Baseball is nicknamed "America's favorite past-time" where as soccer or "football" is easily "The World's favourite past time" except in America. However the 2010 World Cup this past summer is proving to the world that the US is interested in joining the international community.


No American has caught the eyes of the world like US Soccer Star Landon Donovan has this past summer. He has shown that America is no longer seen as a self centered, self contained culture with it's own interests independent of the rest of the world. We can see what the international community is interested in, we can participate and we will dominate! (one day)

In my travels, I find it rare that I meet people who know about basketball, baseball or NFL football. And when I do, it's very much the same "I LOVE THE YANKEES!" or "I love the NBA"
-well do you know who Derek Jeter is? and you know not to wear your Yankee cap if you go to Boston, right?
-you know Kobe Bryant plays for the Lakers and you know of Lebron James but do you know who Lebron plays for? uhh.... Chicago? What's Cleveland?


Soccer or Football is different. I can meet a person from England and say, "You hear Thierry Henry plays for New York now?" and have an engaging conversation like, "Yeah he totally scored on Tottenham during his first game with New York." or I'd get an America-oriented topic like "That Landon Donovan has really impressed a few people here in the UK. I hear Manchester City is interested in him."

You build friendships with common interests and the international common interest is Soccer or "Football" as the rest of the world calls it. You cannot be a cosmopolitan, travel junkie or open minded traveler and think "Soccer is stupid." or else you'd just be another "Stupid American."

I haven't had anything interesting worth blogging about lately.

I'll be going to the UK in two weeks! England, Wales and Scotland. In the mean time, this should entertain you all:

(Mary, Todd, Me, Brian, Ashley @ Yankee Stadium)

Mary, Todd and Brian are visiting NYC this weekend. I met them all last year in Egypt and they've all converged in NYC this weekend. Todd is from Brisbane Australia, Brian from San Diego and Mary from Boston.

I spent the day with Todd on Friday and met up with everyone at Yankee Stadium later that night. Todd and I had an interesting conversation. He's saying how he's unimpressed with New York because he's seen everything on TV before. New York lacks the "oh shit!" moment.

The "Oh shit!" moment is very straight forward. It's the moment you realize "Wow! I'm actually here!" This moment is what validates your trip. Without it, your trip is nothing special. So at this point I started to feel bad, he spent so much money and came so far to be somewhere that was nothing special. I asked him if he had that moment where he realized he was in America. He grinned and replied "Vegas!" When he arrived on the strip at night and saw the bright lights, that's when he realized "oh shit! i'm here!"

"Shut up and put your money where your mouth is! That's what you get for waking up in Vegas!"

Todd, Mary and me in Cairo:

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Places without "oh shit!" moments for me:
Taiwan
Spain
Ireland
Germany