The Cup Starts Today
And Recife has responded with a steady drizzle that is sure to depress the spirits of the city. No matter, Brazil doesn't play until Tuesday.
The World Cup dominates the consciousness of this country. Other topics of conversation arise only to be dispatched in favor of burning, important questions like "Other than Brazil, who do you think is the favorite to win the Cup?" After-sex conversations frequently run along the lines of "Where are you going to watch the games?" When a woman wants to know what the recent experience means for her relationship with the man, she asks, "Who will you watch the games with?"
On the main street in my neighborhood (which is one of the main commuter arteries in the city) there are two billboards (one is Johnnie Walker, I forget what the other one is advertising) counting down (days:hours:minutes:seconds) until Brazil's first game kicks off.
Brazil doesn't play until Tuesday, so I still have a few days left to prove my patriotism by purchasing a pirated Brazil jersey. I'm not being facetious -- buy an illegal copy would, in this case, be the patriotic thing to do. First of all, whatever shirt I buy will have been made in China, or Vietnam, or Indonesia. So there's no difference there. If I buy the official jersey the money goes to Nike, and to a big store, neither of which need my money. If I buy the illegal jersey, the money goes directly to some independent businessman (or woman). And the official jersey costs five or six times as much as the illegal one. And bargain-hunting is always patriotic, isn't it? It will leave me with that much more money to spend on Brazilian beer while I watch the games.
The whole city is a little bit giddy with anticipation, but not so much for the World Cup itself. It is Brazil's participation that matters. People care about the tournament and want to watch as many games as possible. But even though the it officially starts today, for the people here it starts on Tuesday afternoon. People tell me that when Brazil plays the streets empty, all businesses close (banks, stores, movie theaters, everything except bars and restaurants), and everybody sits glued to the TV. Except for one neighbor of mine, who told me that she gets too nervous to watch, and goes for walks for the duration of the game.
This should be a particularly interesting World Cup, because Recife is a tourist destination for Germans. In fact, this month there are probably fewer Germans in Recife than there have been at any time in the last several years. People mistake me for a German all the time, so I guess I will have to follow Germany's progress closely so as not to disappoint my public.
Note: I know updates have been nonexistent lately. But the World Cup is here, and that should change. Expect updates at least once daily until at least the end of the tournament.)
The World Cup dominates the consciousness of this country. Other topics of conversation arise only to be dispatched in favor of burning, important questions like "Other than Brazil, who do you think is the favorite to win the Cup?" After-sex conversations frequently run along the lines of "Where are you going to watch the games?" When a woman wants to know what the recent experience means for her relationship with the man, she asks, "Who will you watch the games with?"
On the main street in my neighborhood (which is one of the main commuter arteries in the city) there are two billboards (one is Johnnie Walker, I forget what the other one is advertising) counting down (days:hours:minutes:seconds) until Brazil's first game kicks off.
Brazil doesn't play until Tuesday, so I still have a few days left to prove my patriotism by purchasing a pirated Brazil jersey. I'm not being facetious -- buy an illegal copy would, in this case, be the patriotic thing to do. First of all, whatever shirt I buy will have been made in China, or Vietnam, or Indonesia. So there's no difference there. If I buy the official jersey the money goes to Nike, and to a big store, neither of which need my money. If I buy the illegal jersey, the money goes directly to some independent businessman (or woman). And the official jersey costs five or six times as much as the illegal one. And bargain-hunting is always patriotic, isn't it? It will leave me with that much more money to spend on Brazilian beer while I watch the games.
The whole city is a little bit giddy with anticipation, but not so much for the World Cup itself. It is Brazil's participation that matters. People care about the tournament and want to watch as many games as possible. But even though the it officially starts today, for the people here it starts on Tuesday afternoon. People tell me that when Brazil plays the streets empty, all businesses close (banks, stores, movie theaters, everything except bars and restaurants), and everybody sits glued to the TV. Except for one neighbor of mine, who told me that she gets too nervous to watch, and goes for walks for the duration of the game.
This should be a particularly interesting World Cup, because Recife is a tourist destination for Germans. In fact, this month there are probably fewer Germans in Recife than there have been at any time in the last several years. People mistake me for a German all the time, so I guess I will have to follow Germany's progress closely so as not to disappoint my public.
Note: I know updates have been nonexistent lately. But the World Cup is here, and that should change. Expect updates at least once daily until at least the end of the tournament.)
posted by Venha Futuro at 10:29 AM
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