Sochaux

Last night I was inaugurated into the world of French football. Now, you have to understand that football is to the French what football is to us. Er, the other football that is. To them, football, handball, and rugby are as important as (real) football, baseball, and basketball are to Americans. Not being a huge sports fan myself, watching the French watch the game was nearly as much fun as watching the game itself. That's because French don't just watch the game. They yell and jump and sing and shout and dance and get all riled up. Even cold, snowy, mid-week, February nights don't stop them. And motivation to be loud and crazy comes much more easily when you have fifteen of your best friends being loud and crazy with you. Believe me! And as resident American, I had my personal walking dictionaries of football knowledge (they didn't put too much confidence in my two years of elementary school soccer. I can't blame them.).

We lost the game (au revoir Coup de France) but despite the cold and snow (so so cold) I'm glad to have gone to a French football game, finally. Discovering more parts of my friends' culture, and thus themselves, makes me happy! Now you all come over to Seattle, and I'll take to you a baseball game. And folks? It will not be over in ninety minutes. No way. :)