Friday Night Seoul Baseball

Last night was my first Korean baseball experience. You know who loves baseball? Koreans. America has had a big impact on their culture since helping South Korea during the Korean War and having US military bases in Seoul since the 1957. Hence the Mountain Dew drinks and Twix candy bars at 7-Elevens throughout the country. How could I say no to watching the Doosan Bears play their rival, the KIA Tigers after work on a Friday night? I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

A teacher who works at my school asked if I wanted to join him, his girlfriend and his girlfriend’s friend to watch the game. He was clear in stating that this wasn’t a date. However, if someone comes up to you on the street and says, “I’m not trying to scam you”, rest assured that person will attempt to scam you.

The first thing I noticed was that they have convenience stores inside and outside of the stadium and it seems like you can just bring your own food and drinks to the game.

(side note: Koreans love convenience stores. There’s one just outside my house where people will sit on the patio furniture and drink till sunrise)

They have no metal detectors or people checking your bags. However, they do not sell Soju inside the stadium because people get too rowdy so if someone is drinking Soju in the stadium, I heard that they take it from you. If you are ever in Koreatown or somewhere where they have Soju, go with Peach. Hands down the best kind.

The Doosan Bears were the home team so we were obliged to cheer for them. Their record is 82-54 and they did not disappoint. They pummeled the KIA Tigers 6-2. I want to return not only because they seem to have a chance at winning the league, but also because of the environment. Going to see a Jays game can be fairly dull but games here are similar to a European soccer game or MLS in North America. They have cheerleaders, music playing, noise makers and individual song chants sung by the fans for each player. While it still is baseball which is by no means the most exciting sport to watch, just witnessing how much Korean people love baseball and support their team was heart-warming. 

We had tickets close to first base which cost about $20 USD but can go as cheap as $10. Food and drinks are about less than half of the price at MLB games and they hire people to blow a whistle to grab fans’ attention when a foul ball is hit in their direction. I’m assuming they do this because people are staring at their phones and have been struck by foul balls in the past. Safety seems to be a big priority because they have netting all along the entire infield to reduce baseballs hitting fans.

Other differences I noticed were selling fish and rice cakes outside of the stadium instead of hot dogs. During an intermission between innings, in Toronto they will have a fan answer a trivia question or get different fans to compete in a dance battle. In Seoul, they have a beer chugging competition. I think I’ll like Korea.

If you ever come to The Land of the Morning Calm, make some time to go to a game. Baseball diamonds are littered around the country with little kids playing and batting cages can be found in most areas of Seoul. Baseball is a massive part of their identity and a peak into how Koreans live their everyday lives.

 “Never allow the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game!” Babe Ruth

4 days in Chicago

Before flying home, I took a quick little stop in Chicago to see what all the hype is about. The flight was also the cheapest way for me to get home so that was also a major factor in the timing of checking off Chicago from my bucket list (I have a list I made in 2013 that needs revisiting).  I’ll give a Bert description of my 4 days in Chicago but if you are at the airport trying to decide on a destination, go ahead and book Chicago.

People love Chicago. My brother goes every year. I haven’t heard anything bad except for all the murdering that happens. Apparently, the danger is more on the outskirts of the city so this Canadian was safe staying downtown. I didn’t have much on my to do list. My list included going to a country bar, wandering around the city, eating some famous Chicago hot dogs and pizza, taking part in the architecture tour, seeing a baseball game, seeing that famous bean thingamajig, and essentially embrace being in an English-speaking environment after finishing my time in Shanghai.

Let’s start with what I was most excited for: country music. I adore country music. Going to a country bar is much more fun that any other type of drinking establishment. They aren’t pretentious, they aren’t expensive and people aren’t there to start trouble. People are there to drink, ride bulls and listen to Alan Jackson songs. My theory is that people who like country music are much less likely to be murders. Prove me wrong; you can’t. So, here is what happened when I went out. First, if you are a guy and you go out in Toronto alone, people think you are super weird (which might be true) but in New Zealand people would invite you to their group. I was unsure where Chicago would fall on this continuum. Before making my dream come true and going to this somewhat famous country bar, I went to Guaranteed Rate Field to see the White Sox play the Minnesota Twins. Baseball teams have fun giveaways on the weekend and luck would have it that that Friday was COUNTRY NIGHT! Do you believe in miracles because I do. 

So, I take the subway out there, grab a few beverages, wander around the stadium, eat some unhealthy food and finally settle into some seats with hardly anyone around me. There did happen to be two married women behind me and I thought this would be a good time to approach strangers and pepper them with questions. My first question to them after confirming they had husbands was, "So.... is getting married a scam?"

I do not believe these women have ever been asked this question before in their lives. They had no reason to lie because their husbands weren’t at the game and they both agreed that it’s not a scam and that it was mostly about managing your expectations. I then rapid fired a few more questions before excusing myself and letting them enjoy the rest of their night sans Bert.

I take the subway south to Bub City and find there is a bit of a line to get into this establishment. I then come to the realization that Chicago is a bachelorette hotspot. The whole weekend, I am seeing groups of women in matching t-shirts drinking champagne and puking off speedboats. Whilst in line, a group of ladies from a bachelorette party ask if I’m married. My smooth response? “Ahhh I’m from Canada.” THAT’S NOT HOW WE TALK TO HUMANS BERT! 

Oh brother; we are off to a rough start. I get into the bar, order a drink and everyone in there is with friends and having a gay old time. I am not with anyone, drinking my gin and tonic just happy to understand what is going on around me. Then a lady who was in her late 20’s comes up and says her friend thinks that I’m cute and asks if I will join her and her girlfriends. If you can imagine, I joined them. It didn’t take that lady long to realize I am not as good looking or charming as she thought and I was soon left alone once again.

About 10 minutes later, a guy from the line I was in to get into the bar asks me if I want to come with him and his friends to another bar. Should you leave a place with a stranger you’ve never met? Yes, yes you should. However, I realized the bartender had my credit card so I had to decline his request after I realized this fact.

Back to being alone.

10ish minutes pass and a handsome man who was about 50 asks if I’m sitting at the table I’m next to. I said no so he calls his girlfriend over and only because he feels bad, asks me if I want to join them. SURE! I replied enthusiastically. So I’m sitting with this attractive older man with his lady who definitely has a biker chick kind of vibe who is blonde and slightly older than him. He’s telling me stories about being a musician and how much cooler her is than me. To show off, I told him I would go over to a pair of women and show him how smooth I can be. Long story short, I ended up buying these two people drinks then never talking to them again. Classic Bert move. 

Finally, alone once again, another lady waves me over and asks why I’m all alone. She’s from England and had a good heart but if we are being honest, I would have rather of been alone than talking with her so eventually the lights come on around 1:40am, I make my way to the local hamburger shop where the man working at the counter was by far the most interested anyone was in me the entire night. If only God made me another way, I would be much more successful in the love department. So that’s my Chicago Friday night country bar story.

The Saturday I did the Chicago architecture tour which was certainly worth it. I found it interesting that there was a man selling beer on the boat like they sell beer at a Jays game. Americans love boozing it. Here are some stolen pictures of the tour.

The biggest surprise about Chicago due to my limited research was how outstanding and expansive their waterfront is. It’s spectacular. People are biking, running and there are countless areas to jump into the water or find a nearby beach. Did I get lost going in the wrong direction? Yes. Did I take more than 41,000 steps? Yes. Did I find a massive beach volleyball event? Also yes.

A major highlight that my hostel recommended was a neighbourhood named The Pilsen. It’s a Latino community that has delectable food, creative street art and is not like the rest of Chicago. I went to Los Comales #3 and asked the waitress to bring me anything she thought was exceptionally good. She did not disappoint.  If you are interested in doing something a little off the beaten path in Chicago, it’s worth the quick visit. Also, I wanted to visit The 606 Bloomingdale Trail but didn’t have time but it is compared to NYC’s Highline.

Other notable mentions in Chicago was the 24-train system; I felt much safer than its reputation. Midwest hospitality/charm is a real thing. Chicago Riverwalk is a great spot for sightseeing, kayaking, coffee and drinks. Navy Peer is bustling and worth the visit even though this is where my getting lost confusion began so BE CAREFUL! Chicago has a crazy number of parks, has random street art, lots of museums but I have a no museum policy lately so I can’t give you advice on that but Chicago has lots of sports teams and music festivals to keep everyone happy. I left a few days before Lollapalooza took place.

The only real negative thing I can come up with is the high amount of homelessness around the city. I don’t know anything about the numbers or what the city is doing to improve the situation but there are people asking for change or food everywhere I went. It’s sad and disappointing to see that in such wealthy countries like Canada and America, people have to live like that. I don’t know what the answer is but it was the only downside to the trip.

I would most certainly advise you to go with a pal, co-worker or mistress because while traveling alone is fun, I’m sure hopping on a boat and exploring Chicago by water with friends would be even more more memorable. 

Also, I live in Korea now so you should be getting some Korea input soon. Let’s just remind ourselves that I didn’t like Thailand, New Zealand or Shanghai at first so let’s give this new spot some time.

“It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago-she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw when you passed through the last time.” Mark Twain 

Graduation Fail

I failed. Failed hard. People say failing is good and that you learn from it. It’s been about two months and I’m not convinced it was in any shape or form positive. I was asked to give the closing speech during our graduation at the end of June. I was unsure what to talk about. Graduation speeches can be a bit cliché and I wanted to mix it up a little. While I think the premise of my talk was positive, I failed to realize how soft I am and emotional I get. I should have kept to mood light and positive seeing that I cry far, far too often. It was a sadder vibe than I expected the day of graduation and I regret not pounding back a Red Bull and listening to some pump-up music on my final drive to school. I should mention that I was their speech teacher. Speech. The class I have taught for two years showing them what to do and not to do all culminated in one final speech to send these kids off into the sunset. I cried almost instantly and barely got through it. It was a complete disaster that I regret almost daily. I understand now why people are afraid of public speaking. I thought I had it covered. I thought I would kill it. I did not. Here is my speech. I hope you can gleam some wisdom from this abject failure of mine.

Thank you, Mr. Weir, teachers, parents and students. I know you think I’m going to come up here and give you advice about how I think you should live your life. (Pause) Well, you’re right. This is my last opportunity so get comfortable, this is going to be a long one.

I’m a big fan of quotes so here is my first:

“The trouble is, you think you have time.”

We all think we have more time than we do.

The average life expectancy of Koreans and Canadians is about 83 years. Let’s assume for a moment that we will all live to be 90. While researching for this speech many, many weeks ago, I came across an article from someone one year older than me who calculated how much time he has left on Earth and created some graphs to represent his remaining years. Here is what I found.

For a man who is expected to live to 90 and who is 34 years of age right now, he should have:

About 56 winters left.

56 Super Bowls. (just looking for one more Cowboys Super Bowl)

Lived through 5 presidents and should see about 9 more. Hopefully a new one next year. CIVICS!

Now for the most depressing stat.
For people who graduate and don't live at home again, they have already spent about 90% of the total time they will spend with their parents. If I were to see my mom for about 10 days a year for the next 30 years, that gives us about 300ish days.  

I don’t say this to scare or worry you. This is just reality. And the unfortunate reality is that while we are looking at numbers hoping we live to 90, that will not be in all of our futures. When I was 19 my dad died when he was in his early 60s. We should have had another 30 years but life doesn’t work that way.

Here’s my second quote that I find accurate and appropriate:

Youth is wasted on the young.

I want you to not waste your youth or any other time period you have in life. We think what we do is significant and especially when young, we tend to think small events will destroy our future lives. I’m here to tell you that we will all will be forgotten in less than 150 years. Again, I don’t say this to scare you, I say this to relief you of the stress that any of this is important. You embarrassing yourself while running through the halls and breaking your phone means nothing in the ever-expanding universe. Your girlfriend inevitably breaking your heart will fall into the abyss of Earth’s 4 plus billion age.

My third quote comes from Steve jobs:

 “Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.

Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

Maybe you think you shouldn’t listen to the guy on stage without a job, but at least listen to the guy who most likely created the phone that’s currently in your pocket.

I’m not saying you need to be productive all the time and make every second count. I think it’s ok to waste some time, studies say it’s good. There’s a difference between sleeping in and reading a book one morning and wasting 4 hours each night past lights out playing video games on the 5^th floor of the dorm.

I will leave you with my fourth quote:

“There’s only one thing more precious than our time and that’s who we spend it on.” Leo Christopher

Be mindful of who you let into your life, who you spend your time with and the amount of time you spend with your family.

You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.

Actually, I have one more:

Life, if well lived, is long enough. Seneca

Thank you and God bless

Telling kids that their parents will die soon and they will soon follow was a misstep. Don’t remind people of their impending doom. Kills the room.

Telling them nothing they do is important and everyone will be forgotten was also not a crowd pleaser.

In the grand scheme of things, nobody actually cares that I fumbled that speech. Those students have forgotten about my mishap and also any advice I tried to pass on to them that day. I hope my message sticks with you more than it did with them.

"Failure is an event, not a person. Yesterday ended last night." Zig Ziglar