This week, eight UK student-athletes, along with members of the athletic department staff, are participating in a service trip to Ethiopia. On the trip are Megan Moir from women’s golf, Brooke Keyes and Kayla King from women’s soccer, Kayla Hartley from gymnastics, Grace Trimble from women’s tennis, Kastine Evans from women’s basketball, Emily Holsopple from rifle and Aubrey Lamar from softball. Each athlete was nominated by her respective head coach for this trip.  On these blog posts, you’ll find the personal views of the athletes as they share their unique perspectives on their service and learnings in Ethiopia.July 26, 2012Grace Trimble – Women’s TennisAs I sit down to write this blog, I realize that nothing I write will be able to accurately express how I have been challenged physically, stretched emotionally and forever changed by the people of Ethiopia. It is difficult to show how the poverty and disparity of personal situations are overshadowed by the gratitude and pure love Ethiopians so readily give. However, in my best effort to share a glimpse into our trip for a day, I hope one can see that I have not changed the lives of Ethiopians, but they have forever changed me.   Our day began with us waking up in Debre Zeit and walking to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. It’s been interesting to see the pace of the service at restaurants. It isn’t uncommon for a meal to take 90 minutes or more. We’ve used that time to really get to know one another and our hosts. After breakfast, we all piled onto the bus and made our way to a countryside village called T’ede. In this village, we met a community leader named Zeharun who introduced us to the widows and orphans he serves on a daily basis. Aubrey brought along toys and we also brought soccer balls to brighten the day of each of the children. We were also able to bring the widows a gift of coffee and sugar. I met an orphan named Hanna and all she seemed to long for was for me to love her. She walked up to me like we knew each other, grabbed my hand and stole my heart. I only held her hand and hugged her for 15 minutes, little does she know I will always remember her smile.After we ate lunch at a local restaurant, we made our way to the remote village of Modjo. This village of mud-thatched huts was set facing mountains. They had a large grass and mud field fenced in by thorny branches to keep the animals out. The children and even some of the adults jumped right in as we played soccer, volleyball and learned a few new tricks with a basketball. As I stood back and looked at the surroundings, what continues to inspire me is the hope and joy that I see in the midst of all the poverty.Today I was in my comfort zone; I was competing. And so were the Ethiopians. It’s amazing to see the different ways our lives can come together, through sport, through religion and sometimes just plain hard work. They have shown me their unwavering joy through poverty, sickness and situations out of their own control. When I land in Lexington, I will be a changed person because of the people of Ethiopia. I will look at the world around me and all of my blessings through a different lens. Thank you to everyone who made it possible for me to go on this trip. I will carry with me the experiences and the people who have changed me forever.