it's not just about fun and games

today was both fun and enriching. the past few days has been an absolute blast of fun, fun and more fun.

there was the late-nighter at the union: basically a night of fun and games consisting of comedians, hypnosis shows, rock-climbing, deal or no deal, caricature drawing and movies. of course there's the incessant free pizzas, popcorn, hotdogs, drinks, freebies, ipod giveaways, you name it.

and today was the "welcome back" campus bloc party: it was just a cornucopia of (again) free food, really interesting sports-oriented games you usually see at amusement parks like reverse bungee, and a variety of sports, plus a dive-in movie at the outdoor pool.

a bunch of us freshmen from my floor got together and headed to the bloc party, probably thinking about scoring some freebies and having a hell of a time and nothing else - which we eventually did. there was the free t-shirts, free beads, free domino's pizza, free smoothies, and we got to go on all the really fun games like dodge ball on an inflated cushion, basketball shootouts, etc.

and then as we ventured through the activities and recreation center (arc in short, best in the states!), we arrived at one of the many basketball courts in the basement. and there was apparently the school wheelchair basketball teams training/openhouse. we were initally sort of just standing there drawn to their amazing skills, but after just a few minutes we were certain that we wanted to try it out.

to be honest, i've only seen people it on tv a couple of times, and i'm surprised at myself for wanting to give it a shot. i guess i just went with the flow. so as we each grabbed a wheelchair and tried to manuvre ourselves on the sidelines while making great conversations with the team members, something dawned on me: we were treating them like their disabilities were non-existent. there was no barrier, just one human being to another.

that was perhaps one of the most humbling moments in my life as far as i could remember. walking in someone else's shoes gave me a fresh perspective, perhaps one which i should have started out with in the first place. i have noticed people with disabilities before, but they were just around and not AROUND. i've seen them at corners of the street waiting to cross the road, i've seen them pass by me. but those were fleeting observations; trivial; at the back of my mind.

but when i played wheelchair basketball with them today, i saw it from their eye-level. how the normal basketball hoop just seemed that much taller; and literally how down-to-earth each and everyone of them are. and i think it's not just me who was humbled - me and the guys went around for a second round, and then a third round.

these men and women are also representatives of the fighting illini, a name that is perhaps more suited to them than their able-bodied counterparts in the various sports; they are no different than us, perhaps even more resilient. it was truly one of those really inspiring moments in life, and it leaves much to be savoured afterwards.


+listening to: tom sawyer by rush