As a young girl being raised in the suburbs of Chicago there are a lot of teams you cheer for throughout your life. In my family baseball was our sport and the Cubs were our team. I grew up going to baseball games be it my brother’s games, minor league games, or Cubs games. Baseball was a comfort sport. I knew the rules, I knew what team I cheered for, and I knew to order a Chicago dog and beer at Wrigley field.

Moving to Korea I never would have expected to have the opportunity to go to baseball games on the other side of the world. I didn’t realize that America’s greatest pastime reached that far. But it does. And dare I say, it may be more fun in Korea.

Baseball can be a slow moving sport at times, however, Korea has found a way around the occasional boredom of watching the sport. Cheering.

My favorite part of any Cubs game was getting to sing “Go Cubs Go” after they won. Korean baseball takes that excitement of singing and places it throughout the entire game. Every time a player is up to bat the crowd roars with cheers for that player. Each player gets simple cheers written specifically for him with choreographed hand moves, and every fan knows the words to each cheer. Anytime your team is batting your up, out of your seat, cheering with excitement. There is an MC to get the crowd up and moving as well as cheerleaders and mascots to lead the dance moves. When your team is in the field it’s time to load up on food and drinks. From traditional baseball fare like peanuts and hot dogs to traditional Korean food like rice cakes and fried chicken, and of course there’s beer. When the home team wins a game the crowd sings the team’s win song and fireworks light up the sky.

Right now is an exciting time for Cubs fans back home in Chicago as our team plays in the World Series with a chance of winning for the first time in over 100 years. I’m longing to be back in my old neighborhood with Wrigley Field just a short walk away. To feel the energy of the city. For now though, I’ll have to accept cheering them on from afar. GO CUBS GO!