Josie quit her job to watch the World Cup, which sparked heated debate
The Qatar World Cup is the third World Cup for 80-year-old Josie, who quit her job at a "big factory" to go to Doha in order to watch the tournament full time. Qiaoxi will be in Qatar World Cup insights into the production of short videos to share in social media, get a lot of attention, on the microblogging hot search. Many people commented on her "how can you be so irresponsible at this age, traveling all the way just to chase the stars," while others praised her for being brave enough to follow her dreams.
Josie told us that she quit her job to watch the World Cup at great cost, including the challenge of re-employment. The resignation thing was a plan she made long in advance, a special case, and she doesn't want to promote or replicate the act of quitting her job in society, "That's not the original intention of what I'm sharing, and what I'm trying to express is that everyone needs to have their own love in their life."
Josie at the 2022 World Cup
Here's what Josie had to say:
Resigning from a job to watch football
Four years ago, when I was watching the World Cup in Russia, and when Argentina lost to France in the 1/8 final, I had already decided that I wanted to watch the World Cup 2022 in Qatar, and that I would be in Qatar to accompany Argentina throughout the whole tournament.
I'm not a particularly rich and idle person, just an ordinary office worker. The resignation was not an impulsive act, I submitted my resignation application in March this year, and finished the handover procedures in June, the resignation, the handover of work is in accordance with the plan in progress.
I really like the Argentine player Lionel Messi, and I would like to watch all the matches of the Argentine team, which is expected to take a month. If there is a better plan, such as having a month's vacation, and the vacation can be devoted to watching the matches, I guess I won't quit my job. I work for a company that has "one carrot for every carrot", so even if I could get a vacation, I probably wouldn't be able to focus on watching the games. I know the cost of quitting is high, but it's a decision I've made after careful consideration.
After getting local accommodations and a fan card, I have not been in a hurry to book a flight. The policy at each port of entry was not clear before November, and there were no experiences shared by Chinese fans who departed before Nov. On Nov. 1, I saw on social media that a fan had successfully departed from Hangzhou airport on that day, and I immediately decided to buy a Nov. 15 ticket to depart from Hangzhou.
The World Cup in Qatar is really the most expensive World Cup I've ever seen. Qatar itself is very small, accommodation resources are very limited, the cost of accommodation here, much higher than my previous two World Cups, a standard room in the fan village as low as 207 U.S. dollars, equivalent to about 1400 yuan. For the whole cycle, my budget is 80-100,000 dollars.
I'm post-80s, and for many people my age, I should be able to get that kind of money, but at that age, a lot of people have families and have to take care of their families and children. I'm an unmarried person and I want to pursue more of what I love as my own. My view on money is that I'm willing to spend 90% of my savings on things I love. This could be Messi's last World Cup and if I don't come, it will be a huge regret in my life.
I started watching soccer in the 1990s when I was still in middle school. At that time, some people in my class played soccer and there was a strong soccer atmosphere, and we would usually read soccer magazines together and discuss matches and clubs. I was driven to love the sport, and watching soccer became a way to get away from the stress of school.
Watching the World Cup in Germany in 2006 was the first time I learned about Lionel Messi, who was playing for the national team. Argentina against Serbia and Montenegro that game, 6:0 victory, 19-year-old Messi came on as a substitute, 15 minutes, contributing a goal and an assist. His first World Cup, let me very impressed, slowly I began to pay attention to him. 2014, I was in the World Cup for the first time in the scene, standing in the stadium bleachers to see Messi's game, really have a kind of dream into the reality of the feeling.
Josie's dad gave her a picture of Messi
Magical start
I slept uneasily the night before this trip, and it was only after I successfully cleared customs at Hangzhou airport that my anxiety was calmed. I'm grateful to the people along the way that day for their understanding and humane service to the fans.
On the plane, I also watched a chronicle of France's 2018 World Cup win and a biographical chapter on Maradona. Having arrived in Doha in the early hours of the morning local time, I planned to go straight to Abu Dhabi and watch the Argentina vs UAE friendly. The World Cup atmosphere was palpable in the lobby during my transit in Doha, and it was 4:30 a.m. by the time I arrived in Abu Dhabi.
That night, something bad happened. Stadium admission for the Argentina vs. UAE game was so chaotic that a large number of ticketed fans, including me, had not entered the stadium until just before kickoff on one side of the pitch. Fans were crowded in the narrow doorways, back and forth. As the number of fans grew, people began to get agitated, and at one point I felt the risk of a stampede.
It wasn't until the end of the first half that the organizers decided to open up other entrances for fans to divert, and I was able to enter the stadium. I had mixed feelings, fearing for my life and wanting to get in to see my first Messi of the World Cup, a mixture of rationality and emotion.
After the friendly, I headed straight to the airport and flew to Doha.
Josey arrived at the fanvillage on the first night, the big screen in the fan village
November 20, the World Cup in Qatar officially opened, this is the first time I watched the opening performance and the opening game, the moment I heard the theme song of the previous World Cups played, my eyes were wet. What moved me was not only the creativity and theme of the opening show, but also the bright smiles of the fans from all over the world who came to see the World Cup.
I met many impressive fans that day. There was a beautiful and valiant Brazilian lady showing how to turn the ball over, and a little brother draped in the Algerian flag who looked like he was enjoying himself as he kept twisting his body. I also came across an interview with Japanese fans by the Japanese media, and as a representative of Asian fans, I was there to say "Go for it". At this time, there was no win, no loss, no elimination, no sadness, everything was at its peak. The World Cup is not only about soccer, but also about these lovely people.
Josie cheered at the scene
On Nov. 22, Argentina played against Saudi Arabia, its first opponent in the group stage. Argentina was ahead at the beginning and the atmosphere was great, especially when Messi shot a penalty to make it 1:0, the whole Argentina fans were in a very excited state. Then Saudi Arabia seized the opportunity and scored two goals in a row, and Argentina lost 1:2 to Saudi Arabia.
People didn't expect such a result, and past experience shows that the chances of being eliminated in the first loss are very high. I was in a really bad mood and walked out of the stadium crying. I went back to the fan village and didn't feel a bit better until I watched Mexico and Poland in the same group play to a 0-0 draw.
The good thing is that in the last two group games, Argentina won 2:0 against Mexico and Poland, respectively, and entered the 1/8 finals. 11/27, Argentina faced Mexico, Messi's goal to save the Argentine team at the moment, I really crazy to the difficult to self-control, screaming and jumping up, and constantly and the side of the fans to embrace, and finally to the backlog in the heart of the bitterness and pressure to release out.
It's also my own victory
The "comrades" who came to the World Cup with me this time are the homemade Messi flag and Argentina fans' headgear, which followed me to Russia four years ago, as well as four Argentine No. 10 Messi jerseys. In addition to the jerseys I brought myself, there were also two jerseys from friends who were unable to travel to the game and who entrusted me with their best wishes for the home team in Qatar. My friend Xunzi, who was unable to leave the country, also sent me the Argentine flag, which has followed her to two World Cups.
I brought flags to the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. This time, I also brought a five-star red flag, I want to tell the fans of other countries, although the Chinese team did not come, but the Chinese fans came.
The fan village where I live has a very big square, a very big screen, and a lot of sofas for people to watch the World Cup live. When I don't go to the site, I sometimes watch the live broadcast in the square of the fan village.On Nov. 23, Japan beat Germany in the group stage, and the fan village cheered. In the world of soccer, it must be exhilarating for the underdog to win against the strong, and this is the charm of soccer. Fans in the crowd congratulated the Japanese fans, and I went up to say goodbye.
fanvillage
Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals. During the penalty shootout between Argentina and the Netherlands, I was so nervous that I kept crouching down and covering my ears, not daring to look directly at them, until I stood up amidst the cheers of the whole stadium and waved my arms in celebration along with them, and it was just too much of a fall.
No matter what stage Argentina has reached, in hindsight, it must have been wonderful, and isn't that what life is all about?
Between 2006 and 2022, I've seen Messi go from a young boy to a mature national team leader. As he grows, I can see myself growing as well. I love soccer and I love this Messi thing, which in turn has contributed to my life.
Every four years, standing on this stage at the World Cup, I know I've done it again. Going to see Messi play, I can also tell myself that I'm moving forward and being positive over the last four years and still have the ability to get there to see him, and it's like a victory for myself.
Coming to see this World Cup has been so difficult like never before, problems with understanding, problems with work, problems with finances, and I've paid a lot for that. When I face these problems, I always say to myself, don't have any regrets.
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Written by Niu Yitong Wang Qian