I am not - NOT! - a soccer fan. But how do you escape the soccer world cup when it takes place right around the corner? The simple answer is: You don't. You can't!

You can't escape it - not in the media, not in stores and shops, nowhere you go. Even if I had tried to lock myself into my room, close the blinds and the windows - the noise from outside still comes in. I don't need my tv to tell you just when Germany scored - or nearly scored - this afternoon. Alright, the German team won, but the much greater achievement of this world cup is that - for the time being - Germans stopped all the nagging, all the complaining, all the whining we have - rightfully - become known for. And we do have a torn relationship to this country, too, because of our history. It's this whole mentality thing, and there is a lot to it.

Right now, however, it is tempting to think that this is a different country. People are happy, people are open, people are passionate. It's a huge party. It really is. And I enjoy the thought that this change might not only be temporary, but that some of it sticks.

Hope you all get to party, too.