Deja vu!

Two years ago, nearly to this day, the Giants clinched the NLCS.

At that time I was studying abroad in Botswana and by some freak coincidence in scheduling (and good choice in hotels), I found myself in the capital, Gaborone, for one night in-between host family stays at a place that had internet access (one of my first exposures to it since arriving).

At around 2 AM, I woke with the two other Bay Area natives on my program, Karen, now in Malawi and Ian, headed soon to Malaysia on a Fulbright, along with Jessie from Phoenix, also headed to Malaysia in January who was there in solidarity with the NL West. Thanks to some help stateside, we were able to arrange to get the KNBR broadcast of the entire game in all of its glory.

The final out was recorded just as the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon. Ecstatic but exhausted, we shuffled ourselves to our beds for quick naps before meeting our new host families later that morning. The rest of the day we were as jovial as zombies could be. Completely worth it. I remember uttering the words to Ian “once in a lifetime.” Little did I know…

This year I find myself again abroad during a Giants’ playoff crusade. Luckily, I have been able to stay semi up-to-date on their (so far) epic run thanks to irregular internet access and texts from home.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Nepal is currently in the middle of the biggest holiday of the year, Deshain.  Although the holiday itself and most of its traditions are foreign to any of those which I have experienced before, there are some commonalities I have noticed. These staples are part of the foundation that makes up nearly every holiday and they are primarily centered around being with the people you love, and of course, food.

I have spent the past several days visiting relatives and friends, sharing meals and good times. Enjoying the company of those that you love is pretty much as universal as you can get.  I truly miss all of you back home (and around the world), but without the love and support from my family and my community here I would be wishing to ship off much sooner. 

A few nights ago I stopped by my co-teacher’s house just to wish her and her family happy Deshain before heading home. Nearly two hours later, lots and lots of plates of salted and spiced peanuts and even spicier sukuti (dried buffalo), I headed back to my house with Kalapna’s husband, Sham,  where he was treated with just as must hospitality as I was.This is not a rare occurrence. 

Two of the pillars of holidays are being with those you care about and food, and since I have been given so much by the Nepali around me, I decided to introduce a staple of American holidays to them. Sports.

Originally, I had worked out a grand scheme to wake up early head down to the hotel which has Wi-Fi and convince them to let me camp out there drinking milk tea and eating biscuits (my substitute for beer and hot dogs) listening just like in Botswana, to KNBR for the NLCS.

Right as I was leaving I was struck by some unknown inclination to check our tv in case by some strange technical mishap they were broadcasting the game.  I turned it on, navigating my way through the plethora of Bollywood films and cricket matches, and then stumbled on what I can only describe as truly a holiday miracle.

I saw, for the first time since early summer, Caine on the mound! By some inexplicable reason the stars had aligned for me. ESPN India (it’s past ESPN 8 ‘The Ocho’ for those of you looking on Direct TV) must have run out of cricket highlights, shots of the same goal being scored somewhere in some European league by the umpteenth alternate angle, and commentators to discuss the “earth shattering effects” of said goal in said European league which allowed for the greatness of the MLB to be shown here, in Nepal.  Not just that, but the FOX broadcast, in ENGLSIH! 

I spent the next three hours glued to the tv, teaching my 9^th grade host brother, Nischal, and Aama about baseball, trying to convey the importance of the game to them.  

I don’t think I could possibly dream of a better holiday gift (read: I can think of a better gift, but I just don’t want to jinx it). ESPN India must now have caught onto their mistake, and undoubtedly the person responsible for them receiving their lowest viewership ever has been terminated.

 I am forever in their debt.

 

GO GIANTS!

On a side note:

In the spring after Botswana, I was able to share my experience with one of the key players who made it possible. Thanks to an alumni baseball game, Brian Wilson showed up to the Pomona-Pitzer field to watch one of his former minor league teammates play.  I’m not normally one to get star shocked (not that that is saying much considering my celebrity sightings pretty much consist of being in the same sandwich shop as the black guy from Ghost Busters, watching Ludacris’posse drive around a corner, and sharing several beers with a guy who can be seen in the background of some party scenes of Laguna Beach).

But this was different. I stood in the shadows with several friends watching the Beard himself. By the way we were acting; we might as well have been 13 year old girls waiting outside of Justin Bieber’s dressing room, all giggling and trying to build up the courage to ask for an autograph.

People gradually filtered by asking him to sign things and eventually, after giving myself a pep speech that Patton himself would have been proud of, I ventured over.

Trying to maintain my cool, I stuck out my hand and told him I simply wanted to thank him, and that listening to them in Botswana was one of the highlights of my year. To which I received one of the simplest yet most gratifying response I have had in my life so far, “Wow, cool!”