I travelled to Paris, France the weekend of Bastille Day (Saturday) and the final game of the World Cup (Sunday). Obviously, since I was staying in France, I was rooting for the French national team. Being in the country that won the World Cup was an added bonus to my Global Seminar experience. It's hard to believe that it wasn't planned. I know many sports fans in the U.S. and I've seen how crazy fans get after SuperBowl wins, but I have never seen anything that came close to the football (soccer) fans in France. They are die-hard fans; like I really think they would die for their team. After every win and every goal scored before and after the final game, fans were going wild. They honked their car horns, they stopped buses & the bus driver let them come inside to high-five fellow fans while he drove, they set off fireworks & flares, they chanted so many different catchy chants, they climbed poles, stood on top of big trucks, and threw open beer cans, bottles, you name it in the air. The only celebratory action they added after they won was jumping inside public fountains and sitting outside of their car windows while speeding down streets & honking their horns. It was such a beautiful event to witness. The whole city of Paris was in a state of celebration and it didn't end until early the next morning. Just imagine being in a city where everyone is happy at the same time. I was high-fiving, smiling, and chanting with strangers for hours.
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| view from inside of the fountain |
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| view of us from outside the fountain |
-Serina Estrada
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