Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Benefits of Watching the World Cup with the Family

The World Cup started when we were out camping in the Black Forest, during the Pentecostal holiday break of the girls. Because of the time difference, the last game ended after midnight. And because we were in a camping site, we could hear different groups of people cheering for their favorite teams. Oh yes, I guess, nobody got to sleep early that night :-D

Our mascot
The next day, you could see people around the camping area preparing for another late night: tons of chips, cases of beer and softdrinks, meat for barbecue, etc. were being readied by our fellow campers. Not to mention the different flags hanging around and about -- in cars, around their motor homes, in hats, etc.

Now, my girls got interested in watching the game the first night we arrived back home because the German team would be playing. Actually, they have been wanting German flags for our car but my husband and I refused as we usually drive along the highway (and I have seen lots of car flags littering the highway). IC settled in having stripes of the German colors on her left cheek and her left arm. MC begged me to buy flags and something to decorate our car.



Cheering our team

That first game, Germany won against Portugal (4-0). The whole family watched the game, we got noisy, we got our chips and drinks, and we enjoyed it. The girls cannot wait for the next game.

We did watch the next game as a family and here the benefits of watching the World Cup with the family...

1. Extra Bonding Time -- Yup, extended bonding time even. During break time or even when the game is just a bit boring, we get to talk, talk, talk. Sometimes we also tend to tease each other just to get a laugh and yes, cuddle.

2. Beauty and Wellness -- Why not? While waiting for the game to start, we would keep ourselves busy by giving each other massages, combing/brushing hair, hair-styling, etc. I got a new manicure from IC, while MC gave me a pedicure during the second game of Germany because we wanted to distract ourselves from the suspense :-D

3. Teach and Learn -- "Mama, where Ghana?," that was the question IC asked me when the German team played against Ghana. "The capital of Portugal is Lisbon," MC told me during the German's game against Portugal. Aside from matching the capital to the country, they also learned to distinguish the different flags. Next, we might start talking in tongues!

4. Exercise -- All that excitement and suspense the last two games definitely kept us on our toes. We would shout, pump our arms, jump, run around, dance. We would do anything to cheer our team. We would move to shake the excitement. We would move our body with anticipation. And I would admit to running out of the room most of the time just because I cannot take the suspense anymore.

Extra Benefit: Neighborhood Bonding Time -- It seemed like the whole neighborhood could not find enough person to talk to about the World Cup. Not only do you get a nod or a smile at this time, but you also get to share or even analyse the games. We even received a basket of sweets from our elderly neighbor during Germany's second game as they said, "tonight would be a great game, here are some sweets to keep the family happy."

Sweets and a bottle of wine from our neighbor for the game

Tomorrow, Germany is playing against USA. We can't wait!

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