Back in 1996, when I lived in Germany, my friends invited me to a party to watch part of the European Championships that were underway.
My response, typical American, was, “so boring, not interested.”
But, in the interest of improving my German language skills, I went.
Over time, I started to develop an appreciation for the sport. Really liked it.
By the time the tournament was under way, I was going to my friends:
“Hey guys, Portugal is playing Denmark. We have to go!”
Didn’t hurt that Germany won that year and I went to the victory parade in downtown Frankfurt.
In 2002, I woke up at 2am to watch some games from Korea and my brothers joined me to watch the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup at my house.
One of the benefits of working at home, I suppose, but I’ve enjoyed watching some of the games this week. On now, Turkey vs. Croatia!
One of those legacies of my years abroad, I suppose.
Thank goodness for ESPN.