Awesome Cup

I've been reading my previous posts and I have to say I'm a big old negative Nancy. It's boring and uninteresting honestly. So hey, I'm gonna start posting now! Actually, some stuff has been happening lately. Let's talk about Korea.

Last weekend the World Cup started. Now, I'm not a particular fan of soccer, or really a particular fan of any sport, but I always love epic competitions. So yeah, I'll watch the Superbowl. I'll semi-follow the Stanley Cup. I'll catch a little bit of March Madness. And, of course, I'll watch some games during the World Cup.

This year is particularly crazy, mostly because I'm not in the States. It's almost foreign to me how much Americans don't care about soccer (er football, whatever). Wouldn't they be, at least a little? In my opinion, the World Cup is one of the most epic competitions there is (next to the Olympics). It's country pitted against country in a game that literally everyone and their grandma plays at least sometime in their lifetimes. It's the most natural venue through which a person can express their national pride, and I know for a fact that Americans don't lack any of that.

But I digress. At risk of sounding somewhat racist, Koreans are by nature pretty competitive when it comes to most things. So it was no surprise how intense things got around here once the game between Korea and Greece was on. I was walking through Seomyeon (the biggest district around here) doing some errands, and literally every Korean I saw on the street (or in a restaurant or bar) had their heads turned towards the TV. It was almost eerie how silent everything was.

So when Korea won 2-0, things got pretty out of hand. I ended up in the Kyungsung University area, and the streets were packed with drunk college kids celebrating. Literally the whole intersection was blocked off by Koreans singing and dancing. There was even some dude dancing on top of a moving bus (shirtless). It was, in a word, awesome. I've never seen so many Koreans go crazy before. Unfortunately it didn't last long; the police came by and ruined everyone's fun.

Later that night was the U.S. vs England game. That game was probably even more intense. I was stuck in a bar, shoulder to shoulder with about half Americans half English. And man were the English putting on a party. They had about 5 different songs that most knew by heart. There was facepaint, there was flags, there was of course lots of drinking. Americans were there to cheer as well, but I felt we just didn't have the intensity that the English had. All we could do was chant "U-S-A." No fancy songs or comradarie to really speak of. Which in retrospect makes me feel a bit disappointed. I wish Americans had more enthusiasm for a game that literally the rest of the world worships in one way or another. But it's not in our culture, I suppose (if we even really have a cohesive culture).

So yeah, the World Cup. I feel pretty lucky to be in another country for it, especially that game between the U.S. and England, a matchup which hasn't happened since the 50's. Lot's of friendly good fun with people from all over the world.

I think that's one genuinely good thing I'm going to take away from this country, when I look back upon it in retrospect. Just the loads of different people I've met from all over the world and the differing personalities that come along with it. It's enriching to have your eyes opened like that. You no longer rely on abstract stereotypes when viewing different nationalities; you have actual experiences that you can draw from.

I shall post more. Maintain positivity.