As a life-long fan of the championship-starved Fightin' Phils, words cannot really express how I feel. I'm ecstatic, of course. This is the first time a Philadelphia professional sports team has won a championship since 1983, and the first time that the Phillies have won the championship since 1980. I couldn't help that both of the Phillies' World Series victories ended the exact same way; with a strikeout. Seeing the images and videos of the game's highlights and aftermath of the dugout pouring out and the teammates piling onto each other honestly brought tears to my eyes. I have not felt this passionate about baseball since the Phillies won the National League Championship Series in 1993 again the Atlanta Braves. However...at the same time, I'm a little upset that I'm not in Philadelphia to bask in the celebration. Apparently people were out all over Broad Street (one of the major north-south arterial streets in Philly) celebrating. Plus, the victory parade is being held today. Don't get me wrong, I'm delighted to be abroad, serving as a teaching assistant, but at the same time, a Phillies World Series victory is a rare event, and unfortunately I'm not there to experience the celebration.
Also, today is Halloween. Halloween is not celebrated as extensively as in the USA. Costume parties are popular among university students, but children do not dress up and go trick-or-treating. Well, in my status as English teaching assistant and more-or-less American cultural ambassador, I decided to give a lesson on Halloween on Wednesday to the 6th graders (Thursday I'm with older kids and Fridays I have off). I have not shaven for almost the entire month, but on Tuesday night shaved it down to a moustache. I bought a cheap pair of reading glasses, punched out the lenses, and donned a pink shirt and a green sweater, and so I'm Ned Flanders from "The Simpsons" for Halloween!
Now, is it just me, or do I look slightly like my father with the glasses and mustache?
The 6th graders really enjoyed the lesson, probably because "The Simpsons" is one of the most popular TV shows in Germany. But apparently I've achieved rock star status among these kids; when word spread that I was going to be teaching that day, they started banging on their desks chanting "We want Dave! We want Dave!"
That's all for now...I've got some bureaucratic matters to which I must now attend. Thanks for stopping by!
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