Clash of the Titans
This past Saturday morning, I was fortunate enough to participate in a legendary game of soccer. If you're not aware, I am part of HJ's church soccer team, and we play every other Saturday, or just about anyway. This team was actually formed last summer, and that's when we were playing more regularly. However, once winter swung by, games stopped being so frequent; basically they stopped. But recently, we've just had two games, and this last one was, in fact, epic...
Let me begin...one of our church members attends university with some North Korean refugees. Needless to say, a soccer match was arranged soon after that. For me, this was surprising, to say the least. First, I had no idea there were any North Korean people living in South Korea, and second, I had no idea they would be attending university and playing soccer. Yet, maybe that just makes sense, eh? Anyway, I don't know much about specifics, but apparently these North Koreans escaped, crossing the border and sneaking into South Korea. From there, it sounds like different churches have taken them in, providing homes, etc. And, from I can understand, the South Korean government is paying for their university education.
I felt very honoured to have met these people, as I guess they have not seen many foreigners. I wasn't sure what to expect before meeting them, but I don't think I ever even needed to worry! They were incredibly warm and welcoming, very much like South Korean people! Actually, to me, they seemed completely South Korean! I guess they have settled in to the lifestyle here quite quickly. The only real noticeable difference is their speech. Apparently, their Korean is different than South Korean, different pronounciations and expressions...I wasn't able to tell though!!
Anyway, on to the game! The game itself was fantastic. Both teams were very closely matched, and both very competitive as well! For the record, we lost 7 - 5...but I think we're gonna have to have a rematch! I thought our choice of jerseys was kinda funny as well...our team chose Inter Milan as our shirt of choice while the North Korean side had chosen AC Milan. If you know anything about Italian soccer, these are the two biggest sides in Italy, and the rivalry is especially intense because both are from Milan. Kinda ironic, eh?
Just a note: Our team (Namchung) is wearing black and blue, while the North Korean squad is wearing red and black. On each North Korean shirt, they had "W E ONE" printed on the back. I figured out this stands for "We Are One." Thought it was cool, but I didn't have time to ask what it meant. I'm assuming it's meant to be symbolic of the solidarity between the North Korean people and South Korean people. But that's a guess...
My number is 17, and yes, it does say "Paulie" on the back of my shirt. We were all supposed to pick nicknames for our jerseys, and apparently I couldn't come up with anything really original. The game took place at the university...which I think was Yonsei, but don't quote me on that. After the game, I had to take off, so I didn't have a lot of time to chat to the North Korean guys..which was a little disappointing, but that final photo together was special...it felt like one big family.
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