So I’m learning about soccer from my son. We are currently in France (which is beautiful) but I’m experiencing some cognitive fatigue from hearing French and trying to translate it into English in my head. I feel like a second grader in a room full of adults. I’m learning about a whole new country’s history, culture and language (all of which I love) but it is a lot to take in all at once.
I don’t know much about sports. But I do know that in France soccer is football but in America, football is an entirely different sport. It’s an interesting psychological experiment where you hear a word and it conjures up a completely different image in your head from what everyone else around you is thinking.
So imagine my surprise when my son comes to me and says what sounds like:
“Holland scored.”
I’m imagining the Netherlands. I reply, “I thought they’re out of the World Cup.” He gives me a confused look and said, “He’s in the World Cup. They are going to the quarterfinals.”
“You mean the Netherlands is in the World Cup now?”
“No, Holland is in Norway.”
“What?” How can Holland which is the Netherlands be in Norway?
It suddenly feels like I’m on a comedy sketch like Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?”
“Holland is playing for Norway.”
He then realizes why I’m confused and explains he meant the Norwegian soccer player, Erling Haaland. So I look him up and I see this in my google search:
I was so confused by the NO. Why did he say it wasn’t worth the 28 year wait? So I kept digging and found the original photo which I posted at the top. And I realized he posted the emoji of the Norway flag and for some reason, the 2 letter abbreviation for Norway appeared instead of the flag: NO. The confusion finally cleared. Mystery solved! It’s a great example of the importance of research.