So today is the last of the games and tonight is the closing ceremonies. I will be staying in Nantou tonight and leaving in the morning for the mountains and 3 days of sightseeing. I will be leaving for Taipei in two days and will more than likely have internet connection again. Then I come home! Voice and Judo have offered to take me to Taipei. Voice is from Nantou and studied in Taipei. Judo is from somewhere else, but also studied in Taipei. They know the city and Voice speaks English fairly well.
Yesterday the coaches invited Team Indiana to the Nantou tournament next year. It may be tricky with High School, but I think it can be done and would be a valuable learning experience for the team. The teams at this tournament are pretty good.
I can’t believe this trip is almost over. Today is my last coaching assignment. This experience has taught me so much. I can’t wait to see everyone, and share my photos and my experiences. And…have an adult conversation in complete sentences! I miss everyone and I will be back very very soon!
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The tournament has started and so far we are 3-0 and have outscored our opponents 34-1. There are teams here from China and the US. The US team is from Seattle and believe it or not they will be in Brownsburg for the ASA Gold tournament. What a small world. I have been chatting with some of the parents and it is so nice to have an adult conversation in complete sentences. The tournament was broadcast on TV last night and the coach gave me a lot of praise. They are killing the ball and I feel like this opportunity has pushed me to learn more as a coach and become a better teacher. I am really proud of the players, they are amazing athletes and good friends. They have so much talent.
I had to say goodbye to Cookie when we left for Nantou. It broke my heart when she ran along side the bus as we were leaving. Some of the players have told me they will feed her when I leave. I am sure she will be fine. Maybe I should bring her home.
It took us around 4 hours to get to here. Nantou is surrounded by mountains and is more like a small town. I am not sure how it started, but this is the hotbed for softball. I would say half the team plus all the coaches are from Nantou. You can tell they take great pride in this tournament and are very proud to show me their hometown. Although… I sprained my foot playing basketball with my translators. And the worst part about it all, we were kicking butt! But anyway my goal is to be able to walk without pain before the 7th. I went to a chinese doctor last night and he wrapped my foot in this herbal spread. The swelling has gone down, but I still can’t put weight on my foot. I am a little worried about the trip home. Cherri said just to get rides at the airport and I think I will. I want to go into the mountains and Sun Moon Lake on my two days off before I leave for Taipei. One of the players on the Nantou team is Native and her people reside in the mountains. I think her tribe is called Bandou. Anyway I would really like to see that culture and meet the people.
Last night was the tournament banquet. It was at a Japanese resturant which was odd. However, the food was wonderful except for the fish with eyeballs. I have tried and enjoyed almost everything put in front of me, but for some reason I cannot get over the fish head. I had raw fish in wasabi sauce. It was delicious.
So, I have very little internet access - the team moved from the Olympic Training center in Kaoshiung to Nantou, a beautiful mountanious region, to play in a Cup Tournament. I have to go to the highschool to access the net, my hotel has nothing. There are teams from all over the world, one is even from Seattle. Taiwan’s bats are on fire - they are confident and aggressive at the plate with 2 homeruns in 1 game. The secretary general is here and I received some very nice feedback. The team has won all three games so far. I will miss them when I leave. I’ll be back to the US March 11th. Bad news is I sprained my ankle playing basketball - no breaks, just a nasty, painful sprain. Traveling home is going to be very difficult.
Here are a couple photos from my time in Kaoshiung. When I have more time, I’ll post some from Nantou.
