Last monday was the first outing that we officially had as part of an organized event by Georgia Tech for international students. What better characterize the US than the all too famous NBA games. The orlando magic was in town for a game with the atlanta hawks and we part of the action too! The game starts at 7pm and we were there just in time because the crowd was streaming in as we got to the Philips Arena where it was held. It is a really nice indoor stadium and I estimate that it can seat around 15,000 people. The tickets cost 60 dollars each. Now you know how much they make out of these games!

The ticket was given to us free of charge as this was a sponsored outing by the school . The tickets were expensive because we got the best seats in the house. It is the area just behind the hoop and that is where it is known as the fun zone. That is because we had all the fun in making noise and distracting the players when they have a penalty shoot. We were armed with thundersticks to generate as much noise as possible.

They are called thundersticks for a reason.... because it made serious noise!

The real fun of the game is not the match itself but the shows and games during the time outs and breaks. They had dances put up by the cheerleaders and games like 'The price is right'. The other highlight is the mascot of the teams who goes around disturbing the crowd and creating some fun. The Atlanta's Hawk is one feisty bird because he goes around picking on people and it has a permanent grouchy face. But he is real funny with his antics and weird humour.

The other mascot or daredevil goes around making fun of the crowd. During the game, when you least expect it, he would come up behind you with a rubber spider and dangle it above your head. If you still don't feel anything fishy going on, he would just put it right across your face! Check it out!