Re: This World Cup is a Hot Mess...

Lila Belle · ‎01-24-2013

This was the best World Cup I can remember.

Now we have to wait another 4 years.

Haca · ‎03-15-2013

On 7/14/2014 lulu2 said:
On 7/14/2014 Haca said:Thank you, terrier ... Mario Goetze who shot the only and deciding goal is from my home town, Dortmund - a soccer town. I thought both teams were good and it was a fantastic exiting final to watch!

I wondered if Mario had an Italian mother.

Hmm...his dad has been interviewed for the last couple of years. He is a professor at the Tech University in Dortmund. (My brother attended that one as well.) Mario has been a star soccer player since he was 16 or 17. After he finished high school he signed on with Borussia Dortmund, 2nd best team in the Bundesliga.

Not much is known about his mother. She may be a good stay-at-home mom. He has several brothers. We had a large influx of Italian "guest" workers in the early 60ies. So maybe grandparents' influence?? Smile

Haca · ‎03-15-2013

On 7/14/2014 Lila Belle said:
This was the best World Cup I can remember.

Now we have to wait another 4 years.

Lila, I feel your pain. One of our local movie theaters opened up one of their cinemas to show the semi and the final rounds. It's Russia for the next one, lol.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/13/2014 abbeythe8th said:
On 7/13/2014 terrier3 said:
Well one pope is happy, the other is sad!

Did anyone else hear the song they played on the field right after the game ended - Pharrell Williams' "Happy."

Why did you think the World Cup was a hot mess?

The reports ware things went well.

The hotels weren't finished...people were uprooted from their neighborhoods, the concrete in the stadium was poured too late to check for safety. One of the USA games took place after a big rainfall. Parents of the players couldn't get to the stadium to watch the game - the roads were newly built (poorly too) and flooded out.

Even the announcers were joking about the lack of hot water in their hotel rooms.

It wasn't the action on the field, it was the city and the issues surrounding the massive amount of money spent in a country with VERY poor people.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/14/2014 Haca said:
On 7/13/2014 terrier3 said:
Los, Deutschland!

I was rooting for them from the first day!!!!

Thank you, terrier ... Mario Goetze who shot the only and deciding goal is from my home town, Dortmund - a soccer town. I thought both teams were good and it was a fantastic exiting final to watch!

My father came from a village near Munich. They were dairy farmers in Germany and in America.

Haca · ‎03-15-2013

On 7/14/2014 terrier3 said:
On 7/14/2014 Haca said:
On 7/13/2014 terrier3 said:
Los, Deutschland!

I was rooting for them from the first day!!!!

Thank you, terrier ... Mario Goetze who shot the only and deciding goal is from my home town, Dortmund - a soccer town. I thought both teams were good and it was a fantastic exiting final to watch!

My father came from a village near Munich. They were dairy farmers in Germany and in America.

Terrier, have you been to the village your father came from? The area surrounding Munich is gorgeous. I really didn't get to know Bavaria until the late 90ies. Now I am hooked on the Bavarian alps. I am from the North and immigrated on my own to the States. My entire family lives in Germany, so we rely on Skype to stay in touch. Thank goodness for that and "What's APP" on smart phones, LOL.

terrier3 · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/14/2014 Haca said:
On 7/14/2014 terrier3 said:
On 7/14/2014 Haca said:
On 7/13/2014 terrier3 said:
Los, Deutschland!

I was rooting for them from the first day!!!!

Thank you, terrier ... Mario Goetze who shot the only and deciding goal is from my home town, Dortmund - a soccer town. I thought both teams were good and it was a fantastic exiting final to watch!

My father came from a village near Munich. They were dairy farmers in Germany and in America.

Terrier, have you been to the village your father came from? The area surrounding Munich is gorgeous. I really didn't get to know Bavaria until the late 90ies. Now I am hooked on the Bavarian alps. I am from the North and immigrated on my own to the States. My entire family lives in Germany, so we rely on Skype to stay in touch. Thank goodness for that and "What's APP" on smart phones, LOL.

Yes. My BF in college was German. We went from Frankfurt to Munich to Aachen, north to Hamburg and then on to Scandinavia for 3 months.

My father's immediate family all came here either after WWI or then more after WWII.

Our Oma lived with us and I spoke German from the time I was born. I took it in High School and college too (felt like cheating!).

Now I have no one left to speak with, so I try to read books and magazines to keep up.

My mom's family was from Italy and she never learned a word of German. Which was probably fortunate, since my Oma sometimes said some VERY nasty things about her DIL - in German!

Haca · ‎03-15-2013

Thanks, Terrier, for your background. We have such interesting contributors on the board. If you aren't already, you should stay in touch with BFF from college days to practice your German. That sounds like a wonderful trip and the appropriate amount of time to experience foreign countries and cultures.

Yes, I heard about the conditions in Brazil surrounding the preparations for the World Cup. They had massive demonstrations last year. However, the promise of the Cup was also uplifting for many of the poor - something to look forward to. Soccer is a poor man's sport - everyone can participate. I just feel sad that the team didn't seem to be as prepared as they should have been. Hopefully they will regroup and go on.

CLEM · ‎03-09-2010

On 7/14/2014 lulu2 said:
On 7/14/2014 Haca said:Thank you, terrier ... Mario Goetze who shot the only and deciding goal is from my home town, Dortmund - a soccer town. I thought both teams were good and it was a fantastic exiting final to watch!

I wondered if Mario had an Italian mother.

lulu2, there are many Italian's living in Germany, but names from other countries are very popular to give to ones baby in Germany. But perhaps the mother is Italian. I think I heard someone say that his father is a university professor.

CLEM · ‎03-09-2010

On 7/14/2014 Haca said:
Thanks, Terrier, for your background. We have such interesting contributors on the board. If you aren't already, you should stay in touch with BFF from college days to practice your German. That sounds like a wonderful trip and the appropriate amount of time to experience foreign countries and cultures.

Yes, I heard about the conditions in Brazil surrounding the preparations for the World Cup. They had massive demonstrations last year. However, the promise of the Cup was also uplifting for many of the poor - something to look forward to. Soccer is a poor man's sport - everyone can participate. I just feel sad that the team didn't seem to be as prepared as they should have been. Hopefully they will regroup and go on.

Don't forget, they will also host the summer Olympics there so they need stadiums anyway.