This week, Alex Montgomery, Austin MacGinnis and Marcus McWilson are on UK football’s annual service trip to Ethiopia. Over the coming days, they will take turns sharing their experiences in a series of Cat Scratches blog entries. Please note
that these posts are the student-athletes’ personal reactions and the
views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the University of
Kentucky or UK Athletics.I would start this off by saying the flight was terrible and I never want to do it again, but then I would be lying because traveling is a part of the process. Yes, there were a few times that I wanted to turn around and go back home, but when I think about this trip and how life-changing it will be for me I said, I can do it.

Ethiopia Bound @IjustWannadoME @MMcWilson4 ????. #BBN

— Austin MacGinnis (@AMacGinnis8) May 16, 2015

The flight wasn’t too bad because we all slept for majority of it. When we first landed I was so nervous because I didn’t know what to expect as in where are we staying, what are we eating, can I shower, can I brush my teeth. All of these things run through your head, but after speaking to our trip leaders I felt better because they let you know that everything and everyone is going to be fine. Today is our first day going out so as soon as I get back I’ll finish this day one blog.(Eight hours later)I’m back now, sorry for the long pause, but I can officially say our first day here is over! This morning I was a little hesitant because I didn’t want to be too pushy or too laid-back like I usually am. So I told myself whatever you do today, Alex, just be you and to make someone else’s day! So we set out to do just that. First you’re just driving through this amazingly different city with a lot of different things going on like their driving, the buildings, the people. I just wanted to stop and help everyone but unfortunately I can’t. So we’re finally on this dirt road where there are huge bumps, goats and donkeys. I really enjoyed looking at the donkeys though just because they all reminded me of Donkey from Shrek.After that, we finally got to one family’s house and we were shocked to see it had no roof and barely any walls. We got right to work, without a question. After a few hours of work fixing their home, the lady was so happy. She said, “Thanks for making my house beautiful,” but I wanted to thank her for just showing me that it doesn’t take a million dollars to make someone’s day.