Men's Soccer Blog
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July 19
Junior Abiola Sandy recalls his experience in Germany while playing for the U-21 Trinidad and Tobago national team.
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Trinidad, Chaguaras
My experience in Germany was one that I will never forget. The people were friendly, transportation was easy, the food was delicious, the fans were ridiculous and the accommodations varied depending on how much you were willing to spend. The German people were also very welcoming and ready to help with any problems.
I thought Germany did a very good job of hosting the World Cup; they were well organized and took a lot of precautionary measures. The only social problem I personally encountered, was that two in every three people smoke, hypothetically speaking.
As for transportation, in my opinion, there is a possibility they are superior to the United States. Means of transportation available were taxis, trams, buses and trains. Every establishment had the number for a cab company on speed dial and made it very convenient to travel short distances.
I never took the tram but it works like a bus and there is a stop almost every two blocks. The trams and buses are mainly used for very short distances, but there are some people that use it for longer distances. I think the long distance riders used it mainly for the rates that are fixed and minimized. The trains are used for long distances. The "ICE" is the express train and only stops in major cities. The other trains stop often and it is also much, much slower.
Most of the food was scrumptious and well seasoned; and though there were a variety of different foods available, the Germans have a liking to sausages like Americans to burgers. Something I observed was that you never got ice in your drink unless you asked and most of the drinks were served at room temperature. I asked a waitress for ice in my water and she looked at me as though I broke a law. Staying on the temperature issue, only the best rooms at hotels had air conditioning. I spoke to one of the girls at the front desk at the hotel in Dortmund and she said that the reason for that was that it is usually cold year round.
Supporters went all out to support their teams with weird hair-styles and painted faces and bodies. Females took the body paints a little too far, but the male viewers were not mad at all- actually they were quite pleased! Before the Sweden vs. Trinidad and Tobago game I witnessed a "Trini" male tell a Swedish fan the score would be 2-0 in favor of Trinidad and they both laughed and started a conversation about what team is better. The atmosphere I encountered was very friendly- especially for the rival teams; in fact we had more German supporters at our last game than "Trini's"! Violent acts did occur in some cities and a lot of people were arrested for misconduct. The German authorities did a marvelous job and I must commend them on the order they keep throughout the country for the tournament Most of all I enjoyed my experience there and I will definitely visit Germany in the future.
