Icy paths and conversations 

I started writing this blog on the bus on my way to work on Friday morning. So preoccupied was I that I missed my stop and ended up in the city centre. When I realised, I jumped up in a fluster much to the amusement of the lady sitting next to me. She laughed and wished me a good day - oh well, at least I made one person smile on a cold and dreary winter's morning!

So much to write about in a week which had a distinctly international flavour. This semester I’m teaching a new course  where the students learn about how sport is developed in South Africa, Brazil, Australia and China/Hong Kong. They’re all interesting countries but my favourite by far is South Africa which of course has such a tragic historical past and is, I fear, still struggling to come to terms with the legacy of apartheid.

Later in the week I spent a delightful morning with 2 Italian and 1 Chinese students who are new to the university. We spent most of the time playing games, swopping stories and observations about the cultural differences between our respective countries, and the importance of being able to live and work with people who are different from ourselves. Katie - you would have loved it, particularly the Italian part!

My final task of the week was to support a group of students preparing for their international work placements which are due to commence in a few weeks time. These are students who are prepared to push themselves beyond their comfort zones and, in so doing, really make a difference. The sense of nervous excitement and anticipation amongst them was palpable as they began to contemplate the experiences they are likely to have during their time abroad, how they will cope being away from family and friends and the relative comfort and privilege of university life. Hopefully I have played a  small part in helping them to get the most from these new experiences - for themselves and for others.

I'm really lucky to do the job I do - although I like to think I've worked hard to be able to be do it. 

My parkrun destination this week was Hillsborough - a wise choice because I suspect the cold weather and icy paths may have caused cancellations elsewhere. The volunteers must have been there even earlier today as most of the icy patches had been either cordoned off or gritted to avoid any nasty incidents - thanks guys. 

I immediately struck up a conversation with Sam, a former primary school teacher who now works in education publishing. Before the start and during the run we chatted about growing up in Essex, the delights of playing village cricket and why we find parkrun so interesting and appealing - all this whilst dodging the icy patches of course! I described the highlight of my cricket career - scoring 98 not out against a really strong Durham University side, followed the next day by a first ball duck against a local village team. Sport (and particularly cricket) can be such a leveller - full of highs and lows, a metaphor for life you could say.

Thanks for listening to my stories Sam and for sharing yours - and for being such good company.

Until next time - happy parkrunning.

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