Before I begin, I must apologise for my haphazard entries which are not in chronological order. I write based on whenever inspiration strikes me, and which city I feel like reminiscing over.
Emirates Stadium - home to my favourite football team, Arsenal. I've been an avid Arsenal supported since 2006. I came to support Arsenal because my neighbours, who introduced me to the wonderful world of football, were Arsenal fans as well. We used to spend weekends together cheering Arsenal on. I remember watching Theo Walcott grow into his position, watching Nasri develop from a no-one to a someone, and eventually leave us in the lurch. I witnessed the magic that is Van Persie, and let him break my heart when he unceremoniously left us for Man United (his leaving still hurts btw, especially for someone who claims to have made Arsenal his home, and the manner in which he left his teammates behind).
Ranting aside, I was extremely hyped up about visiting the Emirates Stadium. I had been dreaming of this day for the past 6 years. For someone who lives halfway around the world from London, watching an Arsenal match was made all the more difficult. Thankfully, I had a friend who was studying in London and an Arsenal Member - so he helped us get the tickets.
I was so excited that I could barely sleep the night before the match. The night before the match also happened to be the night before I flew off to London. I was too pumped to be sleepy (although I did crash badly that night).
So my first day in London, started off with a high. I was greeted with rare lovely weather - clear blue skies, and warmth. And enveloped in posh British accents the moment I stepped off the plane. We headed to place our bags at a friend's place, before hurrying to get the tickets for the match from my other friend. Busy Busy.
It was really easy to head to the stadium since Arsenal has their own subway station. Also, we simply followed the hoards of people decked on in Arsenal jerseys. You can feel the excitement in the air seeping into your veins. Or maybe it was just me finally on the verge of realising that a dream I had for the past 6 years was about to turn into reality.
First stop at the Stadium was of course the merchandise store! Loads and loads of Arsenal goodies all for me to touch and buy. As much as I would have loved to bring a truckload of souvenirs back, I had to restrain myself and only buy what was deem practical - I still had 4 months of traveling at this point in time. So, with much restrain and self determination, I walked out with a scarf and a postcard. I was severely tempted by the bedsheets - don't laugh.
Headed up to find my seats in advance so that I could check out the stadium, and also watch the teams warm up. To my pleasant surprise, despite being quite high up, the view was good, seats comfortably cushioned, and leg room aplenty. Such a pleasure to watch the teams warm up, something that I don't get to see on TV.
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| Teams lining up at the start of the match. |
The match itself was a dream. 3 brilliant goals by Arsenal and a clean sheet. I was on my feet cheering my heart out whenever they scored and cheering them on when they missed a chance. So different from sitting in front of the TV. As previously mentioned, I also took in a Manchester United match, which had a different atmosphere as well. If I had all the riches in the world, I'd watch every single Arsenal match because I believe that no two matches will have the same excitement in the air.
During half time, I was hungry from all the excitement and prior lack of food. So we tried out the hot dog at the stadium, which is supposedly something that everyone should try. And boy, was it good. I loved the gravy in it as well as all the various fillings.
My trip to the Emirates stadium was a dream come true, and I'm thirsty for more. For now, I just hope no players leave Arsenal and that we go back to winning some trophies. Today's Arsenal is different from the team I started out watching. I'm sort of missing that style of play a little.
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