bravo italia!

Most Americans spend the Fourth of July BBQing, drinking beer, setting of fireworks, and maybe watching a baseball game. I spent mine smoking a narghile and watching World Cup. I have to say, I think I got the better deal. Especially since I've been rooting for Italy: a combination of family ties and having run into the previous World Cup team while stuck in the Rome Airport backage claim--the one perk of that lost luggage experience.

Watching the game in Bab Touma is something of a production. Given the popularity of World Cup here--and the number of supporters for both Germany and Italy--I knew I'd have to reserve a table if I had any hope of seeing the match. So, went to my usual cafe, put down my name and 200 lira (about $4) to hold the table, and crossed my fingers that it would work. When I arrived last night, with a few Chicago and local friends in tow, I started to appreciate the value of personal connections for getting things done in this part of the world. The head waiter in one of the cafe sections knows me by name and we ended up with some of the best seats in the house. Nepotism? Maybe. Did I mind? Hell, no!

As anyone who watched last night will attest, the game was spectacular. And the show put on by the fans was almost as impressive. By the time the above photo was taken, most of the giant flags people had brought and draped across the walls had fallen down, but the chanting was still going strong. When Italy scored, they practically blew the roof off the place. My ears (and voice) are still recovering.

I'm just disappointed I won't be in Damascus for the final. Tomorrow is the last day of this month's class, and I'm taking off Friday for a much-anticipated break in Lebanon. So, I'll probably be in Beirut for the final. This means I'm rooting for Portugal tonight; if France wins, any Italy supporters in Lebanon are likely to be strung up. Some countries might loath their former colonizers, but not the Lebanese.

In other news, the tutor situation is improving; I'm pretty sure I've got at least one set up for next month. Also, to no one's surprise but my own, some of my fellow swimmers have corralled me into doing some coaching. They want to learn how to do flip turns... The only downside is that on Tuesday morning someone walked off with my goggles while I was mid-lesson. No good deed goes unpunished? Still, given that's the only thing I've lost in a passport full of travels (il'hamdu lillah), I think I've gotten off pretty light.