This week, eight Wildcats are taking part in a service trip in Ethiopia. Throughout the week, the student-athletes will take turns describing their experience. Please note that these posts are the personal reactions of the student-athletes and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Kentucky and UK Athletics. Friday’s blogs are from Emma Brown and Liz Breed.    Emma Brown (women’s soccer)“It’s not about how big or small the gift, it’s that you came.”Keeping my eyes open, providing my hands for a purpose and my heart to a people has given me an understanding of how time, words and relationships impact the world around you. How can you recognize the importance of a moment until it has slipped through your grasp, elusive as air? How can you feel the weight of words, both as heavy as they are light? How can one woman’s thank you slow your heartbeat and warm your soul? “It’s not about how big or small the gift,” she said. “It’s that you came.” If you’re pondering these same questions as I am from the confinements of a guest house in Ethiopia, I’ll let you in on my newly discovered secret. Love, compassion, reflection, connection, that’s how.Our coach teaches us that every moment could be “the one” – the one that wins games or costs you your season. That is why you prepare and train and repeat, because you never know when that moment might come. The moment may be fleeting, like a shooting star streaking across the sky, brilliant and blinding and exceptional. Or maybe your moment was meant to be infinite, changing the blueprint of your life permanently. As our translator Kaleab relayed one woman’s message to our group I realized the gravity of the moment I was in. The weight of words so lightly uttered in a dark and damp space that carried meaning that was just beyond the surface, if you were willing for your heart to find it.In that epiphany-induced moment I came to learn much about humanity and myself. It’s there as Africa’s constant reminder to me – an action we think is so small can actually be something much bigger than us, our ideals, and the hopes we hold for each other. It’s not necessarily about the amount of money we give or the food we hand out, it is that we cared enough to just give them a new shot of life, new wind under their wings. It’s not that the difference you make is one that changes everything, but that you had the courage and compassion to take the first step towards something better.Yesterday was about learning lessons for me, and today I was thankful for the lighter feeling that a day of sightseeing and shopping provided. It was a beautiful day to decompress and unburden some of the heaviness from the previous day. Nice weather throughout most of the day gave us the opportunity to “haggle” for gifts and glimpse some of Addis Ababa’s landmarks. Even as the rain came we still had a great lunch and scarf extravaganza, where the boys were taught valuable lessons in how to pick out the right color scarves to complement their girlfriends and wives (really boys are about as clueless to the difference between pastels and prints as you would think, and that is not a new lesson for anyone). I’m excited for what tomorrow will bring and thankful for the time I’ve been allotted in this amazing country.Liz Breed (women’s golf)You think you’ve prepared yourself for things outside of your comfort zone, but when you’re out there, there are no words. There is nothing you can say to aptly summarize what you’ve seen. Today we went shopping; we were tourists today. But shopping here is nothing like shopping at home. You barter and trade for the lowest price possible. (The American dollar is worth about 18 Ethiopian birr, which is the money system).  There are young boys with trays of gum, begging for money. Adult men are following you to sell you maps or belts. All you can do is give a firm “no,” and keep moving. You stick to your guns and show no mercy. If you do, they swarm. It sounds scary, but it’s not. It’s excitement of a different kind. After shopping, we went to a coffee shop. Picture: Starbucks, Ethiopian style. The colors and ambiance were the same, the drinks were the same, the baristas were wearing green aprons. It’s the same thing…and just as good. After coffee, back to shopping. All in all, it was a fun day. Just…different. Being in such a different culture has been overwhelmingly amazing and terrifying at once. You hear about it, but it’s never what you’ve imagined. You could never prepare for a trip like this.