22/32 WORLD CUP TEAMS COMPLETED
THE THIRD SECRET OF FATIMA AND OTHER LETDOWNS
The final part of a trilogy is usually the worst. The last half an hour of Lord of The Rings should have been left on the cutting floor. The Holy Ghost is the least interesting member of the holy trinity. Name me five bronze medal Olympians. You see? Three is often too much. But often, usually and frequently are not all of the time. Sometimes gets in. Sometimes. Sometimes three men can watch three World Cup matches in three different venues and save the best until last. That's what we did.
Germany versus Sweden was the final game of the night. We decamped to Nerdvana, a board game cafe. This is one of my favourite places to go in Bangkok. It is an easy going and unpretentious shop-house laid out for the purposes of playing games. People of all ages show up in the shop to entertain themselves by battling with and against others in games of luck and skill. It is one of the few places I can think of nowadays where the majority of people present are not looking at their screens while socialising. Some people even make eye contact.
Boardgamer and his family have helped to encourage board game usage in Thailand since the shop opened at the beginning of this decade. At that time, board game shops hardly existed in Thailand. Their little operation has sprouted and now supplies hundreds of games to hundreds of board game shops throughout Thailand and South East Asia. More importantly for our purposes on the night in question, they serve beer.
ALLEGIANCES OLD AND NEW
An Irishman, an Englishman and a Swedish man walk into a board game shop. It wasn't a joke.
The German support at Nerdvana was very welcoming, even to the Swede. Boardgamer had procured a keg of fresh beer and was handing out glasses of beer freely and for free to anyone who said that they supported Eintracht Frankfurt FC.
Ich bin ein Frankfurter.
The game turned out to be one of the best at World Cup 2018 with Sweden surprising everyone by taking the lead against Germany. The World Cup holders had to wait until the final kick of the game to claim their victory. Fighter was disappointed. As a man with no great interest in football this night had been eventful one for Fighter. During the Tunisia game we were discussing basic rules of the game. By the second game and the competitive spirit brought on by a game of ping-pong, fighter was starting to relish the thought of his countrymen playing against the Germans. By the end of the night he'd seen his team lead the World Champions and then get crushed in the dying seconds with a wonder goal. He'd squeezed a lifetime of football milestones into one night in Bangkok.
UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE
Boardgamer spoke to me about the affect a universal game like football can have. In his backpacking days he started a tradition which he keeps to this day. While in impoverished communities in South America he had felt guilty and burdened by kids begging for money. Backpackers generally don't carry a lot of money. But even if you do you decide to dole some money out to a bunch of kids, it is hard to know who gets what and if you are doing something that benefits the children. Some would say it is creating a culture of dependence. Others would say it is money misspent when good NGO's in the area are in desperate need of funding. His attempt to solve this dilemma is by carrying a football around with him wherever he goes. He throws it to the ground and watches a spontaneous order come upon a group of kids as they naturally run after it and start a game. He has repeated this trick in many places and the result is always the same. A game ensues. Everyone takes part. Smiles broaden. Boardgamer is now free to join in if he wants. He has created an even playing field so to speak, although rarely literally. He is now with them not above them. He is taking part rather than directing. He is communicating in the most ancient way humans know how, through movement. He's playing the game.
This strategy solves no major societal problems. It feeds no bellies or cures and diseases. However, it does bring laughter, involvement and a shared meaning to a collection of people who need it most.
*Join me in my quest. It started here https://steemit.com/sport/@highselfesteem/i-m-going-to-watch-the-world-cup-with-a-fan-from-every-country-in-bangkok-or-sleep-trying and will continue for the duration of the World Cup.
*Other words, pictures and sounds at my website http://www.thisthailife.com/
*Twitter @ThisThaiLife
*Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thisthailife/