The SWB girls' team from Ndejje, Uganda
I just graduated from the University of Illinois where I played on the Fighting Illini's varsity soccer team for four years. The past three springs, I have served as the assistant coach to Champaign Centennial's Girls Varsity Soccer Team. Additionally, I have volunteered in Rio Verde, Mexico the past three summers as a coach for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sports camp. I have a passion for coaching and working in Mexico really opened my eyes to how blessed young players in the United States are to have the opportunities they do to participate in organized sports. For this reason, I chose to volunteer for Soccer Without Borders as a long-term intern. The values that Soccer Without Borders promotes are values that I believe are important and I look forward to working with the kids in Uganda. This is a chance for me to step outside of my comfort zone and really give back to the game that has provided me with so many incredible opportunities. To everyone who is supporting me in this endeavor, thank you so much. I will do my best to send out updates of my experiences before, during, and after the ten months I spend living in Uganda. I am very excited about this adventure, but also somewhat nervous and even a bit scared! However, I am confident that my experiences over the past four years have prepared me well for what is to come and hopefully I will make a difference in the lives of the kids I will be working with!















Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Back in Ndejje for Round Two

Hello blog followers! I am back from a month's hiatus in which I was able to go home and spend the holidays with my family. Being home provided me with a breath of fresh air and the rejuvenation that I desperately needed to make it through the next four and a half months here.

Anyhow, now Heather, Adam, and I are reunited back in Uganda once again and ready to resume our work with the kids via soccer training sessions and after school activities at our youth center. I'm not going to lie, it is tough being back. Surprisingly, I feel as though it has been harder for me to readjust to life back in Ndejje than it was to initially adjust the first time around in August. However, I am trying very hard to maintain a positive attitude and remind myself that we really only have about four months left and that hopefully it will pass by quickly. I do love working with the kids, and passionately believe in the work we are doing here, but it has been difficult for me to live in a foreign country where many people are less than friendly.

The kids are awesome per usual, though, and they were so excited to see us again! I have been able to give out lots of presents that were donated from friends and family, along with a bunch of my old club jerseys and even toothbrushes and toothpaste from my dentist! So, life here has its ups and downs and as many frustrations as we face, we face an equal number of incredible, memorable moments. This is definitely the most challenging thing I have ever embarked upon, and as painful as the experience is at times, I acknowledge that it is a necessary part of growth.

Now that I'm back in Uganda, I will try to post blogs consistently, probably once every one to two weeks. The past few days I have walked to internet only to find that it was not working, so hopefully that will happen less often and I can get blogs up on a regular basis. I hope that everyone reading this will continue to enjoy my thoughts and experiences over the next few months before I return home for good!
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