Admittedly, I've NEVER had an interest in the World Cup. I think this is mostly due to the fact that I grew up in America, a land that seems to have little interest in soccer (although soccer does seem to be growing in popularity). However, the excitement surrounding the World Cup 2010 here in Korea has been contagious and I've found myself quite intrigued over the past couple of weeks.
So, I decided to teach a lesson on the World Cup, knowing that my students would immediately be interested in the topic AND that I would be forced to get myself educated about this current worldwide event. I'm pleased to report that both goals were accomplished. My students seemed to thoroughly enjoy the lesson last week (which I completely loved teaching). Also, it was definitely beneficial for me to add some general facts to my very limited knowledge of South Africa, FIFA, Korean soccer history, and random bits of World Cup trivia. For example, did you know that the Waka Waka,(sung by Shakira) is the official 2010 FIFA Theme Song? Did you furthermore know that the official mascot is named Zakumi, a cute little leopard packed with symbolism in his name and appearance?*
Since I was learning so much about the World Cup, I decided that I simply had to watch at least a couple of the games. So, last Thursday night, I headed to City Hall (one of the most popular and crowded places) to watch Korea play Argentina. It was definitely a memorable experience!
My friend Liza and I arrived about 2 1/2 hours before the game started, but there was no grass left in front of City Hall. So, we spread our blankets out on the street with everyone else and had a nice little picnic dinner while we waited for the game to begin.
Note the sea of red. The Korean team is nicknamed the "Red Devils." Thus, everyone must wear red to support the team.
Daniel, me, Liza, and Paul - Dae-han-min-guk!!! (the official title of the Korean nation and most popular chant at the games)
Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my little Want to Sound like a World Cup Expert? notes. While doing research for my World Cup lesson plan, I stumbled across this amusing article and printed it out, fully intending to bring it to the game. Although my knowledge about World Cup facts increased somewhat last week, my knowledge of the actual game of soccer is still very limited.
Tried to give you all an idea of how surrounded we were by red. Even if I wanted to escape, I don't think it would have been possible...
Finally were able to meet up with some other OEM friends toward the end of the game. Trying to give them directions to find us during the game was basically impossible.
Sadly, the final score was 4-1, Argentina. After Argentina scored the fourth goal, the crowd started to clear up rather quickly. However, we stayed and supported our team to the very end!
At 3:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Korea will be playing Nigeria in the World Cup. This game will determine whether or not Korea will make it to the semi-finals. It's a pretty big game. Although I've grown in my love for Korea and my appreciation of the World Cup, I'm afraid that sleep is going to win out over the game... hopefully Korea will forgive me.
*If you're interested in learning more general facts about the World Cup, I'd be more than willing to share my PPT file with you. Just shoot me an email!^^
3 comments:
Looks like a lot of fun! Did you know that "waka waka" is the sound Pacman and Mrs. Pacman make when eating the dots on the game? That's what I thought of when I first saw the song title (of course :P )
not a surprise at all, Nora! You make me smile.^^
I love it that you decided to teach a lesson on soccer in order to learn more for yourself. That sounds a lot like something I would do. :)
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