Imagine, if you will, that you have a skill that has attracted the attention of an international employer. You are recruited, accept the job, and soon find yourself in a foreign land where you know no one, can’t speak the language, are unfamiliar with the local customs, and face everyday challenges ordering food.

Welcome to the world faced by many members of the 2018 Williamsport Crosscutters baseball team!

Although roster moves have altered the make-up of the current Crosscutters team when they arrived in Williamsport for the season’s opener, 23 of the 28 players were from either Venezuela or the Dominican Republic, and one was from Moscow, Russia. While playing baseball was their common bond, the everyday challenges awaiting them outside the gates of Bowman Field were much more formidable.

Enter Kiah Berman, a one-time kindergarten and college teacher and by-lingual specialist just completing her first year as Manager of Language Education and Cultural Assimilation for the Philadelphia Phillies. Kiah accompanied the team when they arrived in Williamsport June 13 and returned in mid-July to assist players in adjusting to their new professional baseball careers.

“The Phillies have baseball academies in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. We’ve put a lot of resources into player development, and have cultivated a growing relationship with players in the Latin areas,” Berman explained. “Although the number of Spanish-speaking players on this year’s Crosscutters team is higher than it has been in the past, these associations have resulted in a higher influx of Latin players into the Phillies’ minor league system, particularly in the rookie, short season, and long season Class A levels.

“The Phillies’ goal is to assist the players as much as we can before they are assigned to a minor league team in the United States, so once they arrive here, they don’t feel like they’ve been dumped in a foreign land. This process begins at the various academies the Phillies conduct. The classes we teach include English and cultural education that covers a wide scope. Most of the players have never been on an airplane, so we teach them how to handle airport security. Most of them have never been in a hotel, and their baseball careers are filled with hotel stays.

“There are many other little things taught to help them understand the culture that will surround them where they will be playing. We teach them how to open a bank account, apply for social security, get ID forms, help them obtain a driver’s license and general communication skills, all these kind of things that will help them function in a totally new environment.

“The Phillies provide the players with three meals a day when they are at one of the academies or when they are playing home games like they do in Williamsport. But food is a huge issue with the players. One of their favorite restaurants is Chipotle, and whenever they can, they like to go there to eat. During the classes we teach, their number one concern is learning how to order different things at restaurants.

“I remember one group I was teaching wanted to learn how to say ‘sour cream.’ If they order something that is not exactly what they want, they don’t know how to ask to get that corrected. They love food, and one of the main things they miss about their own country is the food. So it is very important to them that when they go out to eat, they can order something they like.”

The assimilation process continues in spring training and all the way thru the season, Berman emphasized.

“Wherever the numbers permit, the Phillies try and match one Latin player with one English-speaking player. This makes the players practice their second-language skills with one another. They all pretty much understand ‘the language of baseball’ on the field, but away from the field, communicating with each other is very important in building the team relationship.”

Berman credits the teachers at the Phillies’ various academies for the good job they are doing in preparing the Latin players and notices the improved language skills in this year’s Crosscutters team.

“I accompanied the team when they arrived in Williamsport, and it was neat to see their reactions and excitement. The plane ride, their opportunity to play in a real stadium under lights with fans rooting for them and meeting their host families, it all gave me a sense that what we have been helping them prepare for was now real and they were more prepared for what awaited them.

“I didn’t know what to expect when I came into this job. I was a college professor without a baseball background, but one of the things that has impressed me the most is our coaches and the relationships they build with our players. It is evident here in Williamsport that the players feel comfortable with the coaches. The coaches and teachers that are helping them develop, not just as commodities or baseball players, but as individuals and young men entering a very critical time in their lives. I’m proud to be playing a small part in that process,” Berman said with a smile.

The next time you go to Bowman Field to root for the home team, give some thought to what these players have gone through to get here.