In yesterday’s post, I wrote that I would go to the Fan Zone after all the final exams are over. And yet at 5pm yesterday, I went to the Fan Zone. How ironic. I could not stand the photos posted by some ‘Pages’ I ‘liked’ on Facebook and also a few of my friends’ photos.
Oh yeah, I was also motivated by the Poland national team supporters who passed by my apartment building singing and cheering along the way. They were all in red and white. Polska…biało czerwoni!!!
Epic isn’t it?
When I got out of my house, I was kind of hampered by the fact that most of the people I passed by along my way to the bus stop were not in red and white and I was the one wearing the colour code. Who’s the foreigner now?
But not until I got in the bus, a few were in red and white. And as the bus went further, I was sooo glad that the city is filled with the two colours! As I reached Centrum, I was totally hyped up! But, being somewhat short among the crowd and alone at that moment, I was a little bit afraid, the rest of my friends were at the Hard Rock Cafe in front of Zlote Tarasy. What with the smell of alcohol and a few red faces of drunkards, how could I not be afraid? (Oh, the Poles can be drunk anytime)
Fast forward, I was at the entrance of the Fan Zone facing the Hard Rock Cafe. My friend told me that the entrance was not that packed compared to other entrances. When I was already the next one to enter, the guard called some guys instead of me. Then I realised he was calling them first, so that it would be easier for the security check. A few guys were denied entrance, drunks probably.
After 10 minutes or so near one of the grandstands, I saw my friends. The crowd, I don’t know how to explain it, but it was unbelievable! During the first half of the match between Poland and Greece, we watched from a screen but it was not as big as the main screen. We cheered for Poland’s first goal there. I was so excited. The whole crowd were!
During the half-time break, half of us went home because they need to study, while the 5 of us including me, squeezed our way to the big screen. Of course I need to study too, but I just couldn’t leave before the match ends. Anyway, we managed to go to the area where the main grandstand and the largest screen were, just before the second-half started.
I can say that I preferred the crowds there. To our left was the place for all the cameramen with all their gigantic lenses and gadgets. (My friends and I got a little bit attention from some cameramen, thanks to our ‘foreign’ faces) 
I was crushed (don’t worry, not literally) when Greece scored a goal for themselves and also when our goalkeeper was given a red card. The excitement came back to us right when the penalty goal for the Greeks were blocked by our substitute goalkeeper. We sang along to the Biało Czerwoni anthem, we screamed Polska with the crowds, it was one of my best experience ever. I don’t care how long I have to stand on my toes to watch the match, I was enthusiastic as ever. What can I say, the people around me are tall, except for my friends.
“Jeszcze jeden! Jeszcze jeden!” (One more time! One more time!) All of us were hoping that Poland would score another goal, unfortunately, the match ended with a draw. But our spirit for Poland to win it’s first match never extinguished. We still cheered and applaud at the end of the match.
I hope Poland to win the next match against Russia. That would be on the 12th of June, the day I will sit for my Pathomorph exam. I thought I was going to make a short post for this one, but looks like I’ve done it again. Yeah, babbled all the way from the start. So, take care people!
Proud Malaysians. Polska…biało czerwoni!!!
With love from Warsaw
(I’m going to appreciate the phrase above years from now when I got back to Malaysia and missing Poland) Better make the best of it while I’m still here. Cześć!
My previous post on EURO 2012:
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