By Linda Sintniklaas, The Netherlands (CISL San Diego Student)
If you think you can’t go to a good baseball match in San Diego, you’re totally wrong! The home stadium of the Padres is located in San Diego, named the Petco Park. This stadium is the property of the much appreciated San Diego Padres, ‘the’ baseball team in San Diego. The San Diego Padres were founded in 1969 and through the years they have their share of awards. One of which was the National competition. The stadium of the Padres is built in the middle of town, a beautiful location where you can join a baseball match combined with entertainment.
As an international student at Converse International School of Languages (CISL,) I wanted to go to a baseball match of the San Diego Padres too. Personally, I hardly know about baseball and that’s the reason I would like to know more about this sport. I think baseball is a very popular sport in America, more than it is in the Netherlands, where I come from. 
After requesting some information about activities organized by CISL, the school turned out to organize several trips. Tickets only cost you 10 dollars. Then you leave from school to the Petco Park with a big group of international students. This is not only great fun, but it is also a good way to get to know fellow students.
But if you’d rather go to a baseball match by yourself, with some friends maybe, that’s also possible. Like many others, I decided to buy tickets on my own. These tickets are a little more expensive, nevertheless the seats you will have in the stadium are better. On the website (www.sandiegopadres.com) I easily bought some tickets with a credit card, and after buying they sent me a confirmation immediately. My pick was a match against the LA Dodgers, two rivals in California.
And now I can only agree with the fact that baseball is a fantastic sport here in San Diego. While enjoying churros, nachos and popcorn I was looking at the match enthusiastically: it was a great experience! During the match I quickly learned the rules of baseball and with great admiration I was looking at the players. To be good at this sport you not only have to be fast, being sharp and aware are necessary too. What an atmosphere! Baseball is not only a great sport to look at, but also a sport full of entertainment and sociability. In the audience you can find students, youth, elderly and even whole families fully wrapped in Padres regalia. Supporting ‘their’ team seems to be the only thing that matters. To me this is how sports should be: sportive, sociable and with respect for everybody. Without any violence or aggression.
After all the wonderful activities I’ve already done in San Diego, you definitely should visit the San Diego Padres. Baseball is really ‘it’ here in San Diego and you can see it everywhere you go. Even the streets are cleared off for a good game of amateur baseball! It’s good to see how American people are busy with sports. Yes, this is really how sports should be!