Genova is one of those places where something sublime seems to happen most days.
Monday I finally slowed down and organised myself here at Paola's place. I was expecting/planning a quiet night but suddenly it became one of those extraordinary evenings that involved me following instructions, boarding a bus and arriving at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, home of the Genoa football team.
Extraordinary because I started following the Genoa back in those days when I lived in New Zealand. I was a rugby kind of woman in some ways but sport is religion back home and so I was open to being curious about most sports.
In Istanbul, Genoa kept me safe when my students (always) asked which team I supported ... Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, or Trabzonspor? I would calmly reply, Genoa. Shocking them into acceptance.
In Belgium, I attempted to switch my support to Antwerp but found I couldn't. Genoa had occupied that part of my heart and there was no point in trying to change.
And so I follow their news here and it works well enough. The games appear as live text. I was fine with this (because I had to be) but last night ... LAST NIGHT I WAS AT THE GAME.
Ohmygoodness. You know when something is so amazing that you can't believe it is real?
It was like that.
When I first started following the team, I lived more than 16,000kms away. Last night, there was the team, directly below me. And they were good.
I think this is the best team since I began following although, I should note that one has to reserve large amounts of pessimism and display almost no hope, for fear of jinxing a good run but the team this year ... it's good. Really good.
So, yesterday's sublime was finally attending a game at the superb Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
A huge grazie mille to those who made it happen.
