I have been to some pretty epic Super Bowl parties in my day. They are epic for different reasons: Maybe the game was spectacular, maybe there was a massive snowfall during the game that nearly left us stranded at the party, maybe Crystal Pepsi was introduced to the world. (remember that?)
Yum.
I also have watched some epic sporting events overseas, ranging from the World Cup in Spain to the Elite Eight in Panama. But last night was my first expat Super Bowl.
The most glaring difference between watching this epic contest--where boys become men and the Who plays at halftime--in the U.S. and in Abu Dhabi is the kickoff time. In the U.S., it's a comfortable 5:30 p.m. Central time. In the Dhabs... it's 3:30 a.m. Ouch. Not the best time for beer and cheese dip, especially if you have to be at work seven hours later. My plan was to take a "nap," wake up at 3 and take a cab over to the watch party.
It was a little surreal. If you just focused on the fact that it was dark out and didn't look at your watch, the surreality was minimized, but I have to say that when the sun began to come up in the fourth quarter, I knew the rest of Super Bowl Monday was going to be painful.
But the game itself was a lot of fun. Thanks to a playoff pool (and Manning's interception) I left Dh500 wealthier. I ate junk food I should have ignored and had a great time mocking the broadcast with a mix of Canadians, Brits and Americans. And then I caught a ride home to Tanker Mai in the dawn's early light.
Good times. I just wish I could have stayed in bed longer.
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