since. 

 

My mom has taught me how to be the young lady I am today. She has never let me quit anything because she believes “once a quitter, always a quitter.” My mom has always pushed me to do my best by being, hands down, my toughest critic. She has helped me turn my weaknesses into strengths by showing me how to do things and by giving me advice on how to deal with people. She is a handworker and I admire every single thing about my mom. I learned how to overcome obstacles by watching my mom. I only wish she would take more pictures so I could capture her beauty and share it with the rest of the world.

 

She will be coming to visit in April during my sister’s spring break. Olivia’s godmother, Ms. Cheryl, will also be with them.

 

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Well I’ve been back a couple days so far and have been looking forward to seeing the lads from West Belfast for our #Ehoops session. This week kind of took a different route.

We started off with ping pong. At first nobody really wanted to play so I got one of the guys to break the ice and have a game of ping pong with me. He told me he wasn’t very good, but come to find out he was very good! Classic Bluff! However, I had them flashback to the last session when they were struggling a bit with basketball then they got adjusted and made some improvements. I did the same and gave them a little competition towards the end.

The last hour we played football (soccer). Mind you it was freezing outside but that didn’t stop the lads from wanting to play. I kept my sweats and hoody on while we played a match. I ended up scoring twice (My bruhdah Travis back home would be proud). But the real joy was to see them working together and playing with such passion as if it were a real game.

 

Looking forward to the next session with the lads

#SCL #Inspire #Victory

This past weekend, our Elks team travelled to Carlow for a basketball tournament and it became a flashback in many different ways. We won the first game handily and checked into our hotel before the next game later in the evening. Ironically, I was assigned the hotel room 417 on the floor Liberty Tree, while my home address in the states is 417 Liberty Court, WEIRD! This ironic occurrance made me think about my family at home and all my other family members that aren’t immediate family. The two are slightly different (Tree and Court) but it symbolized to me that I am in a slightly different environment as well, and now and I am surrounded with a new people, new opportunities, and new family members. 

The other flashback that I had was how exhausted I was playing with seven players and more than one game in a day. The exhaustion that my body was feeling reminded me of my high school AAU Basketball days where we would play 2-3 games a day and just be more sore than ever. The only difference is now I am older and even more sore than I was then! The best part about it is that it is a good sore because we were victorious in all of our games and we all played well together, which makes every win that much sweeter. Now it’s time to get ice down my entire body to try and feel 15 years old again!

 

Cheers,

Brian

 

It wasn’t the best beginning to my trip home when I started to get a migraine on the plane ride. I was hoping it would go away with some medicine but things only started to get worse when my Dad and Brother picked me up from the airport. I was so excited to see them because I hadn’t seen my brother in over a year since he left for the Army. It was definitely hard to show my joy though because it felt like a brick was repeatedly hitting me in the head! It turned out I had the flu and the next 8 days would be a lot of relaxing and not eating. Even though I was sick, my entire family was home at the same time and this was very special to me. As we’ve gotten older it’s been hard to get us all together and this was the first time in a few years that we got to all be together for the holidays. When I was sick, I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend come to the house and she and my mom basically took care of me and dealt with my mood swings for the next week or so (God Bless them). On top of that, a couple of my siblings and friends were sick so we had to wait until we all felt better to even see each other. It wasn’t exactly the homecoming or start I was expecting but it all turned out well when I got to see all my loved ones and my best friends. 

I felt fine again in time for Christmas and that was one of the most important things. This allowed me to eat as much food as I wanted and I was easily taking advantage of that! After Christmas I drove down to Boston to stay with my girlfriends family for a while and see a bunch of my teammates that still played at Stonehill. It was great to get back in the Stonehill gym and weightroom again and see the players and coaching staff. I wasn’t able to see a game but I got to see them practice for awhile. New Years Eve in Boston was also amazing. It was a great ending to the holidays because my friends and I rented a few hotel rooms and were able to get a night out in Boston with all my closest friends. Even with being sick for the first week I was able to have an amazing time at home and see everyone that I wanted to see!  I couldn’t have asked for a better holiday season at home (besides the whole sick thing) and I can’t wait to see my friends  and family again! 

 

I’ll update you all soon on our arrivals back in Belfast so stay tuned!

 

#VICTORY #INSPIRE #FAMILY

“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it” –Bill Cosby

 

On Friday, my MSc Marketing class (which consists of a whole whopping 6 people) went to Delphi Adventure Center. The trip was intended to help team building and bonding, which it did. However, I think it more so helped us confront our fears and overcome them! I’ve never been a huge fan of heights. I don’t know, just something about being up really high in air with the possibility of falling on the hard ground just doesn’t suit my fancy. So I guess I’m more afraid of falling than I am of heights, but either way I had to suck it up and face my fears!

 

At Delphi, we did some rock climbing, went on zip lines, did a canyon swing, and also did this aerial obstacle course. So basically everything we did involved heights, which was nerve racking at first, but knowing I had a harness on helped a little. I was a kind of afraid, but I put my fears behind me and even volunteered to go first on everything! I’m not going to lie, I was terrified doing some the activities, like walking on a wire and only being able to hold these hanging ropes or falling backwards off a pole 50 ft in the air. I haven’t even mentioned the canyon swing yet. Well, I guess it’s more like a bridge swing but they called it a canyon swing and I personally think it sounds cooler. Anyways, it’s basically like bungee jumping except your leaning backwards off a bridge with a clip that attaches you to the bridge and then all of a sudden the instructor releases the clip and you fall backwards off a clip and swing back and worth under the bridge! To say I was scared would be an understatement…I was petrified! Just watch the video I posted on Facebook and you can see me fall and scream (I’m warning you, it’s loud)!! It was so much fun though. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. We all had such a rush of adrenaline after it was insane. Even though they were some of the most frightening things I’ve done, they were by far some of the most fun and exhilarating activities! So anytime anyone wants to go back to Delphi, just let me know 🙂

This week Shelby and I had the opportunity to get back into the schools we worked with before classes started last semester. We had 6 classes today, and did a lot of different games. Fan favorite is domes and dishes, or cups and saucers as the kids at St. Bridget’s like to call it. Over lunch, we could hear some of the junior infants practicing their numbers. I was reflecting on how second nature something as simple as numbers becomes to us as we age, and had never really appreciated that counting is a learned skill.

 

We also watched the 5^th and 6^th years have hurling class during the lunch block. The same, unruly kids who struggled with the simplest basketball skills were so, so good. It inspired both Shelby and I to do some skill work before the next time we try our hand at hurling.

 

During one of the later classes, we explained that if someone cheated, it would be -10 to their score, often the difference between winning and losing. For example, if two kids didn’t make it back to the bench as we counted down from 10, the team would lose 20 points from their score. One of the smart mouthed kids asked, “well what if we get 16 points”. I responded, “well then you would have minus 4”. All of the kids stared at us with a blank look, and said what does that mean? At that point, I realized these 10 year old kids hadn’t learned negative numbers yet in maths! (they add the ‘s’ here). And again, I was struck by something that I consider so basic was learned at some point in my education. This realization helps me appreciate the things I am learning now that are challenging—practice, practice, and more practice and it becomes second nature, both school and sports!

 

Back to the school tomorrow, and my first trip to Kubs post Christmas tonight!

Over the last few days reports have been coming out that over 100 individuals have been indicted for fraud in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City. The social security disability scam is just now coming out, more than ten years later.

 

For those of you who haven’t heard about this yet, basically police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers manipulated the system to make it seem as if they had post tramautic stress from the events of Sept 11th. They were allegedly coached to respond to doctor questioning with symptoms typically associated with PTSD. The end result was hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance pay-outs.

 

We’d all like to think that some things are sacred in this life. You would think that arguably the greatest tragedy in American history would be enough to keep people honest, but it seems like time and time again humanity strives to lower the bar for itself. Personally, the saddest part about this whole story is that it could cast a shadow of doubt over NY’s first responders; the de facto heroes of 9/11. The vast majority of these men and women did an incredible job on that day to help save lives. Hopefully the acts of the few won’t change our perception of the many.

 

I guess we saw both ends of the spectrum in response to the 9/11 attacks. The honest, proud, resourceful New Yorkers who love the city and it’s people, and who would do anything to help… along with the wheeling and dealing, anything for a dollar, hustler New Yorker that the city is just as famous for. Though it’s tough to avoid cynicism when stories like this come out, I fully believe that emergency service personnel have a deep need to help others and I’m grateful for everything they do. No matter what else surfaces in the coming days, no one will ever forget the brave men and women who risked and lost there lives to help New York City survive 9/11. So hats off to the NYPD and FDNY, and all the other emergency services that have, and continue to support the city. Don’t let a few bad apples bring ya down

 

 

(If you want to read more about it: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/07/justice/new-york-ptsd-9-11-scam/)

So I had my first friendly match this past Saturday against a very good Killester team from the Super League. I have heard the funny (horror) stories and I have heard the amazing ones as well about playing basketball in Ireland. Saturday morning I worked the 5 hour Titans basketball academy and I was so anxious to finally get out on the court come 3pm. However, I guess Killester wanted to keep me on my toes and decided to not show up until a little after 4pm. I had myself a nice and sweaty two hour warmup, and my teammates were in shock how my warm up jersey looked like I had just played game 7 of the NBA Finals. When it came time to take off our shooting shirts and get this game started, we realized both teams were wearing white uniforms. My initial thought was, “Hey, let’s just play shirts and skins, like the old summer camp days.” Then I realized that even if we did take our shirts off, our pale, sun deprived skin would be just as white as our jerseys! 

The game went on and we played a really tough first quarter, especially being undersized and it being the first time we all played with eachother. We ended up losing by about 15 but we showed a lot of potential. I am very eager to get this season underway in a few weeks. School has started up and I already have my first presentation in front of a lecture class of 100 masters students. I hope I don’t sweat through my shirt the way I did my warmup jersey. I’ll let you guys know how it goes! 

Hi everyone!  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years.  I have just recently returned from home, and I could not be more grateful for the time I was able to spend with my loved ones over the holidays.  It was great catching up with friends and family, and just being able to spend some quality time at home.  I was able to see my college team get a win at home, my sister score her 1,000^th point and my former high school team in action.  I’m so proud to forever be part of these programs.  I could not be more proud of where I came from, and I’m so happy I was able to see all of them over the break.  I was reminded of how blessed I am to have such amazing, genuine people in my life, and that months apart will never change our relationships.  This reminder was the best Christmas gift I could have asked for!

 

Now I’m back in action here in Belfast!  Last night was my first EHoops session of the new year!  I’m working with the West Belfast group with Bryan, and I’m really excited to be working with these lads in the coming weeks.  The first hour I was able to get to know some of the guys.  Some of them were really curious about American football and baseball, so I did my best explaining the sports.  It’s amazing to see how I can always find a common ground with the lads by being able to talk sports.  For the last hour, we played a soccer (football) match on one of the outdoor pitches.  It was freezing outside, but we all wanted to get a good game in.  It really brought me back to my days of indoor and outdoor soccer.  I forgot how much I missed the sport, as well as playing under the lights outside.  Some of the guys footwork was incredible, and it was great to see them playing with such passion.  I was just happy they let me get in the game! 

 

Looking forward to this final part of my journey here in Northern Ireland.  I really missed my Irish family, and I’m excited to share many more experiences with them.

This weekend I had my first experience playing and coaching with the Anderstown Tigers basketball club. Tigers are located in West Belfast, and during my time there I coach an Under 14 boys’ team. Along with coaching, I play for the Tigers club team (independent of the UUJ team).  My first practice coaching with the Tigers u14 team was interesting as I adjusted to a different level of basketball compared to what I have been accustomed to in the states.  Despite the difference in skill level, the passion and enthusiasm of the kids for the game made this an easy adjustment.  One kid in particular named Jack from the first drill carried himself as leader.  He talked throughout drills, encouraged teammates and helped those who were struggling with certain drills.  He was always the first person in line to start every drill and competed throughout the entire practice.  Seeing a 14 year old kid with that much passion for the game made my job a lot easier, and fulfilling!  Every day I have been in Northern Ireland has been a learning experience and I have had to adapt just as the kids have had to adapt to an American coaching them.  Despite these adjustments, basketball has been a common point in which we can come together around.  

I spent a couple weeks at home over the holiday season. I got up to alot during my time home. I got to see all of my family and friends. Even though I have been gone for a while as soon as I got back its like we never missed a beat!

 

It was great to catch a game at my Alma Mater Bowie State while I was home. I can’t lie I definitely miss the college basketball atmosphere. I always check up on them but it was good to see my coaches, the adminstration, and teammates. Little did I know they were keeping up with me through my blogs as well.

 

My highschool team had a couple games that I got to check out. Coach T, the athletic director, gave me a wee shoutout before the game to welcome me back. As you can see I can’t stay away from basketball.

 

However aside from checking out some games, spending time with my family at home was great. There is really no place like home with some great home cooked meals. But it wasn’t really all that sweet. My parents put me to work, I had to cook a couple times.

 

My cousin Chad came back in town a day after I returned. When I picked him up as I was leaving the parking lot, I proceeded to drive on the left side of the road! He calmly says “Aye bob, you know you on the wrong side of the road”. I’ve really adjusted to the Irish life!

 

Last but not least it was good to get to church at FBCG. I have to settle to watching online while I’m away, but to be back there in person was great. Pastor Jenkins delivered good messages that really hit me.

 

After this refreshing trip home, its a new year but the same grind continues! Back to changing lifes!

 

#SCL #Victory #Inspire

 

Being halfway around the world already, I figured I might as well travel a little bit further for a unique christmas break vacation. One of my best friends from childhood, Josh, is spending the winter working on Koh Phangan, an island off mainland Thailand. He’s spent the last few years working in China and, having never made it out for a visit, I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so.

 

While getting there was less than enjoyable (8 hour flight from Dublin to Abu Dhabi, a 14 hour layover, followed by another 6 hour flight to Bangkok) the break couldn’t have gone any better. Spent time with old friends from Toronto, met some of Josh’s friends who were also visiting, and met some cool random people through my travels around the country. It was my first time really traveling alone and it was definitely a learning experience.. but almost everyone I met along the way were great. 

 

New Years in Koh Phangan was an experience as well. The island’s population hovers around 12,000 for most of the year… but during the high season for tourists it gets jacked up closer to 40,000+. We heard that, conservatively, there were 30,000 people on the beach for the island’s big NYE event. Needless to say it was an interesting night. Most importantly though, it was amazing to spend the night with a great group of friends.

 

After a long, lonnnnng return trip, I got back to the UUJ campus early yesterday morning, dead tired but satisfied with a great trip. Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things up here. Time to finish up the semester strong during this exam period and move on to second semester. I’m sure the start of 2014 will be just as great as the end of 2013 was.

 

 

Usually my blog tells about a mission that I have completed during the week, but

this week I encountered an unexpected detour.  

 

Message From Marc:

Hi Guys, Hope you are all good. I was hoping to get a sit down with you all to go over a few more media pieces and help fill in a few blanks so to speak. Lets look at Friday and see how you are all fixed. I will come to you guys. Thanks Marc

 

I did not know that Friday, September 6, 2013, would give me a landmark of someone I hold dear to my heart. I say this because usually we do training in a room, but this time we were taken outside and given the opportunity to hear a  personal story from Marc who is a Sport Mentor and  creates all our Creative Media for SCL. I won’t go into details about his story, but while telling his story he mentioned the word “Grandfather” his “Papa”. When he said that word, I looked up to see what was beside him, and it was the letters “H&W” on a crane, and I couldn’t help but to smile…

Because my grandfather’s name is Haywood Waters… He passed away just a year ago August 24, 2012 from Prostate Cancer… Still to this day I miss him, but after hearing the word “grandfather” & then seeing H&W, it gave me the sign that my grandfather whom I called Da-Da is still with me in Ireland, giving me the thumbs up saying a job well done Brit-Brit. Back in the United States today, September 8th, is Grandparents Day and even though my grandfather isn’t alive, I would still like to say Happy Grandparents Day to him and my grandmother Shirley Ann!

Love You! 

Happy New Year! What a year 2013 has been! I graduated college, became a Victory Scholar, and became an aunt, just to name a few things. I met some truly amazing people and made lifelong memories. All in all, it was a pretty great year, but I don’t think it will compare to what is ahead.

I am not big on New Year’s resolutions, although I have attempted one or two. The only successful one I can remember was when I went an entire year without candy (chocolate, not included). It was tough, but I remember feeling quite accomplished by the end of it. This year I wanted to make some sort of resolution but was unsure where to start.

I stumbled across a great article by Christine Kane. Rather than create a resolution, she recommends you choose a word of the year to set the tone. I brainstormed a bit and decided that my word of the year is CONNECT. This year I want to focus on connecting with as many people, places, and things as possible. Whether it be reaching out to an old friend and catching up or building a stronger relationship with the kids we work with in the program, I want to connect with people on a deeper level. It may not always be easy, but I know it will lead me on an adventurous and exciting year.

What would your word for the year be?

Side note: I am also pursuing a goal (which I started on Christmas Day) of running 1,000 miles in 365 days. That’s roughly 2.74 miles per day, 19.2 miles per week, and 83.3 miles per month. It will require consistency and discipline, but I think I can do it. It has been just over a week and I have gotten in 27.77 miles. Only 972.23 to go!

So right now, I’m currently playing for the UL College Basketball Senior Varsity team as well as the UL Huskies SuperLeague team!

 

It may be a little confusing, but the UL College Basketball Club essentially is made up of two different teams – the Senior Varsity team and the Fresher (freshman) team. Both teams can only be made up of current students at the University of Limerick, and I’m helping coach the Fresher team as well!

 

The UL Huskies SuperLeague team can be comprised of anyone who tries out and makes the team – they don’t have to be a student at the university to play for the SuperLeague (Premier League) team.

 

Ok, enough of the definitions. Let me just say that UL Basketball is awesome in general! Since day one, I’ve been accepted into the fold as one of their own from all sides. Everyone is always asking how I’m adjusting to life in Ireland, alerting me to cultural events within the city, and volunteering to help with anything that I need!

 

My weekly Saturday morning coaching sessions with the 18u, 14u, and 12u UL Huskies Club teams are automatically highlights to my already great week filled with basketball. The early Saturday mornings remind me of my own start to basketball (thanks to my parents for taking me to all of those early morning Saturday practices and games). The girls never cease to keep me on my toes throughout the training sessions!

 

This weekend I was even able to check out some of the men’s SuperLeague preseason action as the annual Stuart Robbins Memorial Tournament was played at the UL Sports Arena after (and during) our Saturday morning training sessions. I was able to check out and support the local UL Eagles men’s team, as well as watch a couple USA Select teams also playing in the tournament. Talking with one of the players from the USA Select team had me reflecting on how overseas basketball is a huge opportunity and dream for anyone who works hard enough. Many of the players on the team didn’t attend big D1 universities back in the states – they were simply just trying to find their one shot to keep playing the sport they love for as long as possible. I was even able to plug in and share information about Sport Changes Life to a couple of the players (bonus points for me!)

 

Also on the bright side, our SuperLeague game schedule is starting up very soon! Can’t wait to have our season start up to show Ireland what the UL Huskies can do!

As you get older Christmas is more about family time, than getting presents under the tree. I say that to say that I am blessed; to have everything that I ever wanted, and wasn’t expecting to get too much for Christmas. Well, I got a watch and not just any watch at that, but a watch that could possibly change the world. The 1: Face Watch has the power to feed a child, quench a thirst, find a cure and so much more. There are 8 different color watches and what makes them so unique is that each color watch represents a different cause, and after purchasing one it gives back to that cause. 

Silver watch represents Hunger, and after purchasing: 1 watch = 16 meals.

Red watch represents Aids, and after purchasing: 1 watch = Aids treatment for 8 people.

Red & White watch represents Red Cross, and after purchasing: 1 watch = Food for 3 disaster victims.

White & Yellow watch represents Water, and after purchasing: 4 watches = Lifetime of water for 1 person.

Pink watch represents Breast Cancer, and after purchasing: 9 watches = A Mammogram.

Gold watch represents Education, and after purchasing: 5 watches = 1 year of education.

Blue watch represents Environment, and after purchasing: 3 watches = 1 Charcoal Efficient Stove.

The 8th watch is the Black one which I received. The Black watch represents Cancer and works with the American Cancer Society which helps spread cancer awareness by providing programs, treatment, and research to help find a cure for the world’s most lethal disease. My mom presented me (and my boyfriend and my twin brother) the watch in memory of my grandfather who passed away due to Prostate Cancer. Although he wasn’t with us on Christmas his memory will live on every time, I look at the watch. I could not have asked for a better gift.

Check it out for yourself

http://1facewatch.com

Happy New Year!

The celebrations keep going in the Ganser household! I was so lucky to be able to come home for the holidays to see all of my friends and family. After a long two weeks of studying and siting for exams, some part of my brain told me it would be a good idea to get my family Christmas jumpers (aka ugly Christmas sweaters in the US) for Christmas. An extra suitcase later, the sweaters were a hit—and drew smiles and laughs throughout Christmas day. The girls sitting in front of us in church thought Christine’s was particularly funny, and had all of the Ganser girls keeled over in fits of laughter.

 

As much as I love being home, it has helped me appreciate how much I am learning from living abroad and constantly being pushed outside of my comfort zone. I will really enjoy the next week and a half at home, but am also looking forward to all of the excitement that next semester with Sport Changes Life will bring!

 

Merry Christmas! 

Delving back into my childhood memories, I recall studying subjects in elementary school such as math, social studies, reading, and writing. In those days, I had enough trouble trying to figure out the rules of one language that I can’t imagine studying two at a time. However, that is exactly what young Irish kids do. In addition to studying English, they study Gaelic (affectionately called, Irish).

One of the schools I have been working in is an exclusively Gaelic speaking school, meaning all interaction between students and teachers is in Gaelic. Thankfully, they are allowed to speak English to me.

As if speaking Gaelic isn’t difficult enough, between some of my own teammates and girls we are coaching, I have gotten an intense lesson on the strangeness of traditional Irish name spelling. If there is one thing I have learned, Irish names are never pronounced the way they appear. For example:

1. Aoife= Eee-fah

2. Aoine= On- Ya

3. Ailbhe= Al-va

4. Niamh= Neev

4. Last but not least…you will never guess what this one is: Caoimhe= Quee-vah

This crazy spelling hasn’t been the only instance of things not being what they appear. When Katie and I first began coaching our U-17 girls team two weeks ago, they were one of the quietest groups I had ever seen on the court. We had to beg them to talk! Fast-forward two weeks of training and two friendlies later, most all of our girls decided to join in on the U-16s training this morning that Katie and I ran. It was a mix of girls who had never trained with us before and veterans of our sessions. Much to my surprise and delight, our girls from the U-17 team were not only talking on the court, but DEMANDING that the others talked as well. If you had told me two weeks earlier that those girls would do anything like that I would have asked if you were crazy.

For me, as a coach, it was a very proud moment. Seeing how far those girls had come in terms of their confidence on the court in just two weeks was amazing. It was a nice little reminder that like Irish spelling, things may not always be what they seem.