Eric had both championship games last weekend. On Saturday, the game was in the morning (in other words, really cold), and he wasn't pitching, so the kids and I skipped out. On Sunday, his game was scheduled for 12:30, he was pitching, and we had yet to see an Ex-Pat game, so we went.
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Eric decided that it would be best to take the subway since he had no idea where the game was. So, we loaded up our gear (a small backpack for Eric and a huge Costco bag for the rest of us!), and headed out.
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Of course, Eric always forgets how long it takes the kids to walk to the subway station, so it felt like we were racing down the street. Unfortunately, I dropped my favorite gloves out of my purse in the process--and they were the only ones I'd brought that day, so I had cold hands!
We made it onto the subway and all was well, except for my missing gloves. It never takes us less than an hour to get anywhere via subway, and this was no exception. As we were nearing our stop, it became clear that we were a bit outside the city. Eric said that we would have to get in a taxi after we got off the subway, but from what I could see, there weren't any cars on the streets, including taxis.
As it happened, we got off the train at the same time as one of his teammates--a guy who spoke some Korean and had actually been to the field we were going to before. We were able to get a taxi without too much trouble (with his help), and we were successful in getting to the field.
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The game ended up starting more than an hour late, and I may have mentioned that we were in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, I'd thought to have Eric pack sandwiches and snacks for the kids in case there wasn't any food nearby. They needed it.
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They thoroughly enjoyed playing in the leaves while the teams warmed up. One of the other guy's wives came and brought her dogs. It took Cade awhile to warm up to them, but before long, they were feeding them treats and playing with them.
It was a hard game to watch, since the other team had hired 8 ex-professional players to play for them in this game. They were getting a hefty bonus from their company if they won, and apparently they felt that justified adding a few players.
They started ahead, scoring a couple of runs in the first inning, but it wasn't long before I had lost track of the score. They ended up losing 10-7 to a team that they had lost to before. Considering the lengths the other team went to, I would say they did pretty well against them!
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The award ceremony after the game was quite extensive. Everything was announced in Korean, so I don't really know what was said, but I do know that Eric came home with another trophy--this time for ERA.
After more than five hours of sitting in the cold, we were ready to go after awards had been handed out and pictures had been taken. We got our things packed up, and it finally started to sink in. We had to get back to the subway station. I think I'd had the impression that everyone else would have to as well, but as it turned out many people were able to get rides--back to the subway station, if not home. That's not easy for a family of four when everyone has small cars.
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Eric asked one of the guys, and he was able to point us in the right direction, at least. There was a bus stop opposite the exit where we thought we could wait for a taxi. One of the guys mentioned that the bus heads toward the subway, as well, so we could hop on that if it came first. Nothing came. Ten minutes passed. Still nothing had come by. A few random cars, but that was it. By now, all of the other players had left. We were on our own in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold.
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God clearly had his hand in what happened next. As we stood at the bus stop, a Korean couple in an SUV stopped and asked us (in English) where we were going. We did know the name of the subway station, and they were willing to give us a ride. We were able to fit all four of us, plus our stuff in the back end, and they dropped us off at the station five minutes later. (Yes, I think it may have been close enough to walk to if we'd happened to know where we were walking.)
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I think we're all a bit relieved that baseball is over for the year. Kennedy and I were happy that they made it into the championship game, but that they lost and Eric won't be heading to Taiwan to play in the coming weeks (selfish, I know). Now, we can relax and spend our weekend writing exams and grading essays--what a relief!
.jpg)
Eric decided that it would be best to take the subway since he had no idea where the game was. So, we loaded up our gear (a small backpack for Eric and a huge Costco bag for the rest of us!), and headed out.
.jpg)
Of course, Eric always forgets how long it takes the kids to walk to the subway station, so it felt like we were racing down the street. Unfortunately, I dropped my favorite gloves out of my purse in the process--and they were the only ones I'd brought that day, so I had cold hands!
We made it onto the subway and all was well, except for my missing gloves. It never takes us less than an hour to get anywhere via subway, and this was no exception. As we were nearing our stop, it became clear that we were a bit outside the city. Eric said that we would have to get in a taxi after we got off the subway, but from what I could see, there weren't any cars on the streets, including taxis.
As it happened, we got off the train at the same time as one of his teammates--a guy who spoke some Korean and had actually been to the field we were going to before. We were able to get a taxi without too much trouble (with his help), and we were successful in getting to the field.
.jpg)
The game ended up starting more than an hour late, and I may have mentioned that we were in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, I'd thought to have Eric pack sandwiches and snacks for the kids in case there wasn't any food nearby. They needed it.
.jpg)
They thoroughly enjoyed playing in the leaves while the teams warmed up. One of the other guy's wives came and brought her dogs. It took Cade awhile to warm up to them, but before long, they were feeding them treats and playing with them.
It was a hard game to watch, since the other team had hired 8 ex-professional players to play for them in this game. They were getting a hefty bonus from their company if they won, and apparently they felt that justified adding a few players.
They started ahead, scoring a couple of runs in the first inning, but it wasn't long before I had lost track of the score. They ended up losing 10-7 to a team that they had lost to before. Considering the lengths the other team went to, I would say they did pretty well against them!
.jpg)
The award ceremony after the game was quite extensive. Everything was announced in Korean, so I don't really know what was said, but I do know that Eric came home with another trophy--this time for ERA.
After more than five hours of sitting in the cold, we were ready to go after awards had been handed out and pictures had been taken. We got our things packed up, and it finally started to sink in. We had to get back to the subway station. I think I'd had the impression that everyone else would have to as well, but as it turned out many people were able to get rides--back to the subway station, if not home. That's not easy for a family of four when everyone has small cars.
.jpg)
Eric asked one of the guys, and he was able to point us in the right direction, at least. There was a bus stop opposite the exit where we thought we could wait for a taxi. One of the guys mentioned that the bus heads toward the subway, as well, so we could hop on that if it came first. Nothing came. Ten minutes passed. Still nothing had come by. A few random cars, but that was it. By now, all of the other players had left. We were on our own in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold.
.jpg)
God clearly had his hand in what happened next. As we stood at the bus stop, a Korean couple in an SUV stopped and asked us (in English) where we were going. We did know the name of the subway station, and they were willing to give us a ride. We were able to fit all four of us, plus our stuff in the back end, and they dropped us off at the station five minutes later. (Yes, I think it may have been close enough to walk to if we'd happened to know where we were walking.)
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I think we're all a bit relieved that baseball is over for the year. Kennedy and I were happy that they made it into the championship game, but that they lost and Eric won't be heading to Taiwan to play in the coming weeks (selfish, I know). Now, we can relax and spend our weekend writing exams and grading essays--what a relief!
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