I, along with the COC (Canadian Olympic Committee) and Canada Basketball visited the SEED Basketball Academy in Dakar. Our visit to their campus began with meeting the coaches. You could hear their thirst for knowledge in the questions they were asking. They were passionate about what they do and wanted to equip their young athletes with everything they needed to be successful.
To think that I have now been inducted into the town of Milton’s Walk of Fame is both an incredible honour and also a bit of a shock. I am honored that my name was even considered for this incredible distinction and I have been incredibly fortunate, but I feel like I’m not done. There is so much I have yet to do, and goals on my list I have yet to reach.
After he gave us our wet suit, snorkels and flippers, we jumped into the water. The first sea creature I saw everywhere was jellyfish! So, obviously I - and the family I was on tour with - started freaking out! It turns out that these jelly fish (which were a beautiful purple color and looked so graceful and soft in the water) were called moon jellyfish. Although they can and do sting humans (it feels like a mosquito bite or small zap), they're not poisonous. Of course, I did not learn this until later in the day, so whenever I saw a large group of them during the actual tour, I…
As I was leaving the botanical gardens, I noticed a tiny garden of poppies. Growing up, I’ve always worn the pins on Veterans Day and have seen pictures of poppies, but I don’t recall ever seeing a poppy in real life. So, obviously I snapped some pictures! This little garden was called The Legacy Garden, with a small plaque in front that said the following…
If you were to look at my phone, you would probably find a good 500 pictures purely of nature; plants, trees, flowers, leaves, ponds, the ocean and green sceneries. I am obsessed! I feel close to God in many instances, but when I am consumed by nature, surrounded by it, observing it, sitting or walking in it silently, admiring its beauty, listening to the quiver of the leaves in the wind, the birds chirping, the crashing of the waves, or a disturbance in the bushes - just me and my thoughts - that’s when I always feel engulfed by Him.
Day two in Dakar, Senegal was exhilarating! It consisted of a sports clinic, as well as Right to Play announcing their partnership with Senegal. There was also much excitement around Dakar being the first African country to host a Youth Olympic Games, which will take place in 2022. Additionally, there was a ceremony celebrating the signing of MOU.
A dream of mine has been to play for Canada on the Senior Women’s National Team - a dream that was finally realized, only to be taken away by injury a few days later.
Later this month Canada will compete in Tenerife, Spain at the FIBA World Cup. I had my eyes set on making the roster to help Canada compete for a spot on the podium.
I love to explore new cities and when they have an interesting history behind them, it makes you appreciate what you're witnessing/ experiencing even more. While there I had the opportunity to explore a small part of Caen, the capital of France 's lower normandy region, which is rich in French, Canadian and American history...
