LIM College

Here in Great Britain “football” is soccer. It is the main sport of the country, everyone loves it, and there are as many stadiums here as there are shopping malls in the tri-state area.

The Brits are not very keen on American football. They barely understand the downs, what constitutes a flag, and why groups of large men constantly run on and off the field. However, American football is something that defines American culture just as much as soccer defines British culture. With that said, the twelve of us in this program from LIM decided: what better way to celebrate America than by having our very own Super Bowl party in our apartment building?

None of us have televisions because the UK requires a TV license and a fee, and we could not be bothered. Our common room in Liberty Fields, the complex we all live in, has a television, seating arrangements, a foosball table and basically all the requirements for a makeshift party and a good time.

Because of the five hour time difference we all met at 11 pm with a bundle of snacks: Pringles, French fries, oranges, Nutella, Oreos, peanut butter, chips and salsa (obviously all really healthy food) and we got the party started. Christina Aguilera singing the national anthem had some of us moved enough to not realize she did not sing the proper lyrics. 

However, the moment that had all of us quite emotional was, hands down, the halftime performance. During the game we were all upset the commercials were not streaming from America but the halftime performance made up for all of that. Once the Black Eyed Peas came on and the dancers on the field were glowing, all of us were out of our seats jumping up and down having our own dance party! After Usher performed and “Where is the Love” came on, we all stood in a circle holding hands swaying back and forth and honestly found the love.

It has been great so far experiencing a new culture and way of life but it is also always nice to do something that reminds you of home and really shows our connection to one another.