As I sit in the comfort of my home, watching the opening ceremony, jotting down some thoughts, the first thing that comes to mind is how ruthless the passing of time is. Four years ago, very early in the morning, Gustavo, Pablo (by then almost 3) and I were all cuddled up on our big bed, watching the first matches, as we would every day during the next month almost religiously.
"Lil Beckham" -Picture taken July 26, 2002.
Ever since, Pablo –now huge and going on seven- has been a big Beckham fan, in fact, today he wore his England t-shirt to school for some World Cup activity. (I must agree with him, Beckham’s not bad, and I hear he is also a very good soccer player!)
The opening ceremony itself was very diverse, for lack of a better word. Although I live in a country where grown men wearing short pants well above their waist is not specially appreciated I do have a taste for these cultural differences, I guess that’s where the nerd in me starts to kick in. The beauty of these spectacles is the fact that you’re not really meant to fully understand them. These people are aiming at a target audience that encompasses… the whole world! So it’s pretty much a just-sit-back-and-enjoy-the-show situation. I did love it when the ladies in costumes came out singing, it was kind of Queen Amidala meets Pink Floyd.
Loved those floating ladies!!
What gave the whole show a very warm feel, to prove to all those who think otherwise that Germans do have a soul -and even a heart- was when they had all the veteran players parading around the stadium with little kids: corny, yet effective. I liked it because it was normal people, old, chubby, gray-haired men walking and waving. At this point I must note that most of the French players were awfully cute, in fact they should be allowed to play in their nice suits all the time (ok, I am a girl after all). I also loved the guys from Brazil who seemed to be out there just having a good time, laughing and chatting while the cameras circled their delegation. That’s what I love about Latin-Americans.
All in all, I’m very excited about the World Cup having begun a couple of hours ago. I must confess I would very much rather be playing soccer than watching it on television, however, the Cup always brings happy memories and is an opportunity to spend time with people you love so I plan on enjoying it with my family (we have an extra 1-year-old spectator this year) and other loved ones.
P.s.: As for the opening match, 42 minutes into it, the score is Germany: 2, Costa Rica: 1. Go Germany!!!
1 comment:
G, you're without a doubt the CUTEST soccer player of all!!!!
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