Most little boys dream of being in the big leagues at some point. After our taxi driver Osvaldo mentioned the ball was a mere bundle of old socks melded together with some rubber, I felt instant regret at not putting some balls and gloves into my suitcase along with everything else. I had managed to pack some tubes of toothpaste, toothbrushes, aspirin, ibuprofin, razor blades and some old cosmetics and was giving these out as we went.