With the Mobis season coming to end, I can't help feeling sad.
Its taken me almost all season to figure out why I feel so connected to this team. At first, I thought it was it's stats which I looked up even before going (there's no reason to pay money to watch a team lose night after night when I can sit in my house and watch them on the TV). Mobis is a strong team with strong coaches (Go Coach Jae Hak!). They are no underdogs, but they inspire even small children to raise their arms and yell (I witnessed this at the last game, a boy no older than 2 was so excited after a basket that he jumped up from his father's lap, it was adorable).
Many people ask me "Who is your favorite player?" but I am always hard pressed to pick one. I like the game and the team as a whole. Each player is important and Mobis is an example of excellent teamwork. Even with the exit of Blankson and the introduction of Bowen late in the season, the team rarely missed a beat.
I guess if someone had a gun to my head and made me pick my favorite player I would choose number 11, Park Goo Young.
He's a great team leader and can shoot. Number 24, Woo Seung Youn came out of nowhere midseason in my mind and I can't help but admire his skills.
Lastly has to be number 12, Ham Ji Hoon.
I never really noticed him until a couple of games ago. His drives to the baskets and hook shots are solid every time. He is probably the most consistent player on the team.
As most people know I don't really like fan favorite number 34 Kim Hyo Bum.
I tried, really I did, but he always getting "hurt" and drags the game out. I'm sure he is told to act that way, but I never did like players like that. He does make me laugh though. He speaks fluent English and whenever he is mad he goes off in English, not Korean. One game an American player from another team was mad at him and said something unkind in English not knowing that Kim Hyo Bum could understand him. I though Hyo Bum was going to fight him right there. He is quite interesting to watch. He is a good player so that keeps my anger down a bit whenever he suddenly "dies" on the court.
I realized that besides Korean class, the Mobis games are a big part of my schedule. Whether they are playing in Ulsan or away I have to be watching. I scheduled my Japan and Taiwan trips around their games. I make sure I am at home so I can watch their games on TV when they play in other cities. Some would say I am addicted, but I think its about what makes me feel comfortable in Korea. When I move somewhere I always latch onto something that reminds me of home. This year has been chocolate milk and Ulsan Mobis basketball. Taiwan was Snickers ice cream bars and Peanut M&Ms. Ireland was just plain Snickers and potato chips (thankfully I had to walk about 5 miles to and fro school so I ended up losing weight), lol.
Yes, I do notice that I have an addiction to chocolate.
Now that Mobis is ending I am unsure how I will fill the void. At first, I will probably run more often, instead of two hours a day, maybe three. This weekend I checked out a soccer tournament at the university, but if Daniel isn't playing whats the point? Soccer was always the most boring sport for me. A huge field and one tiny ball going back and forth. It always seems to move so slow. Ulsan doesn't have a baseball team so I can't go to their games. Well, technically I can travel an hour and watch the Busan team play. They are supposed to be quite good this year, getting new talent in.
There are two more games left so I shall try to savor them. I have already been given an autographed basketball from the staff and a smaller basketball from Number, 5, Ha Sang Yoon.
Good times. No one can say that I didn't get anything from the game, lol.
I will be putting my pictures and videos together after the season is over since I will have so much free time, haha.
In other news, this weekend was the St. Paddy's Day celebration. I have tons of pictures of people in green which I will put up tomorrow. There was a Paddy's Day Hunt, but I didn't compete. Instead I ate pancakes with Hope and went bowling. Saturday was also White Day so it was quite odd to see all the foreigners drunk and in green and the Korean couples out celebrating their love, lol.
Sidenote: Valentine's Day here is for the woman to give the man a gift. White Day is for the man to give the woman a gift. Black Day is when single people get together and eat black noodles. They all fall on the 14th starting in February.
Tuesday will also be spent in green in celebration of the actual St. Patrick's Day. I have a green headband that is really shiny, lol. It's my favorite day and green is my favorite color. Good times ahead.
Its taken me almost all season to figure out why I feel so connected to this team. At first, I thought it was it's stats which I looked up even before going (there's no reason to pay money to watch a team lose night after night when I can sit in my house and watch them on the TV). Mobis is a strong team with strong coaches (Go Coach Jae Hak!). They are no underdogs, but they inspire even small children to raise their arms and yell (I witnessed this at the last game, a boy no older than 2 was so excited after a basket that he jumped up from his father's lap, it was adorable).
Many people ask me "Who is your favorite player?" but I am always hard pressed to pick one. I like the game and the team as a whole. Each player is important and Mobis is an example of excellent teamwork. Even with the exit of Blankson and the introduction of Bowen late in the season, the team rarely missed a beat.
I guess if someone had a gun to my head and made me pick my favorite player I would choose number 11, Park Goo Young.
He's a great team leader and can shoot. Number 24, Woo Seung Youn came out of nowhere midseason in my mind and I can't help but admire his skills.
Lastly has to be number 12, Ham Ji Hoon.
I never really noticed him until a couple of games ago. His drives to the baskets and hook shots are solid every time. He is probably the most consistent player on the team.As most people know I don't really like fan favorite number 34 Kim Hyo Bum.
I tried, really I did, but he always getting "hurt" and drags the game out. I'm sure he is told to act that way, but I never did like players like that. He does make me laugh though. He speaks fluent English and whenever he is mad he goes off in English, not Korean. One game an American player from another team was mad at him and said something unkind in English not knowing that Kim Hyo Bum could understand him. I though Hyo Bum was going to fight him right there. He is quite interesting to watch. He is a good player so that keeps my anger down a bit whenever he suddenly "dies" on the court.I realized that besides Korean class, the Mobis games are a big part of my schedule. Whether they are playing in Ulsan or away I have to be watching. I scheduled my Japan and Taiwan trips around their games. I make sure I am at home so I can watch their games on TV when they play in other cities. Some would say I am addicted, but I think its about what makes me feel comfortable in Korea. When I move somewhere I always latch onto something that reminds me of home. This year has been chocolate milk and Ulsan Mobis basketball. Taiwan was Snickers ice cream bars and Peanut M&Ms. Ireland was just plain Snickers and potato chips (thankfully I had to walk about 5 miles to and fro school so I ended up losing weight), lol.
Yes, I do notice that I have an addiction to chocolate.
Now that Mobis is ending I am unsure how I will fill the void. At first, I will probably run more often, instead of two hours a day, maybe three. This weekend I checked out a soccer tournament at the university, but if Daniel isn't playing whats the point? Soccer was always the most boring sport for me. A huge field and one tiny ball going back and forth. It always seems to move so slow. Ulsan doesn't have a baseball team so I can't go to their games. Well, technically I can travel an hour and watch the Busan team play. They are supposed to be quite good this year, getting new talent in.
There are two more games left so I shall try to savor them. I have already been given an autographed basketball from the staff and a smaller basketball from Number, 5, Ha Sang Yoon.
Good times. No one can say that I didn't get anything from the game, lol.I will be putting my pictures and videos together after the season is over since I will have so much free time, haha.
In other news, this weekend was the St. Paddy's Day celebration. I have tons of pictures of people in green which I will put up tomorrow. There was a Paddy's Day Hunt, but I didn't compete. Instead I ate pancakes with Hope and went bowling. Saturday was also White Day so it was quite odd to see all the foreigners drunk and in green and the Korean couples out celebrating their love, lol.
Sidenote: Valentine's Day here is for the woman to give the man a gift. White Day is for the man to give the woman a gift. Black Day is when single people get together and eat black noodles. They all fall on the 14th starting in February.
Tuesday will also be spent in green in celebration of the actual St. Patrick's Day. I have a green headband that is really shiny, lol. It's my favorite day and green is my favorite color. Good times ahead.
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