This past Wednesday, students from Texas A&M University had the opportunity to support a football team of a different kind. Aggies from three different study abroad programs at AIB attended the Women's World Cup semi- final game between the USA and France in Mönchengladbach, Germany. In true aggie fashion, no corners were cut in our efforts to display team spirit and to support the good old U S of A. We prepared by making posters, sporting our red white and blue, and going a little overboard with patriotic body paint (A bit of cold and rainy weather was not going to deter us from reaping the full experience of this once in a lifetime opportunity).
After hours of preparation, faces were spotted with stars, stomachs were adorned with red and white stripes, and a row of shirtless boys read "USA!!!".
Finally, we got on the bus and headed towards the stadium.
We weren't quite sure how we would be received upon arrival since we were fitting the obnoxious and loud American stereotype.
The French and Germans alike greeted our enthusiasm with open arms and flashing cameras. Before we could even reach our seats a mirror image of us, (the french in blue, white, and red) wanted a photo to document the friendly rivalry and the good sportsmanship between the countries. Minutes later we discovered a group of Germans with a "Germany loves USA" banner. After being in Germany for about a week and a half we were still getting used to everything and felt a little awkward being out of our element, but that sign instantly made us feel welcome and honored. We took a picture with the women who had brought the banner and it could be seen on their faces how much they enjoyed our appreciation. The energy extended beyond the walls of the stadium, as students from the A&M Sports Management Program provided live updates on Twitter. Their news feeds were eventually posted on The Eagle, an online newspaper for the Bryan College Station area, sending our excitement back home to friends and family. (http://www.theeagle.com/local/15-Aggies-in-the-study-abroad-program) People from various parts of the world were united by a commonality of mutual respect and the love of soccer.
