They did it again!

Trip Start Jun 03, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Flag of China  ,
Saturday, October 13, 2007

It would certainly have been worth a trip to Paris, even from Southern China, but we doubting, pessimistic souls, eternally hoping, but not daring to believe, rode the rollercoaster of the Rugby World Cup semi-final from the darkest corners of an Irish bar in Shenzhen.  Another night in the pub. Another night of white knuckles and disbelief. Another night of climbing on bar stools and peering around corners to see the TV. Another Monday morning suffering from going to bed as the sun was coming up on Sunday. 
 
But, it was worth it.  Irrespective of the result, and irrespective of the result of the Final next week, the whole experience was worth it. I'll remember being in that mass of beer fuelled, swaying, shouting, laughing bodies for a long time.  It wasn't about England beating France against the odds, but rather a multinational crowd joking and rooting for whoever they felt like rooting for at that particular moment. There was a very intense common focus that brought a shared feeling of living together and of sharing something with friends and strangers alike.  Of course, it's only a game of rugby, but it produced something far more and far deeper than just that.
 
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