The Unorthodox Passport
By Derrinyj Russell (Business Major)
Driving on what felt like a never ending spiral, leaving the peak of the mountain, I clenched my stomach in hopes to hold back my dinner and breakfast for the entire week. When we were going to our hotel, the bus driver gave us a short but enjoyable tour of what he called “home.” As I looked over to my left, I saw thick, lush green vegetation that flourished and two steep mountains, which encompassed a coffee river meandering its course. The view made me forget that I was nauseous. This was my first time seeing a mountain and water that was not crystal clear. It was like looking at a movie scene. Who knew different could be so beautiful? Nearing the inner city was like time travel. We left the outskirts where old fashioned was trending. The farms, tractors, barns, and dirt roads turned into fancy cars, tall buildings, nice homes, and a more organized city plan. I was only two hours into my trip to Panama, and I had seen enough to last me a lifetime.
Less than three months ago I was in Cuba, touring the streets and the culture for a few hours before I caught another flight to enter the US. From Cuba I would end up in one of the biggest and busiest airports in the U.S.: Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. I went from eating spicy rice and beans in Cuba to snacking on an Aunty Anne’s pretzels while a blueberry slushie chilled the back of my throat, resulting in a few brain freezes.
The next day, I would play in a huge baseball tournament that would change my life for the better. After an exceptional performance, I found myself visiting and playing in over 5 states in one summer: Texas, Florida, North and South Carolina, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania. A wealth of experiences and even more memories. I honestly still can’t believe it. Did I mention that the trips were all expenses paid? To conclude my summer, I got multiple college offers and even a few professional teams interested.
I can vividly remember my brother and I running around the yard as little children, getting sweaty and roughhousing in the summer heat. This is how we would enjoy our break from homework and the weight of school right before September rolled around to reel us back in like fish that fell for the bait. Until one day my uncle passed by the house and told me he signed me up for baseball and that I had gotten a game on Saturday. I had always been in love with sports and competition, but I had never thought baseball would be my passion. When I first started playing, at the end of practice my uncle who introduced me to the sport, would always hold up a baseball and say, “This ball right here, if you take it seriously enough, will be your passport and ticket into many places in life., YYou’llou’ll travel the world and have experiences nobody else could have, and, in the end you’d have this to show for it.” He would even say, “Before I learned about the bank, baseball was my first credit card.” I would always laugh, not knowing what he was trying to say. As I look back during this reflection, everything he said turned out to be so true, and I’m forever grateful for the lessons he taught me. I have traveled through multiple countries on two passports: my Bahamian passport and, of course, a baseball. Here I am sitting in college that baseball paid for.
