It's All the Same, Only Different

I know it seems like we do a lot of traveling but that is actually not the case. Mostly our lives are a lot like they were back home. We have pretty much settled into a routine. We started school this week to help us improve our Chinese. Our teacher is very nice and extremely patient (a very important quality to have while trying to get me to say my tones correctly). After school, we usually have homework to do but we also try to spend a portion of each day meeting people that we can talk to. Usually that is not hard because many Chinese are really curious about foreigners and enjoy talking with us. Often I get stopped by people on the street who just want to say hello. I have met quite a few people that way. On Mondays, I go to one of the local universities with a couple friends to play basketball. ( Yes Mom, I know I am getting too old for that but it is a great way to stay in shape and, truth be told, I love it.) The first time we went to play, I thought that since basketball was invented in America, we would not have any trouble staying on the court. The rules of the court are the same as back home; if you win, you keep playing. Well, after watching some guys play for awhile, we realized that things were not going to be so easy. Some of these guys are really good! Also, since there are so many people wanting to play, the games go to four points. That means that every possession counts. The games are usually intense but fair. The sportsmanship of the players is nice too. They call their own fouls and seem to play for fun. The first time we played, we stayed on the court most of the day. yesterday was a different story. There was this one team that routinely won five or six games in a row. The first time we played them, they won easily. The second time the game was much closer. They won 4-3. The third time we played them, we played to our strength. They had a guy guarding me who was 4 foot 6 inches so I had over a foot height advantage over him. So, basketball 101 dictates that I get down low, the rest of my team clears the lane so that I can shoot right over top of him. Our strategy worked, we won but I would learned later that I had just tugged on Superman's cape. The next time they came up to play us, not only did they put a taller guy guarding me, but "mighty mouse" now had something to prove (if you remember that not losing "face" is very important here. The entire court was surrounded by people who came to see the waigouren play. My posting him up and scoring three of four points on him in that situation fired him up. I continued to guard him but it took all I had to do so. This guy was quick. Just think about the physics involved. He is lower to the ground, so when he dribbles the ball gets back to his hands faster. Add to that they he has a lower center of gravity, so he can make cuts much quicker than the average person. Finally, I am probably 15 years older than him (aw youth, where have you gone?). You can probably tell by the strategic placement of my excuses that I didn't do too well. Just to give you an example let me describe one possession: he has the ball, I am thinking to myself "OK he is not getting by me". He goes left, I went left. In my mind I am thinking "OK. I have still got him". He dribbles right, I go right. I am still in front of him, barely. I am thinking "Please pass the ball!'. He crosses over and goes left again, I fall flat on my butt, he goes right by me. As that happens there is a loud "OOH" from the crowd. I am reduced to one last defense. I fervently wished "Please miss it. Please miss it". It seemed like eternity passed as I waited for the inevitable cheer that would come as he hit the shot. Thankfully, it never came. He missed the lay-up. (That left me a little face.) My team rebounded. We went on to play a few more plays. They still won must of the games the rest of the way. Mighty mouse was all over the place. He was a scoring machine. Afterwards, an old cliche came to mind: It is not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. It seems that saying is true at this court. No matter what the outcome, everyone seems to enjoy themselves, even when they fall. - Frank
Not every age is fit for childish sports.
Titus Maccius Plautus (254 BC - 184 BC)
One man practicing sportsmanship is better than a hundred teaching it.
Knute Rockne (1888 - 1931)

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