I enjoy international football/soccer and thrill to the experience of the World Cup but this year has been even better, partly because it was a great competition and partly as a Brit, living in The Netherlands, with a US passport and a host of international friends, it has been so much fun!
The Dutch love football and the USA are still discovering soccer, so the experiences of living in these two countries couldn't have been more different. Our first WC experience in 2002 was interesting as the only TV channel showing the games was the Mexican channel! So we learned to shout "GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAL" and our much loved family phrase now, "Michael Owen, muchos pantelones"! What a bizarre experience for a British family, to have to watch football in Spanish and have no one locally to chat with about the game, as no-one was interested, even though the national team made it to the quarter finals! The US is still discovering soccer but my kids generation have grown up playing it and the country was bitten by the bug this summer so I live in hope that, despite the American columnist Ann Coulter's cynical comments, this may be the beginning of something big for the sport.
The Dutch love football! They support with gusto and a lot of orange! What a different experience, orange flags thread across the streets, any items of clothing in orange are long gone from the shelves and the red, white and blue Dutch flag flies against the sky. You are in no doubt as to where you are! We followed the Dutch and US teams progress from The Hub, an international meet-up club that hosted every evening game complete with flags, beer, dancing and even hot tubs! The Dutch like to party as much as they like football! What a great experience to be surrounded by Dutch and international fans alike, all dressed in orange, cheering loudly and shouting "Hup Holland Hup." The shared groans and jubilation felt so powerfully when en-mass.
For me though, the spirit of the competition was never felt more so than with the social media communication with my international friends. Sat with messages flying back and forth on the computer, as we watched each other's national teams compete....supporting Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, America, England (briefly!), Greece and Australia. Truly a world experience and one time when Facebook really felt useful! Our version of "water cooler chat"! I changed my profile picture to the appropriate flag so many times I was getting dizzy! But it's over now, the orange shirts washed and folded for the next time, the profile picture back to normal. 2018? Maybe my international friends and I can meet up in person in Russia and celebrate/commiserate over a shot or two of vodka? Thanks Brazil for an unforgettable experience.
