When I was about 9 years old, I was forced to stay home instead of going to school. My father said that I must stay home to watch the World Cup football match of Holland vs. Brazil. (Here is the summary of the game). It was an amazing gesture to be allowed to skip school since I never stayed home unless I was certifiably sick. So, we watched the game in the morning which was incredibly exciting, and we had a great time, also with my older brother staying home. Unfortunately, Holland was defeated and eliminated from the world cup. My brother and I then got dropped off at school just before lunchtime.
Now, my teacher, who was not necessarily called but something similar to "Mr. Smithson", was not impressed at my morning absence. I should note that this was New Zealand, a country that until very recently, doesn't care about football. He checked my homework, which I hadn't completely finished, and that was it. He had his reason and I was punished. I forget what the punishment exactly was, but I think it meant that during lunchtime I had to sit outside on "the spot", which was the going punishment at our school. But I was a nerd, a good boy (and maybe still am), so getting punished for watching Oranje, even when my father said it was okay was shocking to me. It was unjust, and in retrospect, this may be a case for discrimination.
Nevertheless, despite the result, this was a great experience, and a subtle way that I was able to hold onto my Dutch-ness despite being on the opposite side of the world. And every four years since, (with one notable exception that we won't talk about) it came back up.
Now, today, was the rematch with Brazil. Finally I am in a country where everyone understands the importance of Oranje. I mean, the place I often work at put up a sign that said they would close early because of "Brazillian Fever". And, in a wonderful turn of events, I took a day off work and went to my parent's place to watch the game. It was absolutely brilliant. Winning was redemption, not just for the loss 16 years ago, but for me. I have waited a long time for this moment, although I never knew that it would come.
Now, 16 years later, I finally feel that I have left "the spot".Update:
After some deliberation with my father, we have decided that the game which I was punished for was not a game where Holland played (however, I must also have watched the game I just referenced). Apparently, I would have only been a half-hour late to school, but the game was extended an extra half hour, and went into penalties, which added on about an extra hour, making me noticably late to school. This could only have been the final between Brazil and Italy. My father reasoned that, New Zealanders wouldn't think twice about missing school due to a rugby match, and this was the final of the way-kah! And honestly, the Dutch love their football much more than New Zealanders love rugby. (P.S. I hate rugby.)
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