By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Esraa Elzeny from Egypt
Photos = Krystell Rocha

The world was excited for the 2018 World Cup, and Korea wasn't an exception. People in Korea are always ready to encourage their team and crowd into public squares and stadiums to support the Korean team from the beginning of the game until the closing whistle.

People in Egypt were watching the Egyptian team and we supported our team. Our Korean friends also supported us after every game, but Egypt was not in South Korea's group. So what if I were from Mexico and lived in Korea?

Here at the Seoul Institute of Technology there are 20 students from different countries, including Mexico. People always treat us kindly and accept our differences, but what about being a competitor against Team Korea?

Krystell Rocha went to support her Mexican team among hundreds of Korea supporters at a baseball stadium with her Korean friends, where they watched the soccer game on a big screen. She said, "The Koreans didn't get upset when I shouted on behalf of my national team player Javier "Chicharito" Hernández. They looked at me and smiled until one of my Korean friends told them that I'm Mexican, but they were busy encouraging the Korean team with all their energy."



She said she wasn't exposed to any inconveniences and that they gave her absolute freedom to encourage and cheer for her team. After the end of the game, they said congratulations to her.

She added that, "I think the encouragement is different between Korea and Mexico because people in Mexico cheer more enthusiastically. They love soccer very much. Cheering for the Mexican team among a crowd of Koreans was a great experience, but I needed more Mexicans to cheer enthusiastically."

I was impressed how people in Korea accepted their team's defeat in the high spirit of sports, and welcomed their guests, even though there was an important soccer match between the two countries. My classmate was cheering for the opposite team. Their ways of behavior is one of the things that I love about sports fans here in Korea.

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.