Fresh Air

This World Cup is unlike any other.

2002 was my first. I was in my fourth grade, and it was in Korea-Japan. Most matches happened during or after I finished dinner and homework. It was pleasant.

2006 was during my eight grade. Junior high. It was held in Germany, so most matches happened during Indonesian bedtime. Plus, it was school break so I had to enjoy almost all matches. It was wonderful.

2010 was in between my high school graduation and university preparation. Of course I had all the time to follow each and every single one of the match. It was probably the best World Cup for me.

2014 was long after I graduated college, during my freelance era. It was half the world away in Brazil but we were in the middle of Ramadan. Most matches were aired during Suhoor so I couldn't complain the beautiful timing!

Now 2018... is "fresh air" to me.

I'm in the middle of my career start. My work is crazy demanding, my side job is budding rapidly before my very own eyes, and my traveling lust is bursting out of control. I just returned from Bali in March, Macao in April, and Korea in May, an ambitious travel series I never had before, and my company never encountered before, so now, when I'm currently in Jakarta, they don't let me breathe.

So watching the World Cup seems like a literal fresh air to me.

It distracts me from my work, although just for a while because afterwards I'll be back to my desktop. It gives me and my colleges something else to talk about besides works. It brings us together in fresh new ways, be it from sleepover at our big sis coworker, to a nobar at the office meeting room.

If you compare this World Cup with the last two, where I acted like a real football critic and posted tons of pretentious blogposts, this one's a big real downfall. I was so busy with works, and with preps of my upcoming trips, that I missed on a lot of football talks with my blog.

Thank God at least the World Cup itself is so fun to watch, and the atmosphere to enjoy it with my coworkers wasn't that bad either.

Also, thank God because the final match itself was somewhat another fresh air too.

Thanks, World Cup 2018.
You gave me an escape
To breathe