The first pang of Heimweh

Saturday was a rather fun filled day. In the morning I went to my very first Einschulung, which is a German tradition for kids starting school. On the first day of first grade the kids come to school with their families and bring a Schultuete, pictured right, and celebrate their registration. After that, I went shopping for a few hours with the daughters of my landlady, then I came home, went on my daily run, showered, and sat down in search of the Arkansas Razorbacks game.

As a born and bred Arkansas Razorback, Razorback sports are something that have always been a part of life, especially Razorback football. I graduated from the University of Arkansas, my brother graduated from the University of Arkansas, my father graduated from the University of Arkansas, and thus it is a family tradition. Singing the fight song, calling the Hogs and yelling obscenities at the refs, are things I, as well as so many other Arkansans, was born knowing how to do. You could say it's in my blood. So, when I decided to spend a full year in a foreign country, I knew it would be a long, hard football season for me. Especially since the Razorbacks are actually ranked this year, which is a rare occurrence, but true fans love them all the same. I almost cried with joy when I discovered I would actually have the chance to watch my beloved hogs play in their first SEC game against Georgia. I tried not to cheer to loudly when we scored, or swear too loudly when they scored, because I knew that I would probably scare my landlady. In the end, we had a glorious 31-24 victory....and I cried like a baby.


In the beginning I was crying tears of pride. I was so proud that my hogs won their first conference game, even while they were on the road. But the tears quickly became more somber, and I reflected on the fact that if I were back home, I would be cheering and singing and drinking with all my fellow Razorback fans. We might then go to Dickson Street to continue our celebrations, with actions that would probably end up on textsfromlastnight.com. 


Of all the times I've been abroad, I've never had such a severe case of homesickness. I felt slightly ridiculous to begin with, but then I realized that there are surely several things that led to this episode, the game was the spark to set it off, and it's probably normal. In then end, I'm just one hell of a fan.