Waka Waka ¡eh! ¡eh! ¡esto es áfrica!.... the World Cup bridges cultures

I would be lying if I said that there weren't times that I feel light-years away from home and completely disconnected from all my friends and family. Being abroad is hard. But that only makes events like the World Cup so much more comforting and awesome. I go on Facebook, and I find friends who are watching the same game at 5:30 in the morning in South Korea and 2:30 in the afternoon in the US. When it was time for the US-England match, I had friends watching in a pub in England, a bar in Germany, a living room in Thailand, and a party in the US and across Colombia. I, myself, had gone with some friends to find just about the most American bar in all of Barranquilla. We sat in chairs shaped like soccer, basketball, and American footballs, surrounded by American sports memorabilia and feeling like we were home. Even in the American bar, there were Colombians, Germans, Americans, and Brits, all cheering for different teams. It was a really cool experience. Just like when you look at the moon or the stars and know that everywhere people are looking at the same sky, I really had never felt so connected to everyone. With even North Korea represented, you can rest assured that when politics, economics, and mass communication fail, you can leave it to sports and the World Cup to bring everyone together.

Ironically, not only do I feel closer to home and my friends around the world with the World Cup, but I feel closer to Colombia as well. While Colombia didn't make the Cup this year, there is no shortage of World Cup enthusiasm. We took periods off from classes to watch the first game; we crowded into the gym during medienda to catch what we could of the latest match between Portugal and Côte d’Ivoire. The whole country is wearing jerseys, cheering on their favorite teams (usually South American) and feeling a huge sense of pride to be a part of it. Shakira even sang the theme song for the Cup, Waka Waka, calling everyone to dance for one Goal: to promote universal education. I may be far away from home right now, but I'm part of something great. Let the mundial madness continue!

PS - you can't miss the FPD 3rd and 4th graders doing the Waka Waka dance (some of my babies!) They are fabulous. see below (or if its easier, here is youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIFC0G1MO1Q)