From  New York City to Dublin was a journey.

From anxiously waiting to board in the JFK airport excited to meet new scholars but also the nervousness of moving to a new country not knowing what to expect was kind of scary. But in a good way. Getting acquainted and seeing familiar faces of athletes I’ve played against and now becoming friends with them have cooled down my nerves! The bus from Dublin to Belfast was a 2 hour journey where rather than sleeping I familiarized myself with fellow scholars; sharing basketball memories, exchanging advice on beauty tips, and discussing places we all want to visit.

Once in Belfast, we got settled in our rooms, met the staff of the Sport Changes Life program and went over the requirements and expectations of our time in Ireland. The highlight of the day was the Carnmoney Ladies FC which is a youth girls soccer team who sat and talked to us about their sport. I had the pleasure of speaking and getting acquainted with Kaitlyn a ” Right Back”. I had no idea what a right back was she told me. I’ve watched soccer before but only knew defense and offence, Kaitlyn schooled me to the game and confirmed that she was a defensive player. The highlight of the conversation is when Kaitlyn asked me if High School Musical was like real American High school. We both giggled. I told her besides the abundant of singing and randomly breaking out into song , it is. The same concept of the dynamic of the students interact, the visuals of the high school (many are different). The movie does resemble the high school culture of the U.S.

Day 2: The Wall of Peace

The history of Ireland is a fascinating story to learn about. Today we learned about the Wall of Peace, that at a point in time divided the Catholics and the Protestants. The wall was covered with miraculous  murals and some graffiti. The first thing that I thought of was home. The paintings and the political messages resembled some of the same art I’ve seen walking the Brooklyn streets. It was calming to see a little bit of resemblance of home in Belfast. The story of the wall was interesting how different views of religion became the conflict between these two groups. The conflict which has decreased since the promotion of peace and changing views over time. We were encouraged to write a message on the wall just like many others have did. The wall had so much writing on it that I jumped on the back of my fellow Victory Scholar Micheal’s back to reach a clear space at the top. There I wrote ” Aryn, NYC in the Building, Peace 4 all!” The experience was so informative and opened my eyes to other political issues that are occurring around the world and not only in America.

A little town in Southern Ireland called Carlow will be my home for the next 8 months. Previous to my arrival, I didn’t really hear much about Carlow. I always heard that it was a little town and that everything I needed like grocery stores and house goods are all in the town and not too far away from my apartment. I’m a go-with-the-flow kinda guy so it didn’t bother me too much that I didn’t know much about the town. I’d much rather get to Carlow and get a feel for things myself.

Staying in Belfast for 2 weeks had me a little worried only because everyone up there in Northern Ireland seemed to talk too fast for me to understand what they were saying. My friends back home all know that my hearing is already bad enough. Also, the drivers up north are pretty aggressive. Drivers showed no sign of slowing down for pedestrians. So far, the greatest difference between Northern Ireland and down here in the South, is that the accents are a lot easier to understand (thank God). I’ve found myself saying “huh” a lot less down here than I did up there but in the end, it is all a part of the experience.

Carlow is much smaller than what I’m used to back home. It’s got its little markets down the street, a couple of tattoo parlors and barber shops down every street and of course there’s about 5 different pubs within minimal walking distance from each other. I got a little excited when I discovered there was a McDonald’s, a Burger King, and a KFC in walking distance from my apartment for when I’m missing a taste of home or I just don’t want to burn the kitchen down while attempting to cook. However, I am determined to learn how to cook a few meals during my stay. The people here are very friendly and love to talk your ear off, but I think that’s literally anywhere in Ireland. I’ve never been a big fan of living in the big cities back home so Carlow and I just fit together nicely.

Prior to arriving in Ireland, uncertainty came over me as I knew the next year of my life would be completely different than the previous 22. However, after 48 hours of being on this island, I am stoked for the adventure I have embarked on. The Sport Changes Life family provided a warm welcome to me and my fellow Victory Scholars, despite most of us suffering from jet lag.

Upon my arrival in Belfast, we immediately began working with the youth of Ballyduff, a facet of the program that I was really looking forward to. While the Ballyduff girls and scholars were timid with one another at first, numerous activities brought us out of our shell and closer together. Following the competitive team building activities, we had the opportunity to learn about where they came from and their cultural upbringing. Similarly, they learned of our backgrounds with plenty of questions, specifically regarding the authenticity of American cult classics such as High School Musical. While we understood our different upbringings, we found common ground when discussing how each of our countries suffers from historical divide that perpetuates today.

In Belfast, the historical divide between Protestants and Catholics is a serious and complicated matter. To this day, many walls still stand to separate the two communities in various parts of the city. Additionally, gates on roads that join the communities during the day are closed at night by the police to deter violence. While the violence between the Protestants and Catholics has declined significantly over the years, murals and other insignia make it very clear as to which side of town you are on. The SCL staff brought us to one of the many walls that divide parts of Belfast, which displayed thousands of messages promoting peace and unity. The peace wall is a powerful representation of the religious troubles the city has endured, while also representing the hopes and aspirations of a more united Belfast in the future.

Monday mornings mean a five-minute walk to Bake Café for a cup of tea and to blog about my weekend. This past weekend I took my first adventure down to Waterford and got to visit fellow victory scholars, Maria and Michael. I was so excited to get to see around their area. One of my teammates, Meg, drove previous scholar Alyssa Velles, and myself down so we did not have to deal with the bus just yet. On Sunday, one of Maria’s teammates took us all around Waterford and showed us different places that only the locals tend to know about. It was cool to have her showing us around because without her we would never have seen or have been able to find some of the places.

 

 

 

The first place she took us was to Dunmore Beach, a little beach tucked away back in the country of Waterford. While there, some people were getting into the freezing cold water and I couldn’t help but think they were crazy. Noting that they all had wetsuits just goes to show how cold the water was. The roads we took getting to the beach definitely made me feel like I was in Ireland. Some of the roads so narrow that they could only fit one car. When another car is coming one of the cars has to back up to an eventual pull off to allow the other to pass.

 

Our second stop was Dunmore East town. It was a little fisher’s town and had a beautiful view overlooking the ocean. Since Carlow is more inland, it was nice to get out to the shore and see the view. Of course the view allowed for so many great pictures as well so my parents were very happy about that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we left there, we went into the city to the Harvest Festival and walked around for a bit. There were so many food stands and everything looked so good! I ended up being so overwhelmed that I did not actually get any food there but it was still such a nice time just walking around looking at all the dfferent things.

We then started to make our way back to Carlow after the festival just in time to get everything ready for the week. It was a great time this weekend getting out and exploring another part of Ireland, while also getting to see some friends. I can’t wait to go out and see more of this beautiful country soon!

Let’s see where to begin..

August 21st, 2019 at 5:15am: I closed the door to the past, opened the door to the future, took a deep breath and stepped off the plane realizing I am walking into the start of a new journey. The amount of emotions that was going through my body was ridiculous. I didn’t know whether to feel sad that I was leaving my loved ones behind, happy that I was going to be able to continue playing basketball and get a masters degree, scared that I was taking on a new country alone, or even regret that maybe I am not physically or mentally ready to do any of this.

With all these thoughts going through my head, there was no turning back. As I walked off the plane, I was greeted with a big hug by one of the Sport Changes Life members, Sam. Something so little, goes a long way. I instantly felt like I was walking into a family. Then Sam took me over to the other 21 scholars waiting in the airport lobby and in that moment I realized there are 21 other people most likely feeling the exact same way as me which means I am not alone anymore. The next 10 days were going to be spent with all of us together training in Belfast, and let me tell you about my day 1 in Belfast. Within the first 12 hours I was already texting my family was homesick. I was instantly second guessing everything. My family told me something that will stick with me for the rest of my life because it changed my life. They said — maybe it won’t workout, but maybe seeing if it does will be the best adventure ever.

September 8th, 2019 at 5pm:

Let me tell you, listening to my families advice was probably the best thing that I ever did. I have been in Ireland for exactly 19 days now and I have already made friendships that will last a lifetime, memories that I will never forget, and have impacted multiple lives of the youth and elders here. I am now located in Galway and it is hands down most beautiful place I have ever been to. I cannot wait to see what this place has in store for me the next 10 months I will be living here. And to whoever is reading this, please take away this. I know there are still going to be harder days that lie ahead as I am still getting used to a whole new country and learning how to adapt to it. I can look at this and be scared, but do you know I find scarier? Allowing fear to stop me from growing, evolving, and progressing. So my advice to you is enjoy whatever journey you stumble upon. There are moments when it is best to quiet our worries and fears. Enjoy the moments, live for today. Embrace, cherish and absorb the time we are given. Take it all in as it comes in rain and shine (if you have ever been to Ireland that is all it does). And lastly, we must have faith in our journey. We may not always think we’re traveling in the right direction, but trust in the fact that you are where you are supposed to be. And because I trusted I was supposed to be here, it lead to the best decision I have ever made. Galway will forever have a piece of my heart. So take me as I am, your new Galway girl.

 

~Karlee

 

 

I’m a big baby when it comes to ice baths… I hate taking them. But after our first two preseason games this weekend, our bodies needed some sort of recovery. One of my teammates suggested that we go for a swim at the Guillamene. I didn’t know what that meant and figured that it was a pool or something. It turns out, it’s actually a popular swimming spot in the Irish Sea.

When we first arrived to the spot, we were greeted by a sign that read “Men Only.” Apparently the Guillamene was a men-only swimming cove until the early 1980’s. They keep the sign up as merely a relic of the past. Nowadays you can find the spot packed with men and women of all ages enjoying the cove.

There is a big diving board on top of one of the rocks so you can jump right in to the deep water. It really is a beautiful spot with blue water surrounded by rocky green cliffs. The diving board was pretty high up, but I didn’t even notice because I was a more worried about the temperature of the water.

Yes, it was FREEZING, but I did survive. My legs are feeling refreshed and I had a lot of fun (I even jumped in twice!). However, this was my first AND last time going in that water. If you ever get chance to take the jump, you should definitely do it… but maybe bring a wet suit!

 

 

Four years ago, I was entering my freshman year of college at Colgate University to play for the women’s basketball team. At the time, I was scared of the unknown world of collegiate athletics, dorm rooms, and freshmen dining halls. I did not handle my first year well, and I spent most days worrying about what could go wrong with school, sports, or friends. Fast forward through the next three years and I made some of the greatest friends and memories anyone could ever ask for.  Now off to start on a new journey I have been thinking about how to get the most out of the year without the fears I had my freshman year. For starters, four years ago I did not have enough confidence in myself to get through a tough day or a tough practice without overcoming whatever obstacle was in my way. In addition to that, whenever I had a hard day I immediately forgot why I came to college to play basketball in the first place. With all of that in mind, I wanted to come to Sport Changes Life with a positive mindset and a clear vision for what I hoped to get out of this program. As I said my final goodbyes to my family and hopped on my plane, I challenged myself to take this opportunity to not think about myself, or my own nerves. I want to use this opportunity to give back to basketball what basketball has given to me.

Now two weeks into training with Sport Changes Life, I am getting a clear picture of what the goals of the program are, and how to achieve these goals. I have also seen the impact that we as Victory Scholars can have on the children we work with. Towards the end of our first day in Belfast we were able to work with a girls soccer team with the E-hoops program. This program allows us Scholars to sit in a classroom with these girls and have a conversation about anything from what it is like to grow up in Belfast/Boston or what their favourite TV show is. This portion lasted about 45 minutes and after we were able to do some relay races, and play both basketball and soccer with the girls. By the end of this session, I felt so much closer to these girls and began to get a sense of what it is like to live in Belfast. A few days later we had the chance to visit Wood Green Care Home. This was one of my favorite visits we did in our ten days in Belfast because we got to learn so much from every person we talked to. One moment that sticks out in my mind is when a few of us scholars sang “Welcome To My World” with one of the men living in Wood Green.  

These two short experiences have given me a small taste of what is to come for the rest of the year, and what I have to look forward to. This upcoming year I will be studying at Limerick Institute of Technologyto get a degree in Digital Marketing.  At the same time I will also be playing basketball and more importantly, working within the community in Limerick. I am so excited and humbled to be a part of this program, and I know I will enjoy every aspect of being a Victory Scholar. This blog will be a welcome to my world in Ireland, and I am excited to keep updating for friends and family back home!

 

Wow. Wow. Wow. That was my first reaction and thought about my first full week being involved within the community through SCL.

We did programs when all the other scholars were here but this week, we were on our own a little more. It allowed me to see the impact that we have on these programs more because you connect with everyone in the group more. The feeling I got after working with every group was honestly priceless.

You know you are impacting them. You know they look forward to seeing us come in every week. You know they enjoy our company. You know they enjoy talking with you. You know they enjoy the activities that we do with them. You know that you are changing their lives in SOME WAY. You know that smile on their face means so much.

I have had the opportunity to take part in 2 different programs; eHoops and Active Ageing.

EHoops this week was wonderful and the group of the Carmoney soccer girls enjoy their time with us. This group is such a good group and they are there to better themselves in some way. Everyone is going to get a different experience out of this program because people have to improve themselves in different ways. The girls are so engaged and willing to try new things and talk about things they are going through and that’s what it is all about! I feel that I have a good connection with most of the girls and I have talked to a bunch of them about different things that they have going on in their lives. And it makes me so happy that the girls are opening up to me and that I can help them in some way!

Active Ageing is awesome! Seeing the elderly community get active in some way whether that is pickle-ball, badminton, or boccia is amazing. The enjoyment that they get when we play with or against them is lovely. And let me tell you from first-hand experience, those boccia players are good!!! The one day I was 1-7… that says a lot because I get very competitive, and I was trying to win! Every active ageing group we do is different and that’s what makes this experience unbelievable. You know that you are going to interact with different types of people who need certain encouragement or that extra boost to help them get through whatever it is they have going on! The thing that really makes me enjoy the active ageing groups is that you know when you go into a nursing home, that smile on their face means EVERYTHING because that might be the only smile they have during that week.

This program is going to allow me to find myself and build a deeper understanding of who I AM.

This program is going to impact and change my life in so many ways and I am ALL IN for it!

Wow.

I have enjoyed my time living in Dublin so much thus far. A lot of my time has been spent at DCU on campus and in practices, so I was ready to go into the city and explore. On Friday, Ashley and I was able to go into the city for the first time since arriving to Dublin. It was both of our first time riding in the bus in Dublin and figuring out which bus route will get us to O’Connell Street in the city. The city was everything I expected and more. Our day started by eating lunch at this smoothie/coffee shop that also had Acai Bowls. We then walked down along the river stopping in every little boutique ship we could find. One thing I noticed about the city from walking the streets was the beautiful buildings and art around the city. On every major street there was a local artist with a microphone with a crowd gathered around him or her listening to them sing and perform. When I was walking around the city, it felt like being back home visiting a big city like Chicago or New York City.

I have to say, shopping in the Ireland is a lot different than shopping at home. The first reason for that is because the sizes are different. You may be looking at something that may be your size but the tag reads “34 or 35.” And that goes for shoes as well, I wasn’t sure what size I needed because I never bought shoes from a European County before. Even though I couldn’t understand the sizes I still managed to spend a lot of money on clothes that day. We spent about 45 minutes in this Irish Gift Shop called Carrolls which had everything from T-Shirts to flags to jewelry. That is where I bought my first Ireland T-Shirt and I plan to get lots of Christmas presents in the future before returning to the states for the Holidays.

We were recommend by our teammates to eat at this restaurant called Brunson, which is a burger shop in the city. The food was AMAZING! What I will remember the most about the restaurant was the menu was on a business card. Our teammates also gave us a list of restaurants to eat at in the future as we make more trips into the city over the next 9 months. My first experience being in the city Dublin and touring/shopping is a day I will never forget.

 

 

Meeting so many people from different colleges/universities and hearing about each of their experiences has been so fun and interesting. Now, I may be slightly biased, but I have to say that I am so grateful to have gone to our small college of big dreams, St. Francis. (Brooklyn, of course.) Obviously, no school is perfect and there will always be people who either love it, hate it, or fall somewhere in between. But I’ve always believed that the experience you have somewhere is what YOU make it – you can’t just expect to have great times, friends, and memories fall right into your lap. You have to go out and take advantage of every little opportunity you get to learn something new, meet other people, go out and see things, and take risks. Living in the beautiful Brooklyn Heights – just one subway stop away from the heart of NYC – for the past 4 years has taught me more than I ever would have thought.

For starters, we did not have a meal plan. Now I know you may be thinking, “What?! How on EARTH did you survive???” Well, part of our scholarship as a women’s basketball player at SFC included a monthly stipend for food each month. And if you don’t know much about the Brooklyn Heights area…just know that the “Heights” part of the name could describe the prices of everything there quite well – HIGH. So, the monthly stipend served as a life-learning tool in a few different ways:

1. You had to learn how to budget your money so it would last you the whole month, which was more challenging than you’d think.
2. You had to either learn how to cook or make friends with someone who did…(that friend was usually me, but I enjoyed it)

Side note: My fellow Victory Scholar & bestie, Maria Palarino, was my roommate at SFC for our last two years there so we became a pretty dynamic chef duo with our electric skillet and microwave. She likes to say that I did most of the cooking but she made some outstanding asparagus and even some gourmet salmon, so don’t underestimate her skills in the kitchen!! (See some of our fancy meals below)

           

My main point here is that having to cook for myself (and my housemates) here in Ireland has been nothing out of the ordinary! My only struggle is that whatever I make never tastes as good as a homecooked meal from my Mom…definitely looking forward to that welcome home dinner whenever I get back to the states!

The next thing I learned at SFC that some may feel is a near-impossible task: Using public transportation. Ah yes, conquering the MTA. It definitely was not easy figuring out the NY subway system…Maria, Lorraine, Kat, and Mia can all attest to that! (What should have been a 5-minute ride home from the Barclays Center ended up taking us over an hour…but hey, we’ll never forget it!) Knowing how to navigate those underground trains is essential to living in NYC, so trying to learn how to get around Ireland via bus or train has been a cake-walk, especially since Letterkenny really only has one bus station to get to know!

And last but certainly not least, we have to walk to get ANYWHERE here in Letterkenny. The miles and miles of walking we’ve done since we’ve arrived have been a struggle for some, but I’d say I’ve gotten pretty used to it over the years by having to go back and forth from the dorms to school and exploring the city in ALL kinds of weather. Pictured below is Mia Ehling and I from freshman year (unfortunately injured and in boots) prepared to walk to our game in a full-on blizzard…so I think I’ll be prepared for the 5-minute trek from my house to LYIT!

I could go on and on naming things that I learned from SFC and everyone in it, but I just wanted to give a little shout out to my alma mater for preparing me for just about any situation I may encounter in the “real world.”

So, thank you, St. Francis, for my unique college experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything else!

Traveler Tips:

#4. If you are out to eat, know that chips=fries and crisps=chips so you don’t get disappointed when you think your order came out wrong!

#5. If you’re a chocolate lover like I am, you won’t be able to control yourself around anything labeled CADBURY in Ireland! It’s amazing and any chocolate you thought was good from America does not even come close…trust me.

That’s all for now, folks!

-Dana D.

I left America 17 days ago, but the fact that I am thousands of miles from my family and friends has yet to hit me, because getting used to the new culture has been a whirlwind. There are a lot of things I still need to get used to.

First of all, most people are nice here. Like strangers will carry on a conversation with you while you’re in line at the grocery store. This is odd to me, because if this were to happen in Boston, Massachusetts, it’s considered weird and almost creepy. Avoiding all contact is just part of the culture of Boston.  Another thing I need to get used to is the driving, I have almost been hit walking across the street every day in Tallaght, because I keep looking the wrong way first. Also, driving or parking anywhere on the sidewalk is illegal in Boston. This was a surprise because I almost got hit by a taxi on my first day in Belfast along with another Victory Scholar when walking on the side walk.

This whole thing has been a wild ride so far, but I can’t wait to do some more exploring of the amazing city of Dublin!

This week on Wednesday night I had my first practice with the Waterford Wildcats U16 girls team. I can already tell that it is going to be a great season with some hard-working girls! I get to coach alongside Wayne Redmond (Hi Wayne!), who has a lot of experience in the Wildcats program. I am super excited to work with these girls this year and can’t wait to see how much they succeed and improve throughout the season!

On Saturday, I had my first experience coaching at the Wildcats Miniball clinic. We had three different sessions with different age groups. The first session was ages 7 and 8, then 9 and ten, and last was 11 and up. A lot of girls showed up and were super excited to be there. I can’t wait to see the girls again next Saturday!

 

Living in a new place, let alone a new country, can present a lot of firsts. First time trying to find your way around town, first time trying to cook using a stove where the labels are rubbed off, first time doing international student orientation, first basketball practice, and the list could go on and on. So far we have been in Carlow for five full days now and I have already been presented with so many challenges that I have had to figure out.

Carlow is a small town where nearly everything you could possibly need is all within about a 10 minutes walk.. that is if you know where you are going. Grocery stores, restaurants (lots and lots of pubs), shopping centers, churches, you name it and its probably here somewhere (& if I tell you it’s not then I just probably haven’t stumbled upon it yet). The first time walking around the town showed me that yes you can get lost, but if you just keep walking toward the big Carlow Cathedral then you will probably, and hopefully, end up somewhere that looks familiar. With knowing that, I have felt a lot more comfortable to go out and explore the town. So far, there always seems to be a new place I have not been yet and I am sure, at least for a while, I will keep finding that out.

Out of the five days we have been here, three of those days I have been taking part in the IT Carlow international student orientation. Before the orientation started, I did not feel like I was in that much of a foreign place. I felt pretty confident I knew what was going on and that I was going to be able to get by just fine. But as the orientation went on, I have learned so much more about Ireland, and many other cultures, that I had no idea about. Aside from learning just how genuinely nice Irish people are, I have also learned a lot about the French and German culture as well. One of our activities we had to do at orientation was basically “speed dating”. For about an hour, I rotated talking to about 12 different people for five minutes each. The first four or so people I talked to were all from China.. and boy did that challenge me.  For the first 20 minutes I was challenged with trying to communicate to them what I was trying to say in a way that they would understand. Saying what I thought were simple questions such as “How many siblings do you have?” or “What are you studying?” turned out to not actually being that simple. After asking those questions in a multitude of different ways until they understood what I was saying I just laughed to myself because for how challenged I was in trying to communicate to them with what I was saying, I know they were just as challenged with trying to understand me. So not only did I learn so much about people from different parts of the world, this exercise also showed me how much I am going to learn about and be challenged myself this year.

 

As I sit here and reflect on all of this, I await 6:00pm, the time of my first basketball practice. A big challenge for me when deciding on whether or not I wanted to continue my basketball career this year was the awesome experience I had at Bucknell the past four years and the teammates I had the opportunity to play with. Not only do I have my first practice soon, I also get to meet my teammates for the first time and I could not be more excited. Although I know I will miss my old teammates and all the good times I had with them, I know that when I made the decision to pursue this incredible opportunity and to continue playing, I had to promise myself to not only make the most of this and every opportunity this year, but I also had promise myself to have fun & that’s exactly what I am looking forward to, having fun and making new memories with my new team!

“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.”- William Arthur Ward

A lot of you probably know that I am living in Ireland for the next 9 or so months and that I am playing basketball. But the program that I am a part of is so much more than that. This non-profit organization is called Sport Changes Life because sport truly can change your life. It has definitely changed mine!

I have been given the opportunity to continue my education at the post-graduate level and also to continue to play and coach basketball on the beautiful island of Ireland. Myself and 21 other student-athletes have been chosen to represent Sport Changes Life as Victory Scholars. Our main goal is to help raise the aspirations of the young people on both sides of the Atlantic.

We are working in communities to help young people find a path to a brighter future. During my first week in Belfast, we went to Limavady High School. We were greeted by the principal and some staff who briefed us on their students. He explained that there is a high deprivation rate in this area. A large percentage of the students cannot afford to buy lunch so the school provides them with free meals, there is a large number of suicidal students, and some of the kids were sent to school on the first day with no uniform. Later that day we stopped at a Youth Centre in Portrush. After our session we were informed that 3 of the children we were working with had autism and usually struggle to participate in group activities. Well, that day I could not have picked out those three children. These are the kind of children that we will be constantly working with.

 

We also got the chance to work with an Over 50’s group where we spent the day playing pickle-ball, badminton, and bowls, this is part of the Sport Changes Life Active Ageing program. Another day, we spent an afternoon at a nursing home where most of the residents suffer from dementia. While it was hard to see how badly the dementia effects some of the residents, it was an amazing experience to be able to go in there and put a smile on some of their faces. A lot of the older folks we met reminded me of my Pap, who recently passed away this summer. I know that he would have loved to see young people like us stop in and visit him once a week. For some of those people, that could have been the only conversation that they have had in days. For the more active ones, we played a bit of boccia. The rest of our afternoon was spent getting to know them, singing and dancing.

 

Another Sport Changes Life Program is called eHoops. This program is meant for us to be role models in young people’s lives and to help them find inspiration in their world. We use a mixture of sport and education to give the young people a brighter future and enable them to become an active citizen in society. As Victory Scholars, we mentor the kids through difficult times in their lives and talk about social issues of concern. The goal is to help them with their education, job search, health and mental well-being. We had the opportunity to engage with a girls’ soccer team last week.Most of the girls were preparing for their GCSE test (really similar to our SAT’s or ACT’s in America). Some of the girls I spoke with were really anxious and stressed about the test. Spending a few hours with them talking and playing a few games was a great way to help them relax.

I have only been in Ireland for 15 days and have already been able to touch the lives of all of these people, young and old. It was very gratifying to see what a difference a few hours with some of these people can make. And while I know that we helped inspire a lot of them, what was truly rewarding for me was seeing how much they inspired us as well. It goes both ways!

So, yes, I am still playing basketball and studying, but the real reason that I am here is to have a unique experience within the local communities that we are working in while raising aspirations of people through sports mentoring. Life is bigger than basketball and this program truly exemplifies that!

Over the last week, I’ve fully embraced my role as an American tourist by scrambling around Waterford and taking a million photographs.  Week one in my new home has brought new faces, Irish phrases, and a handful of breathtaking sights.

On Saturday night, Maria and I arrived to Waterford I.T. for the first time and were greeted by our new coaches (Mick Evans and Jillian Hayes).  After going grocery shopping (shoutout Coach Mick for buying the first round of food), we headed to Ryan Pepper’s house for dinner.  “Pep,” as they call him, is the point guard for the Vikings, and he’s been an instrumental part of my transition to living in Waterford.  When we arrived at his house, the Peppers had a home cooked meal waiting for us.  They made it clear that I’m always welcome over for dinner.  Truthfully, that’s a dangerous offer to extend; I’ll make sure to cash in on as many home-cooked meals as possible, because my ability to cook is limited to scrambled eggs and overdone chicken.

After dinner, we grabbed a cab down to the Mansion House (a large pub in the center of the city) to meet the entire team.  I was blown away by how friendly and outgoing my teammates were.  They bought food and drinks for the two new Victory Scholars, and explained many of the ins and outs of life in Waterford.  Perhaps, the most valuable lesson came immediately after I ordered a Rockshore Lager in front of the group.  My teammate Jack Murphy informed me, “You might as well order a pint of water, lad.”  I’ll stick to Guinness from here on out.

On Sunday, I was able to experience the beauty of Waterford for the first time.  About 20 minutes outside of the city is a beach town called Tramore.  After spending a few hours in an amusement park, my teammates and I drove to Guillamene Cove (pictured below):

This image is exactly how I envisioned the Irish coast before my arrival.  A handful of people made the ambitious decision to swim in the sea.  I was even more surprised to see people jumping off the cliff into the water below.  You won’t hear about me doing anything like that (@mom and dad).

On Tuesday, I travelled around downtown Waterford for a few hours.  Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city, and known as the “Viking Capital” of the country.  One highlights of today was my visit to the Crystal Factory, where I was able to see the creation of crystal from raw materials.  Check it out below:

I’m thrilled to call Waterford my home for the next 9 months.  I must admit, it’s been challenging to move away from the rest of the scholars, who are now scattered across different cities throughout the island of Ireland.  Hopefully, we will see each other over Halloween or Thanksgiving.  Now, it’s onto hoop season!

 

 

 

 

 

After a few days in Waterford, Michael and I finally had time to explore the city! So… We were basically annoying tourists for the day. Waterford is the oldest city in Ireland and was founded by Vikings in 914 A.D. There is a lot of history to be seen here!

Stop #1: Vikings Triangle

Vikings Triangle is the old town of Waterford City. It includes six national monuments ranging in date from 1190 to 1783. Our first stop was Reginald’s Tower. This tower is Waterford’s landmark monument and Ireland’s oldest civic building. Further down the road we found the Medieval Museum, which is the only building in the country to incorporate two medieval chambers. These chambers are the 13th century Choristers’ Hall and the 15th century Mayor’s Wine Vault. Although we did not take the tour, the architecture of the buildings was really cool to look at! The last building we visited in Vikings Triangle was Bishop’s Palace. The place was beautiful!

Stop #2: Lunch

We got hungry and found our sushi spot for the year… yum!

Stop #3: Walk Along the Quay

Until the late 1980s, the Quays were where ships and boats would stop to load and unload their cargo. Now, it makes for a nice walk with the city on one side and the water on the other!

Stop #4: Waterford Clock Tower

Towards the middle of the quay we reached the clock tower, which was built in 1863.

Stop #5: Waterford Crystal Factory Tour

I think this was my favorite thing that we did today! The tour was about an hour long. Our guide briefed us on the history of the factory and then took us through each step a piece goes through in the factory. We even got to see trophy’s that they made for NCAA Basketball and Football Championships and pieces that make up the New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square. It was really cool!

I had a great time exploring my new home today but there is still so much to see. All I know is that I love it here so far!

I recently arrived in Galway. Upon my arrival the first thing that struck me was how old the city feels. The narrow streets paved with cobblestones and non existent side walks where I live in the Latin Quarter remind me of many of the medieval towns through southern and western Europe. While the people here are unmistakably Irish, the town itself has a very unique feel that is unlike anything I have ever seen.

There is a commonly held view that the city of Galway derives its name from the Irish word, Gallaibh, which means foreigners; making Gaillimh (Galway) the town of the foreigners. While there are plenty of other explanations for how Galway got its name, this one seems to work for this blog post, so it’s the one I am going to stick with. In my defense, it makes a lot of sense. During the Middle Ages trade links between Spain (and other western European countries like Portugal) and Ireland flourished. Iron and wine were shipped to Ireland and hides and fish to Spain. Many Irish went as pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, and some Spanish even travelled in the other direction to St Patrick’s Purgatory, in Lough Derg, County Donegal. In the sixteenth century the relationship between Spain and Ireland became political. The Gaelic Irish who were under pressure from the advancing English conquest sought alliance with Catholic Spain, who in turn recognized Ireland as a strategically-sited back door to England. The economic and political ties as well as the shared religion created a strong relationship that is still evident today.

Many people even claim that the Spanish Armada of 1588 gave birth to a new population of black Irish. The Spanish sent a fleet of 130 ships to invade the kingdom of England. After suffering defeat at the hands of the English, the remaining Spanish ships had a stroke of bad luck on their way home as harsh storms of the western coast of Ireland devastated the fleet. Thousands of Spanish sailors washed ashore, and legend has it that this created a new population of Irish people with dark hair, features, and skin.

What does this have to do with me moving to Galway? Well, my mother’s family is Irish but has spent the last few generations in North Philadelphia, and my father’s family is Spanish but has spent the last few generations in Cuba. So, that makes me first generation black Irish; I am just turning up to the party around 430 years late. As a foreigner in the city of foreigners, I feel right at home.

When it was announced that I was coming back to be apart of the 2020 Victory Scholar class, I was hit with a wave of questions. “What do you want to accomplish in the second year,” asked my very inquisitive grandmother. “Are you still gonna get buckets,” asked my basketball obsessed neighbour. Finally, the question that hit me the hardest, “Is it going to be weird for you without the scholars from last year?” And the truth is … it is weird.

It’s strange going through orientation without some of my old friends by my side. For example, it’s strange arguing about the popularity of my croc shoes with Foxy (one of Sports Changes Life sports mentors), without Jenna (a fellow scholar of 2019) by my side and supporting me throughout. Or it’s weird talking about various NBA teams without Mike or Phil (fellow scholars of 2019) there to add stats. And I miss talking hair care products with D, Tweedy, Taylor, and Sim (Obviously, scholars of 2019).

It’s safe to say that I miss my old class dearly. However, I have amazing opportunity! I’ve been gifted with opportunity to make new friends and memories in a amazing country! Meeting everyone in last few days has been a mix of emotions and responsibilities. The one thing I’ve learned from my past SCL experience is to take everything in stride.

So no grandma, I don’t know what I want to accomplish this year! And no Mr. Mercel, I don’t know if I’m going to get buckets! But I do know that have an opportunity of a lifetime, for the second time!

So while its a new group of people, its still the same me! So one could see it as me slipping into a new pair of shoes. So like I said, new crocs, same Kollyns!

I am American, I am Latino, and I am spending a week in Belfast. So, with my first blog post this year I thought it would be appropriate to talk about walls; why we have them, and what sort of ethical dilemmas they can cause. Let’s start with Belfast:

Without getting into too much of the history behind the troubles in Belfast, the Peace Walls throughout the city serve a very ‘wall’ specific purpose; they separate protestant unionist and catholic republican (Irish republican not GOP) sections of town. These populations have violently disagreed about how Ireland should organize itself politically since the early 20th century. They block people, especially at night when the gates are locked, from going from one neighborhood to the other. But, I am not writing this blog post about what walls do. I want to start more of a moral or ethical discussion about what walls stand for, and question whether or not they are a good idea.

The best place to start this discussion is to question whether walls, or physically separating people, are the best strategy we have to prevent violence. For me, my answer is quite simply: No. In my opinion peace doesn’t come from keeping things separate. Peace comes from hard discussions with people you disagree with. We all build our own ‘walls’ around what we believe in. We look to people and sources of information that can confirm our already steadfast beliefs instead of civilly seeking out people we disagree with and having long difficult, but ultimately productive discussions.

However, bringing this back to the reality that is the city of Belfast, the Peace Walls might very well prevent day to day acts of violence. It is hard to condemn something that prevents violence. The problem with the Peace Walls arises if the two populations of the city stay completely separated. Without coming together there will never find common ground or peace. The Peace Walls are not a solution. Rather, they are a temporary and necessary reality in a city with a long history of violence.

This brings me to the southern border of the United States, and essentially the same question; Is a wall the best strategy for our southern border? My answer remains the same: Simply, no.

I want to be clear, this is not a blog post in which I will argue that open borders are the best geopolitical policy. Borders are the foundation of every nation state, and without them we could not have the global political economy. But, a wall and a border are not one and the same. I am talking in broader strokes about what the wall would stand for. In my opinion a wall would completely contradict everything that makes America great. A wall does not say: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” It says: “Keep out.”

I don’t want to say that not having a wall is a solution either. There are still plenty of hard conversations ahead of us. All I want to do is to urge us to have them. Let’s not hide behind our walls. Where we can, let’s knock them down.

In just six days, I have met an obstacle that will make this journey to even harder, as if leaving the country wasn’t already hard enough for me. Just six days in Belfast and the unthinkable happens. The scholars and I were playing a pickup game and as I went for a steal, I felt an unusual pain. I thought I had jammed my finger until I looked down and noticed that my index finger looked worse than a jammed finger.

All of this was new to me. I had never broken or severely injured anything in my life. I wondered “Why me? Why now?

I called the director, Sam Woodside, and he took me to the nearby hospital. He told me we were going to be there all night. I laughed at him and said “No way”. Next thing I know, it’s 3 hours later (midnight) and we’re still in the waiting room of the hospital. The whole waiting room was packed with people. This was because to be seen at the hospital, it costed nothing. After learning that, I could definitely understand why there were so many people. I had actually never been to a hospital for my own well-being so part of this was kinda cool in a weird sense in that this was my first, personal hospital experience.

When I was finally seen, they gave me some gas to inhale to numb my finger. At the corner of my eye, I could just see the nurses pulling and tugging on my finger. Sam saw the whole thing and was amazed that after all that tugging they were doing, my finger had not budged. They appointed me to see a bone specialist at 9am (8 hours later). Eight hours later, I was back in Sam’s car headed to another hospital with my purple, dislocated finger. Once again, the hospital was packed with people but this time, I had a better understanding about that. Four hours later, my finger was back to normal.

It hurt when the doctor said to continue to wear the splint for 4-6 weeks. However, I looked at this as a part of my journey. This was just a test of my resilience and my attitude. I decided that I was going to keep my head held high through it all. I was going to make sure that I was present for the remaining orientation sessions and active as much as I could be for the kids. Because at the end of the day, it could’ve been worse. If I can walk, talk, and supply energy for the kids, I’ll be there. Tough times don’t last but tough people do. I won’t give up and that’s the message I want to send.

On Tuesday August 20, I arrived at the airport in Des Moines Iowa for a long day of travel. Due to bad weather in Chicago, my first flight was cancelled I left Des Moines at 4:30pm arriving in Chicago by 5:45. Once I got to Chicago I ate pizza waiting for my plane next plane to Dublin to leave at 8:30. I was not nervous about moving to Ireland, I was very excited and thankful for this opportunity to impact other lives in Ireland and continue to play basketball. As I boarded my flight from Chicago on an Air Legus (green) airplane, it all seemed to become real to me that I was leaving the county to start the next phase of my life. Before leaving, I thought I would sleep the entire plane ride, but that wasn’t the case. I watched 2 movies on the plane and enjoyed my music during the 7 hour flight. Once I landed I gathered my bags from baggage claim and got on the bus to go to Belfast for training with the rest of the Victory Scholars and staff. Once I got to Belfast I was greeted by staff members who took me to check in and join the rest of the group. I went to the grocery store and figured out how to pay with pounds sterling and pick out food items for my apartment during my time in Belfast.

Meeting everyone was great the first day, I got to meet the other Victory Scholars for the first time and live with Ashley, Aryn, Morgan, and Becca and talk to them about their college experiences and who they are, and their journey to Ireland. After the first day,I felt like I knew some of the SCL members for a long time just after 1 day of being together.

For the first 10 days, I spent my time in Belfast with my Sports Changes life family going through training and orientation. I got a chance to visit in Peace Wall, visited Limavady High School, tour Portrush, participate in EHOOPS with the Carnmony girls, and attended a local nursing home. I was very grateful for each opportunity I had to serve and be in the community making an impact from the start. The hardest part of the first 10 days in Belfast was leaving my Sport Changes Life family because I created so many relationships and bonds throughout my first week living in Ireland. But now I am offically moved into my apartment on DCU campus and I am very excited about the next 10 months of my journey in Dublin Ireland!

 

 

 

Coming into orientation week here in Belfast filled me with a flood of emotions- scared to leave my friends and family, nervous moving to an unfamiliar place, and anxious to meet the people that I would spend the next 10 months with. But right when I arrived at the Belfast bus terminal, I was welcomed with open arms. Every single person that I have had the pleasure of meeting has been so warm and inviting. I was the first of 22 Victory Scholars to arrive, so I got to spend some quality time with the staff in their headquarters. Everyone was so nice and accommodating. Their playful banter on who would beat who in a game of soccer, or how inclined (or not so inclined) some were in regards to technology. They all made me feel at home, when in reality I was 2,986 miles from it.

I was one of the lucky ones to arrive a day early, so 5 of us were able to catch up on some sleep. Thankfully it prepped us for the full day of orientation we had ahead of us. The other 17 scholars, unfortunately, were running on little to no sleep that day. We made a trip to a local grocery store and picked up some breakfast for our apartment, and were happily surprised to see that the grocery store here was drastically cheaper than home. Later that same day we got to work with a local soccer program, who were part of Sport Changes Life’s eHoops program. These girls were around the ages of 16-18 years old, and extremely talented at soccer. We got to play some basketball games with them, which was so fun because of how excited everyone got whenever the girls got a basket. We got to know some of the girls as well, and I got the chance to talk to one girl who was finishing up her ACL recovery. We were comparing our injuries and paths to recovery, which was pretty cool.

A highlight of the week was definitely our night out in Belfast, where we all went to a bar named Filthy McNastys. We had the best time dancing, singing, and trying the local favorites. It was an amazing night, and definitely set the bar high for nights out in Ireland.

If orientation is any indicator for how the next ten months will go, we are all in for a treat.

It is August 20th and I have just left home for Ireland. Currently, I have just said goodbye to my mom and I am about to hop on a plane and travel to Ireland. Personally, I love traveling and I love meeting new people, but at the moment I am very nervous. Normally, I love challenges and trying new things, but today it feels especially difficult to do this.

As I arrived at the airport, I immediately began looking around to see if any of the other scholars have arrived too. However, I do not see any in sight. So instead of waiting for the other scholars to arrive, I just decided to make my way to security. After getting through security, I saw a place to sit down at a brick oven restaurant and wait. I ate by myself for one hour and the reason why I did that was because I was nervous/scared.

I was nervous about the future and I was going to miss my friends and family from the states. Needless to say I was definitely in my own head. What got me out of my head was knowing why I came to Ireland and to this program in particular. I chose this program because it gave me the opportunity to change lives through sports.

Immediately, I gritted my teeth and went to the gate to see if some of the other scholars were there and they were. As much as I knew I would have loved to stand their on my own. I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone. This meant that I needed to go up to them and introduce myself. I walked over to them and shook hands with everyone and instantly I felt so much more at ease. The other scholars were so welcoming, kind, and friendly that it made me feel so much more relaxed. I immediately felt a sense of familiarity with them.

I am not gonna pretend as if I was still not nervous, but I knew that I had come here with a reason/purpose in mind. Therefore, it was easy to feel that connection when I was amongst the other scholars. I knew whey they were all here too, it was the opportunity to use sports to make a difference in people’s lives.

 

 

To say that my life has dramatically changed over the past few days would be an understatement. While I have been aware for the duration of the summer that I will be joining Sport Changes Life as a Victory Scholar, I had only a small idea of what this program is truly all about.

My travel day started around 4:00am EST with a teary-eyed departure from my parents at the Columbus Airport. Then I braced myself for what would be a 30-hour travel day which involved a flight to New York, an 8-hour layover, followed by a 6 and a half hour flight, and finally a 2-hour bus ride from Dublin Airport to Belfast. Despite the fact that I was completely drained, the eager staff members at SCL were enthusiastic about my and the other scholars arrival, and provided a boost to tackle the day. After my first proper Irish meal of my 10-month journey, that being McDonald’s, and a short nap, we were off to Ulster University at Jordanstown for our first eHoops session as Victory Scholars. That afternoon, myself and a couple of other early arrival scholars had the opportunity to work with the Glengormley eHoops program. After participating in some fun, team building activities with the girls, we then transitioned to the classroom setting where we had a bit more personable approach with the girls. I think the highlight of the eHoops session is when all the girls laughed at me for saying that I played “soccer” in high school. I was quickly reminded that on this side of the pond, it is called football, which I’ll be sure to keep in mind.

Perhaps the best part of the arrival day, apart from the 10 hours of sleep I got that night, was the news that I received the following morning. Following our eHoops session yesterday, Alan from Sport Changes Life informed that he had received two texts from girls that are apart of the program saying that the Americans were cool and wondering if they would be back for next week’s session. To me, the session seemed like it was far from my best performance. I was running on 0 hours of sleep, and at my first eHoops session, simply trying to understand the girl’s accents in order to provide a coherent response. Little did I know that the hour and a half we spent with them may in fact have been the bright spot of their day, and at the very least gave them something to look forward to in next week’s session. This quickly put into perspective the potential impact that I will be able to have during this journey. While I thought I knew what I was getting into with the Victory Scholar Program, the feeling that comes from making someone’ day a little better is truly the only way to internalize it. I am beyond excited to begin this journey, and can’t see what the rest of training week, let alone the next 10 months has to offer.

After a busy 10 days in Belfast with all of the other scholars, Saturday was a bittersweet day was we all said our “see ya laters!” and went to our separate universities. Our last night together, the words “I can’t wait to come visit you guys in ___” were said a countless amount of times. Reflecting back on these last ten days, it’s crazy how people who were once just opponents that I knew from playing against them in college or even complete strangers could become a family just like that. There were no “goodbyes” said when we all went our separate ways because we are all already looking forward to meeting up with each other soon.

Kojak, my coach for the year, picked me and DJ up and brought us over to the little town of Carlow. The place I get to call “home” for the next ten months. You never really know how long it is going to take for a place to really feel like home. There’s new people, new places, new everything, but the minute we drove into Carlow, I instantly knew this was where I was supposed to be.

 

After we checked into our apartment, Kojak took DJ and I on a little drive around the town to show us different things such as the school and where to get our groceries… since I guess we have to actually do that now. He also mentioned that there is a little farmers market on Saturday mornings right outside our place, so you’ll probably be able to find me there almost every week! It’s a nice little town and everything I could possibly need is within a 10-minute walk.

Anyone who saw me walking around on Saturday had to of instantly knew I was new here and was settling in. Between carrying a bunch of bags that had pillows, blankets, and the basics in it, to walking in circles looking around because I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for. Thankfully you can’t get too lost in this town because if you could, I don’t know where I would have ended up!

But as Erol Ozan once said..

“Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.” 

To see everything I want to see over these next ten months, I think I am going to be okay if i get a little lost.

 

 

Limavady and Portrush youth group was an amazing experience. We got to work with a bunch of different kids and reach out and connect in a way they are not use to. We played games and got the kids to open up a little more than they are use to. Pictured below are three kids that were in my group, and I got to know a little about all their stories. I would’ve never thought it would be so easy to impact someone’s life and be able to give them that extra boost they need some days.

I am so fortunate and lucky to be in an environment with amazing people. I am truly grateful to be apart of this program. The two sessions went amazing and we were able to connect with all the kids we encountered. It is sessions like these that make this whole program worth it! Sport Changes Life is going to impact my life in so many ways because I am able to give back to the community.

After doing the sessions we got to visit Portrush, and it is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! All of us together had a blast! We also went to Barry’s Amusement and a lot of us got on the ride the Big Dipper which was not the safest roller coaster hahah! We all were screaming the whole time and were laughing because we couldn’t believe that we went on it!

After that a couple of us walked down to the beach and it was amazing. The water wasn’t that cold and we were able to get some amazing pictures! The pictures don’t do it justice but it was beautiful. There were some surfing lessons going on so that was pretty neat to see as well. Overall these past 10 days with everyone have been amazing and so memorable!

I am extremely sad to say by to all the other scholars, we most definitely made the most out of our time!

After being with the scholars for a couple days I know that we have a really good group this year! We all have bonded so much already and these 10 days together are flying by and before we know it, we will have to say our goodbyes! 🙁

In a couple days everyone will be going to their sites where they will be located for the next 10 months, and honestly it’s going to be sad to see everyone leave. We all have so much together and enjoy being around one another! Granted we will be seeing each other shortly, but it will be hard to say our goodbyes.

All of the girls get along amazing! Pictured above isn’t everyone but we always have a good time together. This was our first night out in Belfast! We all tried Ginuess for the first time, and I personally did not like it. YUCK!!!!!! This night was suppose to be a girls night but some of the boys decided to come out too!

Pictured below are my fellow MAAC players. Aryn, Kadeem and I are all new to the program this year, and Kollyns (far right) is back for her second year. It’s crazy to think how much we all have in common although we played against each other well that goes for Aryn, Kollyns, and I. Since we all came from the same conference we knew about one another but I didn’t know these three on a personal level and within a couple of days we were all pretty close! We were able to share our experiences at our schools and connect over things we all have been through!

Pictured below is a good friend of mine, Maria on the right. Maria and I knew each other before coming to Ireland! I was able to meet her amazing college teammate Dana! Us three have really connected and had fun with one another over the past couple of days!

With the group of people we have, I feel like I have gained 21 good friends and I am going to be sad to say goodbye. But we will be seeing each other very soon!

Dear Becca, Meredith, Aryn, Dana, Lexi, DJ, Kadeem, Kyle, Kollyns, Kaitlyn, Michael, Dan, Brandon, Peter, Carson, Summer, Ian, Reece, Morgan, Ashley, and Karlee:

Today all of us Victory Scholars are splitting up and heading off to our universities. I want to wish you all luck this year in everything you do, but after spending 10 days with you it is clear that you won’t need it.

I know it has only been 10 days, but I think we can all agree that it’s not so easy going our separate ways. I’m pretty sure a lot of us are going to be lifelong friends and I am so incredibly grateful that SCL has brought us together. Moving to a different country was not an easy transition, but you all made it feel like home.

I truly enjoyed getting to know all of you and learning about your different backgrounds and stories and how they led you to Ireland. I am so excited to see what the next 9 months holds for all of us. Every single person that you encounter this year as a coach, mentor, teammate, or whatever the situation may be, will be so lucky to have you. You are all amazing, kind, inspiring individuals that are about to make the world a better place.

I am going to miss you all (except Michael because he’s stuck with me) so much and can’t wait to visit each of you in your cities. I’ll see some of you on the court and I’ll see you all at Thanksgiving!

Cheers,

Maria

P.S. What are playing?

So, we definitely saved the best day of training week for last! I really enjoyed going to both Limavady High School and St. Patrick’s Primary School in Portrush. It’s truly amazing how welcoming everyone is here! The Principal and staff at Limavady had coffee, tea and cookies for us in the morning and had a really nice spread for us at lunch time, and the staff at St. Patrick’s had pizza and juice for us when we arrived too! They were so grateful to have us come into their schools and interact with their students, who were all so great to work with!

There was one little girl at Limavady named Ella in my group who was super shy and reserved in the beginning of the session. But, when we got to the basketball station I noticed a little bit of excitement in her. We organized them into different teams for the game we were going to have them play called “Steal the Bacon.” Basically in the first round, if your number is called you have to run out to half court, grab the ball, and score it before anyone else does. When Ella’s number was called the first time, I had to urge her a little bit to run out and get the ball because she was nervous. But the second time she was called out, she ran to pick up the ball and scored before anyone else! Her face completely lit up when she saw that ball go through the net, I’ve never seen anything like it. It gave me such a good feeling to see how happy she was and at that moment, I realized just how amazing this journey would be. To be honest, I didn’t quite know what to expect about the community service aspect of SCL before I got here. But going out to different schools to talk to young kids and play games with them, playing pickle ball with people of ages 50 and up, and spending time at a nursing home have all been such eye opening experiences for me and I’ve only been in Ireland for 9 days! It’s all been so rewarding and I can’t wait to continue this aspect of being a Victory Scholar.

After spending our day with the kids at both schools, the SCL Staff (who are all so amazing by the way) took us to a mini amusement park in Portrush. (Fun fact…the British Open was just held in Portrush a few weeks ago and we drove right by the golf course they played on – super cool!) Of course, as soon as we got off the bus I went straight to the claw machines and won 2 little bears on my first try (first win in a foreign country!!) and I only spent 1 pound on the game (Mommom, I hope you’re proud)! Then we continued to explore a little bit and found a beautiful beach where people were actually surfing! Mind you, it was raining and only about 60 degrees – but I guess that’s the norm around here.

All in all, it was a really great day with a lot of great moments. Now, all of us scholars will have to go our separate ways and begin our next adventures at each of our schools. It’s bittersweet to have to leave but I’m so excited to get to Letterkenny and of course, play some ball!!

Traveler tip #3 (courtesy of Sam Woodside):

Do NOT call anyone a “Goat” here…it may mean “greatest of all time” in America but it is apparently a pretty derogatory term here in Ireland. If this piece of advice can prevent just one bar fight..my job here is done! 😉

Until next time…

-Dana D.

Walking into JFK there were a whole bunch of emotions running through my body. Excitement, uncertainty, relief, were all apart of how I felt before I even got my boarding pass to board the plane. I knew this journey to Ireland would have its ups and downs no matter the circumstances but I did not know how quickly that may be. Fortunately for such circumstances occurred as soon as I got to the airport and started my new journey.

Thankfully, the first one was positive. My cousin happened to work for JFK which made my preparation before boarding a lot easier than most and allowed me to go through check in smooth sailing. However as soon as I got through and realised that the journey was really about to begin the excitement and anticipation started to kick in even more than before.

Unfortunately, the emotions turned from excitement to exhaustion and confusion once I sat down on the plane preparing for this five hour flight to my new home. Now, the seat that I was giving was perfect placement because I was able to stretch my legs and have space. However, the unfortunate thing was that, out of all the TVs on the plane the only two that did not work were Kaitlyn Slagus and myself. Now both of us still were able to find ways to entertain ourselves despite the mishap but it still would have been better if we were able to watch Avengers Endgame and watch the Avengers defeat Thanos.

Now, this was just the start of the First Day journey, because not only did we arrive to Ireland at 4:00am but we were told that we would have to stay awake in order to balance out our sleep and adjust the time change. This allowed for great bonding time between scholars, because we were able to not only relate to the fact that we were running extremely low on sleep but we were all put through the same tasks and events while under these conditions. We bonded on a two hour bus ride from Dublin Airport to Belfast, helped each other maneuver suitcases up flights of stairs, and gave a brief example of why we are the 2020 Victory Scholars when we were able to put our tiredness aside and enjoyed a great time with a ladies soccer club.

The amount that was done by us with such little amount of sleep was tremendous in my eyes. It gave me an idea that no matter your circumstances, even when you are first starting out and are in unfamiliar territory, you can always make the best of it and turn it into something special. It was an example of how great these scholars that chosen are and it was an interesting way to have not only my journey but our journey together takeoff!