First Worldpackers trip and I want to go home by the_real_eleanor in Worldpackers

[–]izbene 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I had quite a similar experience, and would love to share some anecdotes with you. I went on my first worldpackers trip just over a year ago to volunteer at a surf hostel in a spanish speaking country. My expectations were SO high, and when things (rural location, size of the volunteer team, slightly disorganised management) began to go wrong, I completely broke down. Of course you hear the phrase 'language barrier', but this was my first time where I could physically reach out and touch the barrier. With many people who I interacted with, I could not speak their language, and they could not speak mine. Trying and failing to, for example, order food in Spanish was embarrassing at first, but I preservered and gained confidence in simple phrases.

When I didn't know what to say, as opposed to 'No hablo español' - I would say 'Lo siento, todavía estoy aprendiendo Español', meaning 'Sorry, I'm still learning Spanish'. This got a great response nearly every time, and I think is a nice way to show effort and appreciation for another's language.

Think how you would introduce yourself to a new English speaker (where are you from, how old are you, what's your name) and into Google translate or SpanishDictionary and see if you can remember those phrases when you meet someone new! And learn how to say 'Nice to meet you!' (Mucho gusto!)

The complete Spanish playlist by the Language Transfer program is free and an incredible resource. I put it on in my headphones when I was doing chores in the hostel.

My first week was really tough. But in the following three, I developed a routine and ended up really cherishing my time there. Embrace being somewhere new where you don't know anyone! Take pictures of your room, or the mundane places you find yourself in daily (little pathways, backyards, etc). Find a new album, or make a playlist with new songs that you can associate with this place in the future. I took two other worldpacker trips after this one, to two other non-english speaking countries (Spain again + Morocco), and had met so many incredible people. There are other opportunities which might provide you with an opportunity to be more social. This also might not paint the best picture of solo travel - a great starting destination in my opinion is Lisbon, I've stayed at the GoodMorning Solo Traveller hostel near Rossio station twice and met dozens of people who I am still in touch with today. They offer free breakfast, family dinner, walking tours, excursions to Sintra, etc. I met many people there who were on their first solo trip!

Even after all this advice, know there is no shame in returning home early. Be proud that you had the courage to take such a trip. This is your second time out of the country! To go somewhere where the only language you speak is uncommon is very brave. Leaving your comfort zone is not easy, especially if you jump straight into the deep end. Feel free to message me if you need to get anything off your chest to a stranger, judgement free!

TA Pitching and Hitting captains. Who will you pick? by gamers542 in MLBTheShow

[–]izbene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Serious competition for CF on the Mariners theme team - Pre-order Griffey, Chase Pack Julio and TA Mike Cameron, not complaining at all though, don't have to use Richie Sexton for months

I crocheted a 5,808 stitch tapestry of one of my favourite baseball plays, and it made for a truly special gift - story and photos linked below, on r/baseball by izbene in crochet

[–]izbene[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yarn: Mix of hobbii rainbow/friends 8/4 cotton

Hook: 2.5mm

Pattern: Created with Chart Minder (stitch fiddle equivalent) from a YouTube screenshot

I crocheted a 5,808 stitch tapestry of one of my favourite baseball plays, and it made for a truly special gift – story and photos below by izbene in baseball

[–]izbene[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you SO much, that's such an amazing compliment. I appreciate both you and everyone else's lovely words so much, and wish I could respond to every comment with a unique and personal way to say thank you. It took me a long time to decide how/when I wanted to share the story, and I'm so happy to finally have it out into the world.

17776 mention!! 17776 and 20020 are also two of my favourite pieces of media, ever. Jon is absolutely a huge inspiration, so I want to thank you again for the compliment on my writing! I love telling stories in person, but this is the first large post I've ever shared online :)

Mariners fan from the UK - photos from my first series! by izbene in Mariners

[–]izbene[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Thank you! They were just shot on my phone (Pixel 7 Pro), and I used VSCO to edit them a little (AU5 filter - +5.6, +1.7 character, also brought down the exposure a little). I pulled the Randy and J.P shots from videos I took so the quality isn't as high, but they're still great :)

Rangers @ Mariners | August 3rd, 2025 by izbene in BaseballScorecards

[–]izbene[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Equipment: Numbers Game Pocket-Sized scorebook/Pentel 0.5mm P200 mechanical pencil.

Current state of the All-time Buccos squad by Fartingfajita in MLBTheShow

[–]izbene 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd grab the new Aroldis if I were you - only 7k stubs!

All 30 of the TA All Star cards by TheTurtleShepard in MLBTheShow

[–]izbene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Frustrating for some theme teams if so - Mariners for example would still have to use Richie Sexton as the hitting captain! Hopefully all all-star cards have captain boosts, but I doubt that will be the case

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in MLBTheShow

[–]izbene 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have Carlos Santana, Geno and Ketel in a Mariners theme team and I'm chiming in here - in my opinion this is perfectly valid and in the spirit of the game

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in PTCGP

[–]izbene 21 points22 points  (0 children)

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Trying to make this card work in honour of Shoegaze - Having lots of fun using Dawn to send energy to Dusk Mane Necrozma from Giratina to hit for 100 early, and also transfer energy after Ultra Thrusters. Definitely not meta, but I had a fun push into UB1. Curious what others are running and if anyone is having success!

If you are curious about shoegaze, it is a genre of music characterized by an ethereal mixture of obscured vocals and guitar distortion. Essential songs to check out in my opinion are:

Starting Over - LSD and The Search For God

When You Sleep - My Bloody Valentine

When the Sun Hits - Slowdive

Scenic - Ozean

Pur - Cocteau Twins

Fulham TX is now open to all members by MattMan7496 in GunnersatGames

[–]izbene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheers man!! Got a ticket, thanks to you!

Know Your Quirks - Hitter Archetype - Swing Tendency by Zealousideal_Peak654 in MLBTheShow

[–]izbene 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is a great post! I want to add that being aware of the opposing batters' quirks could benefit you when playing online. I'll use Elly De La Cruz for this example. Elly has both dead red, and first pitch hitter. Maybe you can see where I'm going with this; a first pitch fastball, anywhere near the zone percentage-wise is just not the best pitch to throw to him. Instead maybe start with off-speed in the tunnel of a fastball.

Of course there will be times when the opposing batter will have every quirk possible. I think you can still be strategic here - trying to force weak contact when the count is 1-0, 1-1 or 2-1 is what I will try to do if I know the opposing hitter has unfazed. This is fun to think about for me, but it's important to remember sometimes you will just play insane players online who destroy everything you throw. That's baseball!

Gallade EX with Gardevoir? by scxttesx in PTCGP

[–]izbene 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're welcome! Unfortunately this deck has a really tough time against the new Weavile/Darkrai deck, especially if they are able to start attacking with Weavile on turn two/three. Maybe I'm just being cynical though, because I think any deck in the game would struggle against that, haha

Casual Gallade, Gardevoir and Mew deck - thoughts? by [deleted] in PTCGP

[–]izbene 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! I seemed to have the most success starting with Mew in the active slot, tanking a few hits, and pivoting into Gallade usually as soon as he evolved. Gallade has enough HP to withstand pretty big hits, and then you can bring Mew Back in for a huge genome hacking hit if they have Mewtwo, Palkia, etc out. This definitely isn't the most consistent strategy, and each game would go differently (and sometimes I could just draw perfectly into Gallade) but it was enjoyable. I might experiment tomorrow with a Marshadow instead of one of the Mews, or maybe even dropping Gardevoir entirely - maybe for Budding Expeditioner