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In Her Own Words: Peyton St. George
9/30/2019 11:16:00 AM | Softball
Junior pitcher Peyton St. George made the most of her summer participating in the ACE program in Vietnam. After the program, the Mechanicsville, Va., native pursued two passions while in Durham. Read below about Peyton's break as she put it in her own words.
This summer has definitely been one for the books. A few weeks following the end of the ACC tournament, I got the opportunity to travel to Long M?, Vietnam for three and a half weeks as a part of the ACE (Student-Athlete Civic Engagement) program here at Duke. This program ensures student-athletes will have the chance to travel abroad and help the community during our offseason. I've only had the chance to travel out of the country once for a softball tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last February. In my time in Vietnam, I taught baseball and English to 6th and 7th grade students with other Vietnamese college students at a summer camp a few hours from the Mekong Delta. I will never be able to put into words how amazing this experience was for me, it was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding things I have ever been a part of. Getting to introduce a sport I have been passionate about my entire life into a completely different culture was one of the coolest things I've ever been able to experience. The first few days were a little tough because we weren't able to communicate with the kids well yet, but after a few Vietnamese vocabulary lessons and some sign language, we were having full conversations with the kids! Getting to spend hours on end with them five days a week made it easy to form strong relationships with them. It was also cool to see their progress over a few weeks in the classroom and on the sports fields. The only downside was having to say goodbye, although they are still able to reach out to us through Facebook.
On the weekends, we took trips to Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City, trying every food we could and visiting the local markets. I was fortunate enough to share this experience with four Duke athletes and four Stanford athletes, which will now all become life-long friends! Vietnam has given me a new perspective on how I do things day to day. I will forever be grateful for the resources I am given, the people I am surrounded with, and the impact the kids at the camp had on me. This once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity was one I will never forget and I thank Duke for allowing me to have the chance to experience it with a group of amazing people!
For the rest of the summer I decided to spend my time at Duke practicing and training during Summer Session 2 with the team. When we weren't swimming at the local quarry, going to the movies and Frankie's Fun Park, or making home-cooked meals, most of my free time involved painting shoes, canvases, and graduation caps! Painting is something I have been passionate about for years.
When I wasn't spending my time painting, I also enjoyed visiting a resident at the Durham Nursing Rehabilitation Center (DNRC) that I saw weekly over the Spring semester. We have built a very strong relationship that began through a service learning course at Duke. Ever since then, I have continued to visit her and our friendship continues to grow. Sharing stories weekly has begun to be the highlight of our visits because we always have something new to talk about. Every time I travel somewhere I bring her a postcard from the airport and the bulletin board in her room is overflowing with them. Having her as a friend also reminds me to be grateful regardless of the situation I am in, she is one of the strongest people I know and has been a wonderful mentor for me. This summer will definitely be missed and I can't wait to see what this upcoming season has in store for Team 3.
This summer has definitely been one for the books. A few weeks following the end of the ACC tournament, I got the opportunity to travel to Long M?, Vietnam for three and a half weeks as a part of the ACE (Student-Athlete Civic Engagement) program here at Duke. This program ensures student-athletes will have the chance to travel abroad and help the community during our offseason. I've only had the chance to travel out of the country once for a softball tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico last February. In my time in Vietnam, I taught baseball and English to 6th and 7th grade students with other Vietnamese college students at a summer camp a few hours from the Mekong Delta. I will never be able to put into words how amazing this experience was for me, it was one of the most challenging, yet rewarding things I have ever been a part of. Getting to introduce a sport I have been passionate about my entire life into a completely different culture was one of the coolest things I've ever been able to experience. The first few days were a little tough because we weren't able to communicate with the kids well yet, but after a few Vietnamese vocabulary lessons and some sign language, we were having full conversations with the kids! Getting to spend hours on end with them five days a week made it easy to form strong relationships with them. It was also cool to see their progress over a few weeks in the classroom and on the sports fields. The only downside was having to say goodbye, although they are still able to reach out to us through Facebook.
On the weekends, we took trips to Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City, trying every food we could and visiting the local markets. I was fortunate enough to share this experience with four Duke athletes and four Stanford athletes, which will now all become life-long friends! Vietnam has given me a new perspective on how I do things day to day. I will forever be grateful for the resources I am given, the people I am surrounded with, and the impact the kids at the camp had on me. This once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity was one I will never forget and I thank Duke for allowing me to have the chance to experience it with a group of amazing people!
For the rest of the summer I decided to spend my time at Duke practicing and training during Summer Session 2 with the team. When we weren't swimming at the local quarry, going to the movies and Frankie's Fun Park, or making home-cooked meals, most of my free time involved painting shoes, canvases, and graduation caps! Painting is something I have been passionate about for years.
When I wasn't spending my time painting, I also enjoyed visiting a resident at the Durham Nursing Rehabilitation Center (DNRC) that I saw weekly over the Spring semester. We have built a very strong relationship that began through a service learning course at Duke. Ever since then, I have continued to visit her and our friendship continues to grow. Sharing stories weekly has begun to be the highlight of our visits because we always have something new to talk about. Every time I travel somewhere I bring her a postcard from the airport and the bulletin board in her room is overflowing with them. Having her as a friend also reminds me to be grateful regardless of the situation I am in, she is one of the strongest people I know and has been a wonderful mentor for me. This summer will definitely be missed and I can't wait to see what this upcoming season has in store for Team 3.
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