#god i love sports people with their little rituals i’m obsessed | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

baya-ni · 4 years ago

Text

The Queer Appeal of Sk8

Recently @mulberrymelancholy reblogged a post of mine with a truly galaxy brain take about how Sk8 “is a show made for queer fans” and generally how sports anime often depicts love and relationships in a way that’s more accessible and relatable to ace/arospec people than other mainstream media does.

Just, *chef’s kiss* fucking brilliant. I urge you to read their post here (note I’m referring to the reblog not the actual post).

And basically, it got me thinking about this concept of Sk8 as a Queer Show, and the kinds of stories and dynamics that tend to attract queer audiences in droves, regardless of whether its queerness is made explicit or hell, whether that queerness was intended.

And that’s what I’ve been pondering: What are the cues, markers, or coding, in Sk8 that set off the community’s collective gaydar?

I obviously can’t speak for the community. So here’s what aspects of the show intrigued me and what, for me, marks Sk8 as a Queer Show beyond the subtextual queer romances: a punk/alternative aesthetic, Found Family, Shadow as a drag persona, and The Hands.

1.) The Punk Aesthetic

All three of the above screenshots are taken from Ep 1, and every single one of them depicts background characters. They’re nameless and ultimately unimportant characters, yet each of them designed so distinctly and so unique from one another, one could mistake each of them for the main character(s) of another story.

Of what little I know about Punk subculture, I do know this: that the ethos of Punk is heavily built around a celebration of individuality and non-conformity. Sk8 seems to have incorporated this ethos into the very fabric its worldbuilding, and the aesthetics and culture upon which it takes inspiration appeals specifically to a queer audience.

I don’t really need to explain why Punk has such deep ties with the queer community. For decades, queer people have found community and acceptance within punk spaces, and punk ideology is something that I think is just ingrained in the queer consciousness as both lived experience and a survival tactic.

Therefore, a show that adopts punk aesthetics is, by association, already paying homage to Queer culture, intentional or not.

Queer fans notice this- like recognizes like.

2.) Found Family

This also needs little explanation.

Too often, queer individuals cannot rely on their “born into” families for support and acceptance. Too often, we are abused, neglected, and abandoned by those who we were taught would “always be there for us.”

And so, a universal experience for queer people has been redefining the meaning of Family, having to build our families from scratch, finding brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers in people with whom we have no blood relation, and forming communities tied together by shared lived experience rather than shared genetics.

And this idea of Found Family is also built into Sk8′s narrative.

Like, for example, the way that Reki promises MIYA that he and Langa will “never disappear from [his] sight,” filling the void that MIYA felt after his friends abandoned him.

And in the way that JOE becomes a paternal figure for Reki, teaching him ways to improve in skateboarding, and ensuring that Reki doesn’t self isolate when he’s feeling insecure.

And in the whole Ep 6 business with Hiromi acting as babysitter to the Gang.

Hell, even ADAM (derogatory) is associated with this trope. Abused as a child, he finds solace in an underground skateboarding community and culture he helped create- his own found family (or some powertrippy version of it anyway).

Again, queer fans see themselves depicted in the show, but this time in the way that the show gives importance to Found Family relationships between its characters.

3.) Shadow and Drag

This is one that’s more of an association that I personally made. But I was intrigued by the way that Hiromi adopts his SHADOW persona. He wears SHADOW like a mask, and adopts a personality seemingly so opposite to his day-to-day behavior.

Further, the theatricality and general “gender fuckery” of his SHADOW persona, to me, just seemed so similar to a the characteristics of a drag persona (I don’t know a whole lot about drag but enough that I’m drawing superficial similarities).

There’s also this aspect of a “double life” that he, and actually all the other adult characters of the show, have to adopt, which is a way of living that I’m sure a lot of queer viewers see themselves reflected in.

4.) The Hands

Ohhhh the Hands.

One of the things I noticed very early on is the way the show constantly draws our attention to Reki’s hands, which I thought was a little strange for an anime about skating. After all, skating doesn’t really involve the hands, or at least the show doesn’t really draw attention to hands within the context of skating.

I count 3 times so far between Eps 1-9 in which hands are the focus of the frame.

First, when Reki teaches Langa how to fist pump after Langa lands his first ollie, second, when Reki and Langa make their Promise, and finally, when Langa saves Reki from falling off his board.

And you know what they say, twice is a coincidence but thrice is a motif (no one else actually says this I think I’m the only one who says this lol).

I’m not really certain why hands seem to be such a shared fixation among queer people (at least among those I interact with). All I know is that gay people are just fucking obsessed with them.

I have a Theory as to why, and at this point I’d love for other people to chime in and “compare notes” if you will, but I think it basically has to do with repression. And in the same way that queer people have had to redefine the meaning of family, we’ve also had to redefine intimacy.

Being overtly physically affectionate with someone of the same sex, even if they’re your significant other, or often specifically BECAUSE they’re your significant other, can still be dangerous, even now despite the “progression” of society. Queer people know this, this vigilant surveillance of our environment and ourselves, always asking ourselves, “Am I safe enough to be myself?”

Already, Western culture is pretty touch-averse. That is, it’s considered taboo to touch someone unless they’re a family member or a romantic partner. And to touch a person of the same sex in any way that could be misconstrued as romantic (which is most things tbh) is a big no no.

There’s just A Lot to unpack there.

But basically I think that queer people, by necessity, have had to learn to romanticize mundane or unconventional ways of being physically intimate so that we can continue to be romantic with one another without “being caught” so to speak.

Kissing and hugging is too obvious. But a handshake that lingers for just a second too long is much more likely to go unnoticed, braiding someone’s hair can easily be explained away as just lending a helping hand, touching palms to “compare hand sizes” is just good fun.

But for queer people, these brief and seemingly insignificant touches hold greater meaning, because it’s all we are allowed, and all we allow ourselves, to exchange with others.

God, I’ve gone off and rambled again. What’s my point? Basically that the way the show draws attention to Reki’s hands, and specifically how they’re so often framed with Langa’s hands, is one of the major reasons why I clocked Sk8 as a Queer. It’s just something that resonated with me and my own experience of queerness, and I know that I’m not the only one who noticed either.

So in conclusion, uhhhh yeah Sk8 the Infinity is just a super gay show, and it’s not even because of the homo-romantic subtext (that at this point is really just Text).

Because what’s important to understand is that Queerness isn’t just about same-sex romance.

Queer Love isn’t just shared between wives/girlfriends, husbands/boyfriends, and all their in-betweens. Queer Love can be two best friends who come out together, queer siblings who rely and support one another, a gay teacher who helps guide one of their questioning students, a queer community pitching in to help a struggling member.

And that all ties with another important thing to consider, that what we refer to as the “queer experience” or “queer culture” isn’t universal. In fact, it wrongly lumps together the unique experiences and struggles of queer BIPOC all under one umbrella that’s primary White and middle class.

So I think what drives a lot of my frustration about labeling a show like Sk8 as Queerbait is this very issue of considering queerness and queer representation within such narrow standards, and mandating that a show must pass a certain threshold of explicit queerness to be considered good representation.

I get that someone might only feel represented by an indisputable canonization of a same-sex couple. That’s fine. But labeling Sk8 as Queerbait for that reason alone ignores the vast array of other queer experiences.

The aspects of Sk8 that resonate most deeply with my own experiences of queerness is in the way that Reki and Langa share intimacy through skating (intricate rituals heyo). For me, them officially getting together ultimately doesn’t matter- I’ll consider Sk8 a Queer show regardless.

Similarly, @mulberrymelancholy finds ace/arospec representation in that very absence of an on-screen kiss. A bisexual man might find representation in Reki, not because he enters a canon relationship, but in the depiction of Reki’s coming of age, growing up and navigating adolescent relationships. A non-binary person might feel represented through CHERRY’s androgyny.

That’s the thing, I don’t know how this show will resonate with other members of the queer community, and it’d be wrong to make a judgement on Sk8′s queer representation based on my experiences alone.

That being said, Straight people definitely don’t get to judge Sk8 as Queerbait. Y’all can watch and enjoy the show, we WANT you to enjoy these kinds of shows, and we want you to share these shows and contribute to the normalization and celebration of these kinds of narratives.

But understand that you don’t have a right to tell us whether or not Sk8 has good or bad queer representation.

And even members of the queer community are on thin ice. Your experience of queerness is not universal. Listen to the other members of your community, and respect that what you might find lacking in this show may be the exact representation that someone else needs.

#and scene #i was up till 4am writing this instead of doing my hw #bc i hav Opinions dammit #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #sk8 meta #sk8 theory #queerbait

293 notes · View notes

qwertyfingers · 4 years ago

Note

we know that bobby only watched ds9 and dean watched the tos movies for sure which implies he's seen tos as well (plus he calls jack spock). so what do you think everyone's favorite trek is? sam is without a doubt a tng fan first and foremost. i think out of all tos movies cas prefers the wrath of khan because he Feels Things when kirk and spock do the ta'al through the glass. charlie has definitely seen some trek (we've seen her llap), do you think she's into tos first and foremost? anyway let's talk about star trek nights in the bunker.

OKAY SO I HAVE. MANY MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS. SORRY THIS IS SO LONG.

like. like of COURSE bobby only likes ds9 of course he does i could have told you this without the show becuase like. bobby is That Bitch. i think rufus will have watched TOS at least because leonard nimoy worked hard on linking jewish faith and practices into the vulcan lore and i think that would mean something to him. bobby will catch rufus smiling at him sometimes while they’re watching ds9 and ask him what all gruffly and rufus will smirk at him and say something about sisko with jake and bobby with dean and bobby will just cough and take a swig of whiskey and rufus will raise his eyebrows but let it slide. rufus definitely makes a comment once about dean&cas being like jake&nog that totally flies over dean’s head but bobby is all knowing eyebrow raise about.

i think cas and jack would really like discovery. while it has some issues with inconsistency, pacing, being a little dark, it also does better than the other TV treks at utilising the nature of film as a medium to instill a sense of wonder, at space and the world, and that’s something they’d really appreciate. i have my own issues with disco, but an obol for charon is as close to the central core of trek that disco ever gets. cas and jack also like that one in particular because they like listening to all the different languages being spoken. they all love michael (everyone loves michael). cas’ faves are stamets and reno because they’re mean and gay, jack’s fave is tilly because she’s excitable and bright and he latches onto that. dean likes reno because she’s got spunk. sam’s fave is airiam and he will never forgive them for killing her off. sam, cas and dean all feel an uncomfortable kinship with both ash and culber - they’ve both been the one with monster teeming under the surface, controleld by something not themself, but they’ve also all spent that time in hell/purgatory, separated from everyone they love.

thinking about episodes that would really get to them all, darmok is. THE ONE. i have a whole unfinished essay about darmok as the platonic ideal of star trek; the perfect distillation of everything trek is SUPPOSED to be about. it doens’t always get there but by god it tries! that speech michael gives in the disco s2 finale - “There's a whole galaxy of people out there who will reach for you. You have to let them. Find that person who seems farthest from you and reach for them.” - that’s what darmok is about!!! it’s all about a situation where real communication seems impossible, where everything we know about talking and learning has broken down. and picard says, okay, i will find another way. i can’t relate to you, you can’t relate to me, but by god i’m going to try. we all meet people we have trouble communicating with in our lives, and often, those people will not care about changing their own ways to accommodate us. for people with autism, adhd, psychosis, the list goes on, this is a very common occurrence. it’s exhausting and frustrating and alienating. darmok is all about crossing that barrier. about reaching for someone through a world of difficulty and learning how to talk. learning how to share something with someone who seems out of our reach. it’s beautiful, it’s heartwrenching, it means more to me than i can easily put into words!

anyway i think the bunker fam would experience a lot of emotions watching it together. there’s defintiely a lot of hugging eachother, sam cries a lot and won’t look at anyone until after the episode ends. jack just asks a lot of questions and talks about his progress learning sign language with cas. dean snakes his hand into cas’ halfway through and doesn’t let go. doesn’t show the emotion on his face, but he clutches harder at the emotional beats. cas runs his fingers through jack’s hair and thinks a lot, and decides not to say anything unless dean talks first. its just a Lot for everyone.

dean def makes them marathon all the TOS and TNG movies. it’s an experience everyone needs at least once. i think you’re right about cas and TWOK with the ta’al through the glass, but also ‘this simple feeling’ and the hand hold would make him feel crazy. bones being the one that spock entrusts with his katra DEF makes dean feel some type of way because as much as destiel is kirkspock-coded, dean IS bones, and seeing spock trust bones so completely despite how at odds they were when they first knew eachother would dig deep into dean’s psyche and make him more than a little bit nutso. the movies are way too long for jack so he mostly sits and plays animal crossing while they watch and looks at the screen when everyone else gasps or when something exciting is happening that holds his attention for a while. sam’s fave is nemesis precisely because it’s terrible and he loves how camp it is.

dean has definitely seen all of trek. i refuse to believe someone who watches as much tv and films as dean wouldn’t sit and watch the whole shebang. i think he’s probably seen TOS and the TOS movies more than the others because its easier than sitting through 7 seasons, but i think rather than that being his favourite he’d just have really strong opinions about the best episodes of each one? like if you asked him what his favourite is he’d say you can’t answer that because they’re all so different from eachother

VOY - bride of chaotica, non seqitur, macrocosm for the favourite episodes. seven, janeway and tuvok would be his favourite characters. he think toms a bit of a knob but also feels a kinship with him for the similar brand of bab dad-ism but he wouldn’t be able to put that into words. he’s also a fierce defender of threshold being a good episode (he’s right for that)

DS9 - our man bashir it’s our man bashir. he doesn’t dislike ds9 but its very plot heavy and he didn’t care for it when he was younger. rewatching it after living through multiple supernatural wars he’d probably appreciate it more. i know for a fact he cries every time there’s an episode about sisko being a good dad. jadzia and garak are his faves

TNG - he LOVES q. he also absolutely will not be caught dead referencing how much loves q after cas comes into his life because sam will do the little brotherly knowing eyebrow raise at him and he will die of embarrassment. he regularly references ‘there are four lights’ because he’s a fucking nerd. he has made cas watch elementary my dear data and fistful of datas a half dozen times each at LEAST. cas KNEW how dean was going to be about the cowboy hat he’s defintiely got into full cowboy getup at home just for watching movies and in cas’ head star trek is fully to blame.

TOS - oh there are so many good TOS eps to choose from. obv he loves most of the series becuase TOS has MANY banger eps, his favourites are probably like. mirror mirror, amok time (baby dean defintiely had some kind of crisis watching it for the first time; i know the rituals are intricate). i know deep in my bones that dean watched the conscience of the king (introduction of the tarsus iv massacre) once and then spent his entire teenage years writing fic about that in his head, whether he posted it or not. dean related too much to those experiences of shared hunger. city on the edge of forever is one of everyone’s faves for a reason (and i’m STILL mad we never got a closer take on that episode in spn it could have been so fun).

ENT - he definitely thinks enterprise is stupid and he’s not wrong but he has also definitely watched it and been very repressed about the whole thing. mans was like oh i feel a kinship with malcolm reed the obviously repressed queer man. i will never examine this feeling ever again thank you <3 he also makes fun of archer for being obsessed with, of all sports, water polo. shran is his favourite character because he’s a little shit and makes him laugh, and t’pol, because t’pol is a badass and he’d appreciate that. i can’t remember the title of a single episode off the top of my head though lol.

i can see what you’re saying about sam being a TNG stan. i’m conflicted though, I feel like TNG’s generally the favourite of 1) obnoxious nerds who think knowing trivia facts makes them smart, 2) men desperately trying to seem masculine and 3) people who’ve watched it three times and have extremely complex thoughts on the personhood and rights of robots. i could see sam fitting into the third group, but people who are in it for the robot feelings are a coin flip between voyager and tng being the fave, and i just have a feeling that voyager would be his favourite. i know kid sam is getting gender envy watching voyager in shitty motels while dad and dean are out, trying to find the words for it. his first semester at stanford he talks a friend into giving him the janeway haircut and rides that high for months. sam’s favourite characters are seven and EMH.

sam and dean have definitely had dozens of long drawn out debates about philosophical topics in star trek. do the holograms deserve rights and if so which ones. are the romulans and vulcans still meaningfully the same people. was spock right for trying to foment reunification by going undercover on romulus. can the borg be redeemed. etc etc.

i haven’t seen any of picard at all so i can’t comment. i also think sam and dean probably read a lot of the trek books? they’re pretty common to find in secondhand bookstores and cheap, would have been even cheaper back in the day. sam probably doesn’t care for them much, dean has a few solid faves though. i’ve only read the disco books so i can’t comment anything specifically (besides the fact that i think dean read dead endless and cried like a baby), but some of the TOS and DS9 books are gay as hell and i know dean was eyes emoji-ing that shit.

#spn #spn fic #tfw 2.0 #treknatural

28 notes · View notes

melaninja-mo · 6 years ago

Text

Us (movie) Analysis/Theory pt 1 :

MEGA SPOILER ALERT!

Holy mackerel. I watched the movie Us finally, with a notebook and index cards to analyze everything I saw. Below I have amalgamated that information & I hope it satisfies you.

🎞 We all perceive the film differently, so this is my personal perception + analyses of symbolism. All themes play into the movie universe. At the end I will try and communicate what Jordan Peele may be trying to say externally for my “conspiracy” (truth) theorist.

🚨 Under constant edit.

✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️✂️

DUALITY is basically THE theme of the movie. Everything has a double meaning & can be tied to something else. Even the dialogue features mention of double and triple. I’m going to name the ones with 3 as well.

•Above world & the underground - 2 worlds

•Humans & their Clones - Double People

• 11:11 - Double 1’s & palindromic ** (I’m going to do a whole section on 11)

•I got 5 on it - Means going half for some dank.

•Black flag shirt in 1986 & On twin in present day

•Hands across America happened during the Gemini season. The zodiac representing twins.

•Mirrors & reflections everywhere

•2 large ambulances with the number 2 on them - One carrying life / The other carrying death

*3rd ambulance was between two those worlds.

•Lots of Black & white color placement

*Red is a third color seen a lot

•Generator & Back up generator - Power

•Jason wearing a Mask

•Big spider & Little spider on coffee table

•The white girl twins

*They say the same things all the way to triple jinx

•The story of the princess and her shadow

• Night & Day / Sun & Storm

•Jason & Pluto’s hand gestures are opposite of each other as they are walking backwards.

•The painting on the wall has a little girl inside of a deranged looking older woman

*Theres also a painting with 3 people in it

•Jason’s drawing is an over the shoulder drawing, which means 2 people in the picture

•The shadows on the beach create the illusion of a shadow family.

•The little girls hairballs are different colors in the therapy office

•The meaning of Hands Across America changes

•• One I thought of: Lighthouses are suppose to guide you to safety, but it did the opposite for young Adelaide.

Plot necessary Easter Eggs & Prop placement

•A shirt can be seen with “Fragile” on it

Nods to the underground

•A fact at the beginning of the movie brings up the underground and abandoned mine shafts.

•The game of Whack-A-Mole at the carnival - The game of keeping things underground.

•When they first arrive to the summer home, Adelaide is laying down on the couch. We see a spider on the coffee table with a little spider coming from under it.

•Jason digging tunnels at the beach

Classic movies & games

The movies are seen in the beginning next to the old style TV.

•C.H.U.D - An old movie, the title means “Cannibal human underground dwellers” I believe. Speaks for itself.

•The Man With Two Brains - Movie about a man who has a connection with a brain in a jar (Lol that is very vague, pls just search it.)

•The Goonies - Movie about kids going underground

•The Lost Boys is being filmed at the carnival during 1986. The title speaks for itself.

•Guess Who, Magic, and Candyland can be seen in the closet with Jason & Pluto

•Rock, paper, scissors is seen being played multiple times. Scissors is an obvious reference to the scissors, but I haven’t deciphered the others.

•Jason is wearing a Jaws shirt, a movie about a creature coming from below aaaaalso at a beach.

•Jason’s name is like Jason Voorheis who also wears a mask.

•The name of the House of mirrors goes from “Shaman’s quest” to “Merlin’s forest”

Elements

I’m glad I’ve seen other people notice this, but the elements, as there are 4 primary ones, are depicted within the 4 characters. I always look for this in movies with 4 main people.

Adelaide is Earth - Earth represents foundation. She was taken from her home & put in a completely opposite one. She has seen above & below ground. Values her family.

Gabe is Water - Loves his boat, wants to go to beach, kills his quarry on the pier.

Jason is Fire - Loves the magic trick, was in a fire previously. His double is a pyromaniac. The double also sits directly in front of the fire.

Zora is Wind - Is a runner & quick thinker. Her double is extremely fast.

Patterns & Colors

White - Adelaide is wearing white for most of the movie until it is stained red

Black - Used in the stairs to the underground, the power outages, the Thriller shirt,

Black & White - Jason’s bow tie shirt

Red - Name of Adelaide’s double, color of blood, color of pending danger. It’s also the color of the lamp over Jason’s bed & the color of the flare gun. Represents the color of the Tethered.

Checkboard - A Masonic print used in places for rituals

Stripes - I noticed them but haven’t figured it out! I shall though!

The Rabbit

•Seen in the underground

•Zora’s shirts - One is green with a rabbit on it, the other says “Thó” which is Vietnamese for rabbit.

•Adelaide is playing with a rabbit in the sandbox at the therapy office

•Adelaide has a toy rabbit in a box at the summer home

•Jason has a toy rabbit

*He keeps a rabbit at the end

THE NUMBER 11

In numerology, double numbers possess good meaning and usually mean change, transformation, growth, etc.

Here’s all the times I saw it.

•Jeremiah 11:11

•Channel 11 @ 11

• “I want number 11” Addy says at the carnival

• 11:11 on Jason’s clock

•Sports team score is 11/11 - Channel 11

•Black Flag T-shirt - 4 straight lines could be 1111

Random Key Things I Noticed

•If Red is the real Adelaide, and Adelaide is the clone; that means the clone gave birth to the children. Making the children half-tethered.

•Adelaide & Jason snap off beat, but Zora and dad sing on beat.

•Jason & Pluto have a very strong connection, because they are half-tethered. The twins even call Jason weird on the beach.

Which he is, because he’s digging tunnels. He’s also obsessed with masks, communicates strangely, and chooses the weirdest times to display emotion. Which could probably be a result of being half-tethered.

•The Thriller shirt. Not only do the lyrics go with what’s happening metaphorically, but Michael Jackson happens to go crazy with the duality in Thriller. He’s half man-half werewolf & also half alive-half dead. This plays directly into the movies theme.

•In the Bible verse mentioned, if you continue reading, it makes mention of Baal. How God knew the people were burning incense to Baal. Baal is baphomet, The goat demon. A principle associated with him is the “As above, so below”.

*There is a pentagram on the frisbee thrown at the beach.

*When Red holds the scissors towards the end of the movie, it is in the pose of Baphomet.

Class system?

•The people above ground have access to much more than those below. Like the class system seen in America.

•The white family friends had a backup generator, representing the amount of “Power” they had.

•Gabe asks “What are you?” not “Who are you?” Showing that he viewed the tethered as inhuman.

•The tethered do not speak, just like the lower classes have no social economic voice.

#Us movie #Us the movie #Jordan peele #lupita nyong'o #Horror #black art #Movies #cinema #theories #spoilers

133 notes · View notes

tnaypi3 · 5 years ago

Text

Pushkar & Jaipur

Starting our day early for our 4hr drive to Pushkar.

Our driver, Hassan sent his buddy and fellow cab driver, Raeez to go with us. I’m not a fan of these kinds of surprises but it ended up being a nice change of atmosphere. He was a quieter, chill dude and unlike Hassan who sometimes tries to sway me away from my itinerary while suggesting other things that are usually very touristy. Raeez, who even though doesn’t speak much English, is my favorite because he is kind, fuss-free, doesn’t have schemes up his sleeve and is definitely quirky in his own little way ;-)

Asked why Hassan couldn’t make it, Raeez said he found a good deal with an older tourist couple and will be touring them around Jaipur for the day.

The drive was long but smooth. The farther we get, the quieter and less congested the streets are. But because of less traffic, the switching of lanes has become more dizzying as your driver is picking up speed. Surprisingly, none of us got sick (literally) of this. I had an entire collection of essential oils for all sorts of sickness and we never got to use the one for motion sickness!

I’m very captivated, almost bewitched by the sight of these holy men

First camel sighting! Soooo exciting!!!

Pushkar is unlike anywhere else in Rajasthan. This small, yet enchanting town has a unique mix of mysticism, religious fervour, and magnetism. Life here is so simple and I got the most rural feel from this place compared to all the others that we’ve been to.

The town itself encircles a holy lake, thought to have been created when Lord Brahma vanquished a demon, Vajranash, using a lotus flower. The lotus flower fell to the ground, creating Pushkar lake. To this day, the town contains one of the world’s only Brahma temples, making it a prominent Hindu pilgrimage town that devout Hindus should visit at least once in their lives.

Each year, once the month of Kartika (a popular Indian feminine given name derived from the god Kartikeya, which means "bestower of courage") arrives, 200,000 people descend on Pushkar, bringing with them 50,000 camels and horses. The city is transformed into a colourful, heaving mass of animals, tourists, mystics and musicians and traders arrive to flog their livestock.

Although business is the main order of the day, once the fair starts, a vibrant and diverse cultural program draws in the crowds; snake charmers, wedding parades, sports and competitions for ‘best moustache’ or ‘most beautifully decorated camel’ fill up the schedule.

Aside from all of the festivities, Kartik Purnima is also the time when thousands of pilgrims arrive in Pushkar to bathe in the sacred waters.

The fair takes place in November. Lucky us? We sure feel like it. I kept blurting out “Alex, how are we in Pushkar, in the middle of a camel fair right now?!”

According to the internet, there are about 400 temples in Pushkar. We saw a handful, randomly picking out colorful or enigmatic, old looking ones to enter. The town hums and vibrates to the constant sound of chanting, drumming and incense-fuelled puja (act of worship).

Pushkar is considered sacred, so many rules that apply within India’s religious sites, apply within the town as a whole.

Consumption of alcohol, meat or eggs is not allowed within 2 km of the Brahma temple. Not that this affects us since we couldn’t eat anything here anyway. Most of the food spots are stalls, kiosk, or in tents and I didn’t want to risk it. Foreigners are always reminded that when in India, only eat at places that look like they have a legitimate kitchen and absolutely not a makeshift one, where many other foreigners are going, places that look clean and that observe proper sanitation, etc.

Everything looked yummy but one can never be complacent with picking out restaurants. We never let our guards down when it came to protecting our bellies!

We spent all early afternoon getting lost and weaving our way through a maze of stalls selling all kinds of goods from pots and lamps to spices, accessories, clothing, handcrafted bags and shoes, instruments, tapestries, etc. Admittely, I have a weakness for moments like this but I kept reminding myself that we really don’t have any room in our luggage for a shopping spree. I equally hated and loved being restricted in a haven like this, surrounded by all things pretty, exotic and cheap.

We spent too much time wandering around the bazaar and temple area with the intention of finding where the camels were kept. Finally we made our way to a more open space and found the stadium.

Sadly, they had the camel shows earlier during the day so we missed it. No losses here though. We were very much satisfied with all our camel sightings and encounters.

The Pushkar camel fair is a livestock festival which happens annually and falls on the Kartik moon according to the Hindu astrological calendar.

Camels from all over Rajasthan, Punjab and beyond will be showcased here and to in an effort to make them more alluring to prospective buyers, they’re decorated in all sorts of colorful pom-poms, elegant cloths, anklets, flowers and flair!

We were offered a lot of camel safari rides but refused each time. Out of the question! Our driver couldn’t understand why. He was upset but in a funny and cute way when he later on asked if we did the infamous tourist activity. We explained to him our stance on animal cruelty, even though we are well aware that the lines on this subject may be blurred and crooked in places and cultures like India’s. But we still tried. I think he understood what we were saying but stiil... ;)

Kartik Poornima is the full moon day and the main day of the fair. This is also where one can catch hundreds of Hindus bathing in Pushkar’s holy lake. The legends say this is the day that Lord Brahma, the creator of the world in Hindu mythology, created the very lake which still stands today.

This was moments before my attention was called by the city guards to tell me that photographs are prohibited. It was only then that it dawned on me.. Of course, because people are bathing here. We people-watched and roamed around for half an hour, observing men and women of all ages and coming from all walks of life praying and doing their rituals.

Wrapping up our Camel Fair adventures in Pushkar

Back in the cab

Budha Pushkar

As per our driver’s suggestion, we stopped by this prayer stadium and sacred ponds. It was not a popular place as we did not see many tourists or locals. So, in absolute silence we walked around and maybe have taken a moment to just gaze at the jade waters and majestic hills surrounding it. A nice way to end our Pushkar adventures before heading back to the city.

Good morning! Another full day in Jaipur to explore!

First stop: City Palace

Jaipur is often referred to by one of its many nicknames; The City of Gates, The Pink City or The Paris of India. However, the present-day metropolis that is modern Jaipur has been built on centuries of history. This is the ‘Land of the Kings’, the realm of maharajas, where majestic forts and opulent palaces are more numerous than anywhere else in India. No wonder why my Disney-adoring little girl heart has been borderline obsessed over seeing this part of India. This day is one of the main reasons I voted for Jaipur to be a part of our trip.

The splendors of Rajasthan’s past are still here to explore. At the centre of Jaipur, the elegant City Palace, still housing the former royal family, is an island of tranquillity.

Here you can enter through the pink outer walls to find a maze-like complex of gardens, courtyards, halls and buildings.

Sarvato Bhadra

The Sarvato Bhadra is a unique architectural feature. The unusual name refers to the building's form: a Sarvato Bhadra is a single-storeyed, square, open hall, with enclosed rooms at the four corners. One use of the Sarvato Bhadra was as the Diwan-e-Khas, or the Hall of Private Audience, which meant the ruler could hold court with the officials and nobles of the kingdom in a more private, intimate space than the grand spaces of the Sabha Niwas in the next courtyard, which was open to more people.

Several rooms

Pritam Niwas Chowk

Here, there are four small gates known as Ridhi Sidhi Pol. These gates are adorned with themes symoblising four different seasons and Hindu gods. At the centre, above each of the gates are miniature carved reliefs in marble dedicated to the respective gods. All four gates have beautiful, embossed brass doors.

I snapped 2 of 4 having grown tired of waiting in line for the rest of our fellow tourist to finish and move on

Mubarak Mahal

There is no doubt that the grounds are an architectural masterpiece. From the pink sandstone architecture in the pavilion, the intricate design of Mubarak Mahal, and the chiselled marble stone structures, the city palace is both elegant and artistic.

Leaving the City Palace on foot, we set off to Hawa Mahal. Surprisingly, Google Maps didn’t let us down. I successfully got us there without getting lost. I didn’t tell Alex but my heart was dancing, bursting with pride and satisfaction.

Absolutely adoring the scenes here

This was a photo snapped after seeing the monkeys squabbling. As we drew closer, we realized that they were shrieking and yelping at something or someone to the opposite side of the road, where a dozen middle-aged tourists were loving and snapping the monkeys in action.

Our theory is that perhaps one of the merchants hurt them in an effort to drive them away from the food/goods that they are selling. We all know how these Macaque’s can be aggressive and are expert thieves. Still not cool to hurt them though :(

The Hawa Mahal / Palace of Winds

We made it! I am shaking and my pulse is picking up again! The marvelous honeycomb facade of the Hawa Mahal looms over a traffic-clogged thoroughfare. The city’s pink-tinted walls are punctuated with 7 imposing, decorative gates. Look further to the right and you will find sprawling hilltop fortresses, Escher-like step wells, and temples left to the care of roaming packs of monkeys.

One of Jaipur’s most iconic and distinctive landmarks, the Hawa Mahal was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh as a way to allow ladies of the royal household to watch life on the streets below without being seen themselves. The five-storey tall honeycomb hive facade consists of 953 latticework windows for the ladies viewing pleasure.

For once, we decided to resist yet another tourist trap so we skipped paying for the Palace entrance fee and opted for a more underrated experience. Having googled another way to appreciate the Hawa Mahal, I led Alex to the opposite side of the street and looked for the entrance that would take us to the the Wind View Cafe which have absolute prime spots for viewing the structure’s magnificence to our hearts’ content. Or more like to my heart’s content. I love this day!!!

While trying to figure our where the cafe’s entrance was in the street level, I had another encounter with a young fellow. He and some others, like clockwork, came up to us. I asked if this door leads to the cafe, pointing to the entrance where my GPS brought us. He said yes and went ahead, taking the stairs up before I could say there’s no need to accompany us. On our way up, I thought “Ugh, here we go again. He’s not gonna let us get away without any kind of scheme or something”. It was a very narrow, tight squeeze climb with several flights of winding stairs. He stopped at the second to the last level and directed us to the Tattoo Cafe. I said we were going to the Wind View Cafe. He was being pushy so I stood my ground. He saw that I refused to be swayed and meant it. This had him upset and started acting sour. He says “You come to our home and you do this to us. You are not a good person”. Sounds familiar. Right away, I realized this is a formulaic dance of intimidation and mind games that some of them pull out from their back pocket in situations like this. Again, I apologized to him saying I didn’t mean to offend, explained my side while looking him in the eye. He left without another word. But the unwanted energy sure was lingering and thick as the smog outside.

The city’s bustling streets burst with colour and chaos. Cycle rickshaws weave among clouds of exhaust and soot as they dodge camels, cars and the occasional dawdling elephant. Swarms of motorbikes honk and buzz through the city’s vibrant marketplaces and grand gateways. Not the most relaxing breakfast with a view but we’ll take it!

Heading back to the City Palace to meet with or driver. Another mini adventure because we did not exactly have the name of the spot where he said he’d wait for us. I went by my memory of the small pocket where he said was a parking lot for cabs, marking it in my mind being remotely close to the Jantar Mantar, another tourist spot we opted out. But walking around, I realized that everything started looking alike. If we weren’t pressed for time, I wouldn’t mind getting lost but OMG, I have a serious itinerary and I wanna hit all the remaining spots before the day ends please!! This is our last day in Jaipur, if I haven’t mentioned that already!!!

After about 10mins of me oficially declaring to Alex that I think we’re lost, two girls passed by. I asked, pointing to a direction we haven’t tried yet, if the Jantar Mantar is that way. Giggling they said yes, I thank them with two fruit juices from our backpack and carried on. I wonder what was so funny? Haha!

Jal Mahal

It says a lot about the sheer quantity of beautiful buildings on display in Jaipur that the Jal Mahal, or ‘Water Palace’, isn’t overrun with visitors peering across Man Sagar Lake in the hope of glimpsing it. In any other city, it would be the main tourist draw. At the moment, the palace is undergoing extensive renovations meaning that it cannot be accessed but it is worth stopping off on the road if one is headed to the famous Japur forts.

Jaigarh Fort

An opulent structure built in the early 18th century in the city of Amer and is one of the major forts in Jaipur. It is located next to the magnificent Amber Fort. The main aim for constructing this fort was to protect the Fort of Amber from Invaders.

Breathtaking views!

Wanna see every nook and cranny of this stunning place

The Jaigarh Fort is a majestic stronghold built by Sawan Jai Singh II. This almost-intact fort is surrounded by huge battlements and is connected to the Amer Fort (also called 'Amber' Fort), with subterranean passages. Sadly it’s not accessible to the public.

The fort houses the world's largest cannon on wheels, a majestic palace complex and the assembly hall of the warriors known as 'Shubhat Niwas' along with a museum and an armory. Yeah, we skipped seeing the cannon part hehehe. We have better things to do!

The Amber Fort can be seen at the center of this photo.

The one thing you can see from anywhere in Amer are the huge red sandstone walls of Jaigarh Fort. It may seem endless from certain angles but it is only a total of 3kms long.

Shot and directed by Alex. I approve :)

The watchtower that offers a magnificent view of the landscape below

The stunning Amber Fort which we skipped because it’s too touristy

So ready for our favorite part of the day - food! hahaha

I’ve noticed that the farther we are from the touristy areas, the more authentic, less fuss and not overpriced our meals were. And these are our absolute favorite moments. Don’t get me wrong, we loved and adored about 95% of all our meals on this trip. At times though, as restaurants in busier areas attempt to cater to foreigners and make it universally palatable, the local cuisine almost loses it’s magic.

This is one’s for the books though and this day just kept getting better and better.

As we were finishing up our lunch, a commotion outside drew our and the rest of the diners’ attention. Our eyes fixed at the door and windows, without warning, there came monkeys leaping off roofs and running wild in different directions. Cab drivers, restaurant workers and tourists though laughing fondly at our primate friends were shooing them away from the dining areas.

Like our last few encounters with wild monkeys, we both couldn’t contain our excitement. Alex, as always finished before me so I urged him to go and I’ll catch up with him as soon as I finish and pay our bill.

As if we needed more min-blowing moments from this day... Fam and friends, I present to you the Grey Langur monkeys of Jaigarh Fort!!! WHAAAAT?!?!?!

It took me about 10 more mins to finish my food and find Alex. This is how I found him HAHAHA

Then this happened. I almost dropped to the floor and roll laughing

“NOOOO”

The Grey Langur is a group of Old World Monkeys.

They are large, inhabiting animal and mainly found in the areas which are located in the Indian Subcontinent. These langurs are generally of grey color, with a black face. Male grey langurs are up to 75 cm long and female langurs are 65 cm long

And according to the internet, historically and up to date, these guys at the fort have not harmed any human. They were just doing their own thing, monkeying around, pretty uninterested with us boring humans.

We did witness this particular shameless one who came on to a cab driver walking by who had a bag of Lays chips on hand. Without second thought, the driver surrendered his chips. And I’m not sure if it was already opened or not but the monkey was gorging on it right away.

Old chips thief!

Couldn’t get enough of this mumma and bebeh monkeh. Too precious!!!

These two pups were trying to engage the langurs in a playtime cuddle session but went unnoticed. We saw one in a submissive stance drawing himself close to the monkeys to no avail. Too cute!

As soon as we thought we were done for the day, on our way to the exit, a guard ushered us to what looked like a passageway to a tunnel. At first I wasn’t interested but for whatever reason, we still found ourselves walking into it moments later.

More surprises in store! More halls, courtyards, secret rooms and gardens. The tunnel also led us to what seemed like a hidden room but if you keep going, inside is a puppeteer who’s just waiting to give any one a show. Too content with everything we are experiencing, we passed on that.

It’s worth mentioning though, what an eerie yet fantastical vibe it was in there. I heard females, animated voices talking as I was entering that room but came to only saw one person, a man. In that moment it definitely gave me heebeegeebees. I kept telling Alex it sounded like there were more than one person in there.

With our super lovable and dear driver, Raeez. About 30mins before this picture was taken, all three of us in his cab felt completely lost and desperate in a maze of winding and bumpy roads in the middle of a residential area, passing though the tiniest alleys and roads of our lives which of course, our driver expertly navigated through without a sweat. We were reluctantly moving to another hotel for the night because our hotel messed up our reservations. It was a last minute booking but the good thing is it was right next to Jaipur Airport which we need to be at 8am the following day.

All our GPS kept leading us to vacant lots if not dead ends instead of our newly booked hotel. We couldn’t find a phone number in their website nor in the email confirmation I got from them. We asked a passerby but he has never heard of such hotel. Alex started thinking maybe I got scammed? Oh God. Everyone was tired and this is past the time we agreed with our driver. He patiently kept trying out different formats of our address in his GPS. We asked him to just leave us and we’ll find it by foot. He refused and made a face as if we said the most absurd thing in the world.

I don’t know how but we did find our hotel, enclosed in a gated community. We thank and hug Raeez tight and off he went.

What a day. What an unforgettable chain of experiences, vibrant Jaipur.

#mrmrsbecks

0 notes

samanthasroberts · 6 years ago

Text

‘I didn’t breathe for the last 10 minutes’: how we watch the World Cup

Photographer Christian Sinibaldi captures the joy and despair in British living rooms, as fans from Iceland to Iran, Serbia to South Korea, support their teams

When Christian Sinibaldi turned up at homes across England to photograph fans watching the World Cup, he was overwhelmed by every nationality’s hospitality. “And their food,” he says. “I’ve eaten a lot of crisps and beer, but also the traditional Brazilian dish of feijoada in north London, Mexican quesadillas and guacamole in Putney, and a lovely Moroccan tagine cooked on the barbecue in Letchworth.”

Sinibaldi sat with a fixed camera near the television screen and never asked anyone to pose: he didn’t need to. “Pretty much as soon as the match got under way, they forgot I was there.” He enjoyed watching the tension build. “Very few people left the room or changed positions throughout the game. They were glued to their chairs.”

It does mean that Sinibaldi has not watched any matches himself, because he has been looking the wrong way. “But I could nearly always tell when a goal was coming – I could see it in their faces.” There’s a reason he made time for the project this year: as an Italian, it’s one way of dealing with the fact his home side didn’t make the cut.

England 6 Panama 1

Cooper family, Milnrow, Rochdale, 24 June

Rick Cooper, 41, and wife Jo, 41, sons Leo, eight, and Aaron, four, Malc, 44, Alison, 72 Milnrow, Rochdale Timing is everything at Rick and Jo Cooper’s house, where the family are on countdown for England’s second match of the tournament, against Panama. With excited shouts of “Half an hour to kick-off” drifting in from the garden, the smell of burgers on the barbecue waft into the front room where the floor is strewn with balloons, inflatable clappers and St George’s flags.

The country is in the early grips of a heatwave and little do the Coopers – grandmother Alison, 72, uncle Malc, 44, Rick and wife Jo, both 41, and their sons, Leo, eight, and Aaron, five – know that the sunshine will not be the only turn-up for England.

Stones’ header puts England 1-0 up eight minutes in. “I missed it!” says Rick, distracted by Aaron walking in with lunch. But no one misses goals two, three, four or five – including two Harry Kane penalties – all before half-time. “This is unbelievable!” Rick shouts. “Football’s coming home.” The noise from the boys’ vuvuzelas is deafening.

“The boys were too little for Brazil 2014,” says Rick, a Manchester United season ticket holder, “so I’m enjoying watching this one with them. I was obsessed with skiing as a kid. But France 98, where Beckham got sent off, that really got me into football and I’m mad for it now.”

His brother Malc says, “You always have that hope with England, and it’s always been dashed. I remember Gazza with the tears at Italia 90, watching that with my late dad. And Maradona’s hand of God in 86, watching that on holiday in Torquay, around a tiny black-and-white TV. The injustice of it. But we’re perennial optimists, and with this young team, there’s a different mentality.”

Their mother, Alison, is the only one who saw England triumph in 66. She says, “The country couldn’t believe it. My late husband, Henry, he loved the game. He always said: ‘If they play football, they’ll murder ’em.’ He’d have been thrilled with this one.”

Brazil 1 Switzerland 1

Kiki Machado and friends, Crouch End, London, 17 June

Cristina “Kiki” Machado’s house is a sight, and sound, to behold during the Brazil v Switzerland game, what with the yells of the 30 people squeezed into the living room, the guitar music from Kiki’s tenant Caco Barros (at front, glass in hand) and the green-and-yellow stars chalked on the pavement outside. “We drew six,” says Kiki (in hat), “because Brazil has won five times – we drew one more for luck.”

Kiki’s living room is packed out with her “north London family”, friends collected over 20 years in this country, from Brazil, England, Lithuania, Serbia and Italy. When she arrived, her godmother gave her the number of her best friend’s daughter, Luciana, who was living in London. She never called, but seven years later they met by chance in the local library at a singalong for their children.

“My family in Brazil said people aren’t celebrating there the way we are,” Kiki says. “It’s natural when you’re away from your country to find your people and cheer together.” She remembers as a child how everything stopped during a World Cup game, so when Martha asked if she could come home from school early for the match, she said, “Of course. Your teacher will understand.”

After their 7-1 defeat by Germany in 2014, Brazilians are approaching this World Cup with trepidation. “I’m in defence mode,” says Janaína Campoy, 44 (on right, wearing glasses). “That game was a tragedy. It came just as things were going badly for us politically and economically. We lost confidence as a nation.”

The self-esteem of an entire country seems a lot to put on 11 men, but they don’t let them down. After the match, they party until midnight, because that’s the Brazilian way to celebrate a draw. “When we won in 2002, that party lasted 24 hours,” Kiki says. “The hangover lasted a week.”

Senegal 2 Japan 2

Adama Karde and friends, Ancoats, Manchester, 24 June

The music and the chat don’t stop at Adama Karde’s city centre flat. Adama, 44 (in front of picture), a musician, came to the UK from south Senegal in 2008 and the green, red and yellow of his home country is all around his living room: on flags, posters and djembe drums.

Watching with his partner Neilum Singh, 43 (second from right), and friends Iain Dixon (far right), 40, and Lamin Conteh, 42 (far left), Adama cannot hide his excitement. “Senegal is like Brazil,” he says. “Everyone plays football. When I was a boy, my neighbour was manager of the local team. He taught me, too – I’m a good player.”

An early goal from Senegal superstar Sadio Mané sends them wild: the music and chants get louder, and the energy soars. When Japan equalise, Lamin booms: “It’s game on. Game on.” But when Japan equalise a second time, the mood deflates.

“I wanted more,” Adama admits at full time. “They got the opportunity to win, but there were a few mistakes. They need to change tactics now.”

For him, the World Cup couldn’t get much sweeter than 2002, when Senegal beat title holders France in the first game and reached the quarter-finals. He watched back home, crowded around a neighbour’s TV. “When Papa (Bouba Diop) pushed that ball inside, it felt as if we could beat anybody.”

Neilum agrees: “They love their sport in Senegal. Because people have limited access to technology, they’re forced to share a TV, sometimes outside, sometimes in a cinema. Watching football with West Africans is electric – it’s just fire.”

Morocco 0 Iran 1

Essakhi family, Letchworth, 15 June

Before most Morocco matches, Mohammed Essakhi, 54 (in cap), finds himself in the kitchen cooking nibbles for friends coming over. He’s a school head chef and caterer, focusing on Moroccan and Spanish food. For this game, his starters include hummus, tzatziki and stuffed peppers. The barbecue comes after, “because when there’s a football match on, we want to watch it”.

Balbair Chahal, 42 (pictured front left), works with Mohammed at the school; Phil Moore, 56, and Amanda Brosnan, 50 (centre), are friends and fellow Leicester City supporters. They watch the game with Mohammed’s wife, Rosalind, 56, his nephew, Kaeran Duff, 30, his son, Nizar, 16, who is training with Watford and hopes to go pro, and his daughter, Azza, 22 (far right).

The 1-0 loss to Iran is “a bit of a let-down”, because the team played well, says Mohammed. Azza points to an important difference: “Footballers in England are so famous – it’s good to see people from your own background compete on the same platform.”

“I would love Morocco to win,” Mohammed says, “but realistically, it’s not going to happen. What would really make me proud is seeing Morocco host the World Cup. We’ve been asking for about 20 years.” His best football memory is the 3-1 victory against Portugal in 1986: “I was still living in Casablanca, and I remember youngsters celebrating in the street. Nobody thought it would be possible. At that time, Africa had only two teams that had qualified.”

Azza, who recently graduated, is working in Morrisons, and is delighted to wear her Morocco shirt to work when the team play Portugal a few days later. “It was to raise money for Clic Sargent [a cancer charity for young people]; we pay a pound to wear the team shirt. It was a real conversation starter. That’s what I love about the World Cup: the unity. No matter what happens or what team you support, there’s a conversation you can have with anybody.”

Japan 2 Colombia 1

Nishi family, Acton, London, 19 June

Naohiko Nishi (on right) and his eight-year-old son Atsuhiko (next to him) have no special food or drink, hang no flags, have no good-luck rituals. What they do have is a Japanese guidebook to the World Cup, with detailed information about every player: how old they are, what kind of a player. This is consulted very regularly.

Today the Nishis – Naohiko and his wife Akiko (far right), their sons Atsuhiko, eight, and Takahiko, six (front right) – are watching the game with their friends Hiro and Shiho (on left), and their children Masa, 12 (on floor), and Iroha, nine (with giraffe). The children are keen footballers: Masa, Atsuhiko and Takahiko all play at the nearby Football Samurai Academy. Atsuhiko plays football three days a week, and says he hopes to play for Japan when he’s older. For him, the best moment of this game is Shinji Kagawa’s penalty, secured in the game’s sixth minute after a handball from Carlos Sánchez: “It was kind of scary before he took it – we were very surprised that we won.”

His father agrees: manager Akira Nishino was appointed just two months before the World Cup began. “To be honest, Colombia is much better than Japan. They got a red card, which was so lucky for us. Winning this match was a great moment – because in the 2014 World Cup, Japan didn’t get a good result.” Though they were the first team to qualify, Japan failed to make it out of the group stages.

For Naohiko, the joy of this competition has been watching Japan improve their standing on the world stage. “Japan didn’t join the World Cup until 1998. Only some of them played in Europe at the time – whereas now almost all the Japanese players play for Europe. The quality has got much better and their confidence has increased.”

The win against Colombia, and a subsequent draw against Senegal, will be hard to beat, though Naohiko still holds dear his memories of the 2002 World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan: he was able to attend the opening game – where he watched Japan draw against a “very strong” Belgium.

Iran 0 Spain 1

Shirin Azari and friends, Bromley, 20 June

If only Vahid Amiri, the Iranian striker, could hear the chant from the mothers, teachers and former students of Iyda, or the Intercultural Youth Development Association, a Farsi-speaking community in south London: “Vahid pa Talayii omide team e mayii (Goldenfoot Vahid, you are our team’s hope).” Sadly, his golden foot doesn’t save the day: Iran’s only goal in the game against Spain is offside and they lose 1-0.

It is a women-only party, organised by Shirin Azari (behind sofa, in white Iran T-shirt) with friends in Bromley. “We often get together for food and gossip and chat,” says her friend Pupak Navabpour, whose children learn Farsi at Iyda. Food is the focus at these events, and it is all set up before people arrived, “so you can eat with your eyes first”.

Shirin has made dolmas and Turkish burek, and serves them with rosebud and cardamom black tea brewed in a samovar, followed by gaz (almond nougat) and nabat (crystal sugar) on sticks. “That is what we do when ladies get together,” she says. “The group was singing Iran Iran by Arash, dancing and chanting in Farsi.”

“I think Iran are really good at defence, one of the best,” says Shirin, “but not attack. Even if they try to score, there’s nobody there; they keep themselves to their own goal.” Despite her criticisms, she is proud of her team, “because they don’t have the facilities or coaches that western countries have.”

Pupak agrees: “It was gutting that the goal was disallowed. They defended well and almost scored a few times – even though they lost, I think they did quite well.”

Pupak started taking Farsi classes as an adult when she realised she was beginning to struggle with her mother tongue. Now her children go every Saturday. “My youngest said, ‘But Mummy, I’m English.’ Even though I’ve spent most of my life here, I don’t feel that kind of belonging. When I watch Iran play in the World Cup, I suddenly feel that connection to home.”

Serbia 1 Costa Rica 0

Bogdanovic family, London, 17 June

On 17 June, Serbia won their first World Cup game in eight years. The more superstitious might have the Bogdanovics to thank for it: “We sit in the order we were sitting in 2010, when Serbia won against Germany,” says Deanna, 47 (on left). “We try to recreate exactly what happened that day, so we can win in the future.” Serbian snacks must be on the table and everyone must dress for the occasion.

Deanna and Brian, 47, moved to London 20 years ago; soon they will have spent more of their lives here than in Serbia. “Often you question where home really is,” Deanna says, “but the World Cup erases that feeling. I’m not usually into football, but the World Cup turns me into a completely different person. When we scored,” she says of the winning goal, “it was such an amazing feeling. I don’t think we breathed for the last 10 minutes.”

The only year-round football fan in the family is 15-year-old Vuk. Serbia haven’t qualified for the World Cup for more than half his lifetime, and he remembers being a small boy watching Serbia beat Germany. “Back then, Stojkovic was my favourite goalkeeper, and he saved a penalty. That was a proud moment.” His ritual during the game is never to jinx it by being overconfident: “Even if we were 3-0 up, I’d still keep my mouth shut until the final whistle.”

Iceland 0 Nigeria 2

<source media="(min-width:" 980px)" sizes="1125px" srcset="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b792b6db8e4727e00f5611d69442c7ef5ca5b978/178_388_6751_4316/master/6751.jpg?w=1125&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=a7d192e7be129093071d85a80b4ddb65" 112

Source: http://allofbeer.com/i-didnt-breathe-for-the-last-10-minutes-how-we-watch-the-world-cup/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2019/01/15/i-didnt-breathe-for-the-last-10-minutes-how-we-watch-the-world-cup/

0 notes

allofbeercom · 6 years ago

Text

‘I didn’t breathe for the last 10 minutes’: how we watch the World Cup

Photographer Christian Sinibaldi captures the joy and despair in British living rooms, as fans from Iceland to Iran, Serbia to South Korea, support their teams

England 6 Panama 1

Cooper family, Milnrow, Rochdale, 24 June

Brazil 1 Switzerland 1

Kiki Machado and friends, Crouch End, London, 17 June

Senegal 2 Japan 2

Adama Karde and friends, Ancoats, Manchester, 24 June

“I wanted more,” Adama admits at full time. “They got the opportunity to win, but there were a few mistakes. They need to change tactics now.”

Morocco 0 Iran 1

Essakhi family, Letchworth, 15 June

Japan 2 Colombia 1

Nishi family, Acton, London, 19 June

Iran 0 Spain 1

Shirin Azari and friends, Bromley, 20 June

Pupak agrees: “It was gutting that the goal was disallowed. They defended well and almost scored a few times – even though they lost, I think they did quite well.”

Serbia 1 Costa Rica 0

Bogdanovic family, London, 17 June

Iceland 0 Nigeria 2

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/i-didnt-breathe-for-the-last-10-minutes-how-we-watch-the-world-cup/

0 notes