With multimillion-dollar commercial spots and gallon-sized containers of nacho cheese, Super Bowl Sunday is, to many, the embodiment of American excess.
In the United States, the first Sunday in February has been elevated to nearly holy day status. This year’s event was viewed in 70 percent of American television-owning households, and a petition to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday has gathered more than 70,000 signatures.
As one would expect, there isn’t much of the same fanfare among Europeans toward what many Americans call the big game. However, several of my non-American friends in the dormitory expressed interest in the game’s result even if they didn’t care enough to stay up and watch.
Given my 6-hour time difference and lengthy to-do list, I knew I would be forced to miss this year’s Super Bowl. Blasphemous, I know.
Engrossing oneself in the commercials and performances may be an American pastime, but interest in American football seems to be growing, albeit slightly, into a global phenomenon, even as its health and safety risks become subject to more intense scrutiny back home.
Still, while my Facebook and Instagram feeds were abuzz with praise of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and memes ridiculing the Atlanta Falcons’ biblical second-half collapse, the weekend’s soccer matches were a hotter topic of discussion around Maastricht, the Netherlands, on Monday morning.
The longer I’ve spent in the Netherlands, the more American I’ve felt. Of course, I certainly don’t regret missing out on something as trivial as the Super Bowl, but as the time I’ve spent in Europe approaches four weeks, I’ve begun to notice the absence of things I’ve grown accustomed to quite a bit more.
I’ve realized American culture has trained me to expect things immediately and without delay. In restaurants, I’m used to a waiter swiftly collecting my empty plates and handing me the bill.
Here, everything moves more slowly. No one ever seems to be in a rush, and restaurant patrons flag down their waiter only when they’re ready to leave.
Now that I’ve gotten used to this, I’m a bit embarrassed about the impatience I felt. I’ve made it a point to try to take my time and not succumb to the number of distractions that surround me.
Although I’ve been able to get along well without much knowledge of the Dutch language, it doesn’t make it any easier to meet and relate to locals. I’m grateful to say I’ve generally been treated very well since I’ve arrived here, but I’ve also encountered people who aren’t quite as genial toward Americans.
The first four weeks of my stay in Maastricht have highlighted some of the subtler differences between Dutch and American culture.
I’ve succeeded in embracing certain things, but there are still things that have yet to stick. Some things may take the entire semester. In the meantime, though, I’ll be working on my ability to talk soccer — er, football.
