Torn Allegiances

MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!

My heart, my mind, my life seemed to be in two places at the same time. 

It’s not the first time I’ve felt this way. It has become an all-too-familiar feeling during my 33 years living abroad.

When I first boarded that airplane at the Kansas City Airport at the age of 19 to fly to the other side of the world, I was not expecting this.

I was not expecting a torn heart.

I love America. I love Europe. I love my family here. I love my family there. I love English. I love French. I love Arabic. I love Spanish. I love McDonalds. I love couscous. I love Coquilles St. Jacques. I love churros. I love pancakes. I love crêpes.

I love soccer. I love American football.

My heart was really divided the other night. 

I sat in the freezing cold, watching the reserve team of Real Madrid play a great match. The score was 1-1, exciting, intense.

Photo by Vienna Reyes on Unsplash

My son had received complementary tickets to the game from an acquaintance who worked at the soccer club, or “club de fútbol,” as they say there in Spain. It was a great opportunity and one that I didn’t want to miss.

We were all bundled up in our heavy coats, stocking caps, and gloves, drinking ice cold Coke and eating sunflower seeds. They didn’t have popcorn for sale at the Spanish concession stand. Sunflower seeds offered us a nice change of pace. 

I forgot how long it takes to suck on a salty sunflower seed shell, decipher in your mouth which parts to eat and which parts to discard, separate with your tongue and teeth the shell from the seed, spit out the shell in the small “trash sack” provided by the concession stand, and then, finally, enjoy crunching and swallowing the hidden treasure of a tiny sunflower seed. Then, begin the process again—over and over, one by one.

It certainly entertained us.

From 8-8:55 p.m., I was fully focused—on sunflower seeds and on good Spanish soccer.

I could feel the tension rising, however. The clock was about to strike 9:00, and at 9 p.m., I had another appointment.

The NFL Playoffs were well underway. It was the last game before the Super Bowl, and my beloved Chiefs were still hanging in there.

A Midwest girl from Kansas City, Missouri does not easily forget her roots. The red of Kansas City and its Chiefs are forever in my blood.

I handed my phone to my son and asked him to please find me the best streaming site available. 

There it was, the pre-game show. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were preparing to step on to the field.

“Here they go!” I screamed as quietly as I could.

Photo by Adrian Curiel on Unsplash

I put one ear bud in and handed the other one to my 11-year-old son who was as excited as I was to watch the American football game. He was perhaps getting a bit bored with the 1-1 tied soccer game we had been watching for the past hour.

“That way we can hear both games at the same time,” I told him with a smile.

“Kick off!” I screamed.

“Mom, you have to be quiet,” my older son said, feeling a bit embarrassed about his obnoxious mother.

“Touch down!” I screamed with my hands raised to the sky.

“Mom, be quiet! You’re loud and distracting!”

“I can’t help it! We just scored in the first possession!”

For the next hour, I went back and forth between my screen and the live playing field in front of me.

I watched free kicks, corner kicks, penalties, throw ins, and goals, while also watching throws, runs, punts, field goals, and touchdowns.

It was a wild swirl of excitement in my heart and mind as my eyes jolted from screen to field, hearing American sports commentators in one ear and Spanish commentators in the other.

“Look there,” I said, pointing to the man sitting in the row in front of us. “He’s watching another game on a screen, too. I’m not the only crazy one with torn allegiances.”

“It’s not an American football game, though, it’s another soccer game,” my son said with a laugh.

As the Real Madrid game ended, we walked slowly back to the car. I had to watch carefully where I was stepping, while at the same time, watching my phone screen. My Chiefs were still in the lead, and I didn’t want to miss a single second of the playoff game.

When we reached the warmth of our car, I turned off my bluetooth and removed my ear bud. The entire family listened to the Chiefs game as we drove home from the soccer field.

Thankfully, there’s no Real Madrid soccer game on Sunday, February 12, 2024 when the Chiefs play in the Super Bowl. Although, it wouldn’t matter, I guess, because the Super Bowl game starts at 12:30 a.m. here in Spain! No soccer players are on the field at the time of night!

Sunday, I will have no torn allegiances. I will be sitting on my couch in my warm house, curled up in fleece blankets, with ice cold Coke and popcorn—200% focused on my beloved Kansas City Chiefs!

Go Chiefs!

Photo by Brock Wegner on Unsplash

—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER

MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—”THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!

LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!

What about you? Have you ever felt torn between allegiances? Have you ever felt torn between two places, two people, two things you love? How did you reconcile the two?

We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.

SIGN UP FOR “LET’S WEAVE CULTURES” NEWS!