office basketball

i started teaching this week, but i'll have to save that post for next time. instead, i want to introduce "office basketball." well first of all, each wednesday, the male teachers at my school get together to play soccer. they actually end classes earlier so that they can play. it's a pretty big deal - the principal and vp go out too. so tuesday, ellie actually had to take me to go buy soccer gear.

my sick ronaldinho cleats. 65,000 won. i'm not sure they were worth that much but i did score a goal in my first game. (maybe in life actually. i hate this sport). all the teachers were super excited when i scored. they all ran over to give me high fives. that's all they can keep talking about. even though i sucked. and got kicked in the balls. oh, when this happened, some of the students had come outside to watch us. i could see them on the sidelines reenacting it to each other. i'm not gonna lie, it was pretty hilarious. i can't be mad at them.

anyway, during halftime of the soccer game, i went over to the basketball courts and started shooting a little bit. apparently all of the other teachers were watching me do this.

so today, i walk back to my office at 5pm to pack up my stuff so i can leave. two math teachers are in there and one of them has this styrofoam ball. he looks at me and asks me to teach him how to shoot. so i do. i tell him how to make the T. to flick the rest so the ball spins. how to use your legs. even how to take a jump shot.

he turns to the other teacher and is like, let's practice. and tells him to make a hoop with his arms. the other teacher does but tells him he cannot use a backboard. so they start shooting the ball at each other like that for a little bit. it was hilarious! i wish i had taken a video of that. i find them an empty cardboard box and they get all excited. min, the english teacher that works next to me, goes, "give me the ball. i'll make it on my first try." they do. he does. so the two math teachers, simultaneously jump up and say, "let's play a game! math versus english."

they set up the box. and declare that each teacher will get 5 free throws and we will alternate math, english, math, english. the first math teacher makes 2. the english teacher makes 0. the second math teacher makes 1. so now it's my turn. i gotta make 3 or we lose. i miss the first. but then i make the second. and the third. so i'm thinking, oh, game over. it's time to go home (literally, this game was preventing me from leaving). but i miss the fourth. so now i gotta make the fifth one or we lose. it's super tense. my heart is beating a little bit faster. but come on now. i'm not gonna miss. i'm ice cold. money. we're going to sudden death!

in sudden death each person gets 1 shot. the first math teacher misses. he like hit the mirror that was next to the box. the english teacher misses. i don't even know where his ball went. the second math teacher hits the front rim of the box, thinks it went in, starts celebrating, only to have the ball fall to the floor. now it's my turn. again. ice in my veins. i step up. shoot. it's time to go home.

did you math teachers honestly think you could beat english teachers at sports? really? oh you've gotta be out of your mind! go back to your office. take your little styrofoam ball. find your own cardboard box. practice. then come back. you know where to find us. we'll be waiting.

this clip does not fully capture how ridiculous that moment was. if only we had a video of the dramatic moments when the game was on the line...