Pete Strobl's Blog
Pete Strobl grew up in Los Angeles, California and went on to play college basketball at D1 Niagara University, New York. After graduating with his Master's Pete began playing professional basketball in Europe and has played in France, Austria, and Germany. This season Pete is Player/Assistant Coach for Merry Monk Ballina. He writes a weekly blog for Streetballireland.com on basketball, life and his experience in Ireland.
Blog #7 - Cead Mile Failte!
Have you ever had to do something that you knew could be dangerous? Something like walking through a dark alley late at night, riding a motorcycle, or bungee jumping. Odds are that you'll be fine, but there's that small chance that the worst could happen. That's how it is for pedestrians here in Ballina. My first instinct is to say that it's like that in all of Ireland, but I don't live anywhere else than here so it would be unfair for me to jump to that conclusion. I can confirm however that trying to cross the streets in this town is seriously "At Your Own Risk!" There's really not even marked lines in the streets. There are a few crossing points, but for the most part the marked areas are nothing more than worn patches of paint here and there. Obviously carry-overs from decades long gone. Maybe they simply forgot to repaint the lines after repaving the roads. Who knows for sure, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Every place has their own nuances and distinctive charm. Some of these places obviously have more positives than negatives, but the variety makes each place unique. I actually prefer this and don't expect to have the same experiences in Ireland as I did in any of the other countries that I've played. I came here to see new surroundings, try new foods, make new friends, learn a new style of basketball! When you want to experience new things, you have to be open and willing to accept all the charms that come with it. I wish I would have had this attitude my first year in France! As a 22 year old fresh out of college, I had never been presented with a plate of "desert" that smelled like a pair of dirty socks. How was I to know that the stinky gooey blobs were cheese? I should have simply stayed within the "when in Rome" principle, held my nose, and gulped a chunk down. Instead I politely declined, while silently wondering who hadn't properly washed their armpits. Anybody that's been to France knows that they are extremely proud people and saying "no thank you" is like a slap in the face. You live, you learn. Ever since then I'm much more accepting of a given country's unique differences and go out of my way to absorb the culture.
A few days ago I went to see my first Gaelic Football game. I had absolutely no clue what the guys on the field were doing, but it looked like fun! They kicked, dribbled, tackled, and generally ran around banging into anything that got in the way in an attempt to kick a goal. For my American readers, imagine a soccer goal combined with a football goal post. That's what the Gaelic goal looks like. Any ball that makes it into the lower "soccer-like" area is worth 3 points, whereas any ball that gets kicked through the "uprights" receives a single point. It's definitely an interesting game and something I probably never would have had the chance to see if not for me playing this year in Ireland. I also would never have seen the great atmosphere of the pubs. (I'm not a drinker, so I'm all too familiar with the funny looks I get when I order a Lucozade or Cidona!) From what I've personally seen and experienced at some of the locales here in Ballina, the pubs are a great place to get together with friends and have a good laugh.
The people here are absolutely fantastic and make you feel very welcome. I can't think of any place I've ever been where the people have made me feel so welcome so fast. At least once a day you see the famous Irish slogan Cead Mile Failte, which translates to "A Hundred Thousand Welcomes". In America, you're lucky if you get 10 welcomes! Here they give you a hundred thousand of them! Think about that for a second. Even if they're having a bad day and you get half of that, you're still walking away with fifty thousand! As I said, they make you feel very welcome. That's why it's so hard for me to comprehend why such nice people will speed up to swerve by an old lady attempting to cross the street. I can't count how many times I've been carefully crossing the street and had a car get within inches of hitting me. Probably a hundred thousand times!
Ireland does have a lot to offer and I highly recommend taking a vacation here at least once! I would also highly recommend looking both ways before you attempt to cross any street here by foot. Then look both ways again, then again, then one more time just to be safe, and then sprint as fast as you can until both feet are firmly on the other side of the street! Then stay on that side and find a pub to celebrate not getting hit!
Pete Strobl
petestrobl@gmail.com