How on earth do you go for a game whose rules you don’t even understand? A game that lasts more than 2 hours. A game that will take place at a venue almost an hour away from your usual hood.
Well, here’s my story.
This all started as I was heading back home from campus on a rainy Wednesday. Tired, hungry; the only thing I could ever think of was to get home, eat something and rest. Suddenly, a message popped up on my phone. “Win a million dollars without sweat!” huh, I’m joking. “Red Sox Raffle. Win two tickets.”
Having dealt with internet scammers before, I was hesitant about trying this. But realizing it was it was an official Brandeis email address, my heart cooled down. But still, I questioned myself, “Is there really any point for me to give my time and energy to this adventure?” The closest I’ve ever been to a baseball game is on television thanks to Hollywood movies. Instead of viewing this as an obstacle, I took it as a challenge. I love challenges. As long as they don’t claim the lives of the partakers.
I decided to fill in the form with a comment which went in these lines: “I know nothing about the rules of this game, but for the fun of it, I want to attend this game. Please God hear my cry.” And guess what! God heard my cry. The next day I got an email saying that I won the raffle.
I was so thrilled reading this email but somehow my joy was for a short moment. Another challenge bumped into my face. The game is happening today. How do I get to the venue?
Well, #ChallengeAccepted
I contacted everyone I knew in my class requesting for someone to accompany me. The first three people I asked turned my offer down. Since I had my mind made up, I kept on asking. The fourth person I spoke to, happened to be a Baseball fan who has not been on a baseball court for years.
She said YES! Becky said yes. Just imagine the feeling. To my surprise, she was even happier about it than I was. For a short story, together with Becky, my classmate, our team won the Scavenger’s hunt in Boston. We have the same winning and adventure spirit.
That was it. We were perfectly matched for this adventure. We decided to go there by train instead of driving.
On the way, she tried as much as possible to explain to me the rules of the game. You should have seen the excitement on her face. She is naturally a very jovial person. We decided that if this happens to be boring, we should leave before the game ends.
Surprisingly, I enjoyed the game to the end. It was later that I realized we left the stadium at some minutes past 10 P.M
Though the Red Sox of Boston lost it against the Twins of Minnesota, I still did win. A big deal. I made new friends and learned something new about the American culture. I went home that night with a smile on my face and of course with couples of pictures and videos for my followers on social media.
You never know. You lose nothing trying out new things. Can’t wait for my next challenge
Welcome to America.
Michael
December 30, 2019