You Win (And So Does Oita!)
Wow! I am overwhelmed by the unprecedented outpouring of comments this week. Good job, everyone! And as promised, here is my concession blog.
Overall, this was a pretty uneventful week. Since last Saturday...it's basically just been a lot of work. I taught a lot of silly classes (including 3 feigned trips and falls off of the teachers' stage...to unified "oooooh"s), wrote some test questions, and listened to about 700 NPR podcasts.
Tori and I also took a couple of long, long bike rides. One ride took us to a book store with tons of foreign books (we stocked up!), and another took us to the big soccer stadium...where...not-so-coincidentally...there was a soccer game being played. We bought a couple of tickets and ended up in the "supporter" section...which turned out to be the section for all the fans that come on a regular basis. There were cheerleaders (teenage guys with bullhorns and drums) who kept the crowd singing and clapping the entire game. Everyone but us seemed to know the chants (even the 3 and 4-year-olds), and they all seemed to have Oita Trinita jerseys. So...we felt a little out of place, but what's new, right? We're white people in Japan...totally awkward is the new comfortable for us. I don't know what we're going to do when we get back to the U.S. and we just blend in. It's weird to think about.
Here are a few photos from the game (courtesy of Tori):
Our view of the field:
I was hoping to catch a foul ball, but...no dice:
We don't think these kids asked to come to the game:
The hometown heroes. They beat a team that's rumored to be #2 in Japan!:
Fans shuffling out after the game:
The roof of the dome (called the Big Eye)...pretty cool, eh?:
More fans from our section of the stadium:
Alrighty...so, that just about wraps up my week. Same deal this week...if 6 people comment...I write another one next Saturday. This time, though...please sign your comments...I have a sneaking suspicion that someone (who shall remain nameless) submitted multiple entries. :)
Thanks for reading.
posted by Shawn at Saturday, May 19, 2007
7 Comments:
neato, frito.
but i like cheetos.
11:18 PM
News flash Shawn: you can't catch a foul ball at a soccer game. Remember, you are in Japan, not at McKay. Do love the pictures though. Keep them coming. If you do, I will.
love,
mom
1:59 PM
**disclaimer** To ensure the safety and security of my family, I will not be signing this blog, as I fear that some of what I am about to say may cause family warfare.**
I, as well, have a sneaking suspicion that someone (who shall remain named Mom) may have padded the results of your recent challenge. However, that just makes up for some of us loyal readers who tend to never have anything interesting to say in response.
The pictures on this blog, however, did remind me of something worth mentioning. During the soccer game I went to in Italy, before we could even enter the stadium our pockets were searched for excess change. Apparently it’s not unusual for fans to bring in large amounts of change and throw it at the opposing team during the game in an attempt to injure the players. Luckily for you, it looks like the Japanese fans aren’t quite so violent.
2:05 PM
My question is...did you actually carry the mitt on the long bike ride in hopes of finding a random baseball game....OR, was there actually someone else there who experienced synapse gaps and brought the mitt? Could there be somebody else in Japan with your unique sense of humor? Oh....the humanity! Gus
10:24 PM
Soccer game in Italy??..... Hmmmmmmmm......let me see. Sounds suspicious, yet familiar. If I had padded the results there would have been closer to 153 responses, not 9. Please, Give me a little credit. Furtehrmore, I think it is only fair that I comment every time I read the blog. I can't help it if you people answer Shawn's blog in your mind. The point was to write it down and send it - so get with it and WRITE.
P.S. Small children and spouses are safe. Whoever wrote that comment should be very afraid though. (I will find you)
LOVE,
MOM
3:35 PM
Thanks for the pictures Tori. They really tell a story. I can see why you like Shawn, I think. Anyone who brings a baseball mitt on a long bike ride and wears it into a soccor match is a real "catch". Sorry about that, but he makes me so proud. That mitt would have come in handy in Italy for the anonymous person who went to Italy. She (oops, it could be a he)could have used it to catch the flying change. Maybe next time she takes Chloe (or whoever) back to Italy.
4:45 PM
hi. this is the first time i've read your blog, but i want to see more. i think you're funny! please do another entry soon.
your friend,
neil
10:25 PM
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