The Cup, The Cup - The world is watching, China included :

Even though China is not qualified for the World Cup in Germany the Chinese capital is down with a serious World Cup feever. Let me share some first impressions:

• BIG SCREENS EVEN IN TINY RESTAURANTS AT THE CORNER - Screens are mushrooming throughout the city. Even the tiny kebab stand at the corner in Sanlitun has installed a big screen and a decent sound system. Especially impressive: They show the games even in some of the buses!! Great way to forget about the massive traffic jam you've been stuck in for the last half-time.. ;)
• CELEBRATE LIKE THE DUTCH - What I like about the World Cup is that you can go from corner to corner to celebrate the games with the respective community and according to the respective community's style. Beijing is full of expats and currently every community organises a venue to gather in order to see their team play. So far we've been celebrating among Sombreros and mamasitas on the great roof top terrace of Bar Blu, the heavy beer drinkers wearing Black, Red and Yellow flags at Pavillion and ultra-loud, hyper tall (especially for Chinese standards) fellows wrapped in organge at Browns. It's decided: The winner so far are the Dutch: from inflatable crowns to windmills made out of polystyrene to tight tops - all in bright, proud orange of course - they were wearing it all and shouted louder than Adam talks ;)
• MY DISCONCERTING TENDENCY - If I have been consistent in something, since my childhood, then in my fervent support for the team, no matter which one, playing against Germany. However, watching my dear northern neighbours play during their first game, scoring one incredible goal after the other, I caught myself cheering (even though, of course, only internally) for Klinsmann's team... Indeed: disconcerting.. ;)
• BIORYTHMS UNDER ATTACK - Beijing is 6 timezones away from Germany, which can mess up a foodball-fan's biorythm quite considerably. Games start at 9pm, 12am and 3am. Result: People adapt their sleeping pattern or then simply cut the sleeping right away. Most impressive performance so far: Cheng Qi, a work mate of mine. He started off with South Corea-Togo at 9pm, slept for half an hour before getting up again to watch Switzerland taking on France and from then on continued straigth through to the end of Brazil-Croatia. He told me in the morning after having arrived at the office on time and looking bloody fresh and happy. My explanation: he must have dozed off during the CH-France game without noticing it; well at least I could definitely understand this...
• FIRST GAME,.. WAS LAME - I was in the most patriotic mood I can ever be in. I wore a Swiss cap, a Swiss shirt and joined the (tiny) Swiss crowd assembled at Pavillion. We sang the anthem, etc etc. But hey, after 10 mins the holderadio mood was kind of over. No drive, no passion and 80% of the passes ending somewhere, except the feet of the team mates.. The Swiss disappointed and played like the Germans used to play a couple of years ago: Defensive, boring and seemingly without any inspiration. Well, luckily the French were playing even worse and started off the World Cup like 4 years ago... "zero but et.. etc. etc (won't continue, dear French friends..;) Well then: Even though the game was as interesting as a glass of lukewarm water, the Swiss secured their first point and we had still quite an entertaining time.. in the end: is a World cup really about football...?!? ;)
• THE WORLD IS A VILLAGE AND THE WORLDCUP MAKES THIS VILLAGE EVEN SMALLER - Sign 1: The evening started off with a welcome dinner for Jitu, a new mate from India. We've never met before but he knows at least two persons I know as well. Great to have you here Jitu (even though you cheered for the French.. Dhruv, you have done a terrible job promoting Switzerland.. ;) ) Sign 2: At welcome lunch 20 persons of about as many nationalities came together. Normal, hey? Sign 3: After almost living in the same neighbourhood in Geneva, Sam -Peace- Hieber, one of my buddies at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva is now living 15kms away from me again - in Beijing, some 8000km away from home. Cool! Sign 4: I bumped into Emina, another buddy from HEI with whom I've once written a seminar paper. I had no clue that she was currently in Beijing. She was there, in Beijing, at the Pavillion, from 11pm to 2am.. Of course...! Wow! Sign 5: We were watching the games on a South African channel (Great ads during the breaks, such as for the one promoting Billtong.. in China...). Yebbo yes! Anecdote: CCTV5 (Chinese channel) emits the games with a delay of roughly 15 seconds..
• FRIENDS, BUT THEN - We started off the 25 of us. 25! Most of them I called friends (others I didn't know). But then: only 3, yes "lousy" (Dom2: this is strictly quantitatively spoken) 3 of them, supported "my side", my team, "eus Schwizerliiii".. ayayay.. Chris, Echo, Jitu, Sheila, Pierre, Olivier, Florian (well, ok, you had somewhat of an excuse... as a French... ;) ), Alinda, etc I'm shattered!!! ;) Dom2 aka Lol: I won't forget your loyalty (bought for a simple crêpes.. ;) )

Enjoy the athmosphere that comes along with the World Cup where ever you are and, .. still.. , HOPP SCHWIZ :)