The Great Unifier

I've come to think that soccer is the world's great unifier.

As a last meal as a whole YHM before setting out to travel, all the YHMers had one last dinner at Shelter Jordan, the hostel I'll be working at this summer. Dinner was a fantastic time of fellowship with the other YHMers and a great time to meet all the people I'll be living and working with this summer. I can't explain how crazy excited I am to meet these people and be their friends. It's so great to talk to these people who are my age-- from all around the world-- but have the same goals as I do.

ANYWAY-- after dinner, the Amsterdam teams dropped their belongings off at the staff house, also in the Jordaan neighborhood (Shelter Jordan is in the Jordaan). The house is huge, gorgeous and will be one great experience.

On the way back we passed about a pub per block for our thirty minute walk from the Willemstraat (staff house) to Shelter City. Every one of them was stuffed full of people getting ready to watch the Manchester United/ Barcelona game. Even before the game started, the people were talking loudly, enjoying one another.

Once we got back to "City", some friends decided to watch the game with hostel guests and staff. Seriously, soccer is the world's great unifier. I was in a room with Dutch, English, Australian, American and German staff members, a French family, a Norwegian girl, and some guys speaking some Eastern European language. Everyone was watching the soccer game excitedly from the 8 yr old french kid jumping up and down in his seat to the older Dutch man who got angry if anyone stood in his way of the TV.

It was such a special experience to be watching the same game that I knew that tons of people were watching at the same time all around the city :)