An American's Love for Arminia

 Picture it:

A bright, sunny day in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA in 2007. The barking of an English Bulldog can be heard as he is waiting for his owner to come out of the corner store. A young mother and her twin sons are enjoying ice cream whilst walking towards the park without a care in the world. And, right in the middle of all this action,  is a red-headed gentleman, 21 years of age, with a cell phone in his hand and a huge grin on his face while looking down at an email he had just received and the news it contained within:

His summer study abroad application for Bielefeld University had been approved and he was to leave in just three weeks time! Oh, what a joyous moment it was. That young gentleman was me and this is my DSC story.

My name is Vestal and I have been a DSC fan for almost 20 years now. Before I attended the University in Bielefeld as part of a study abroad program, I had never been to Bielefeld before, or even Europe for that matter. Also, football was not a sport I actively followed or even cared about all that much. The passion I have now for it, was not an overnight thing by any stretch of the imagination.

I can still remember the day when I first got to Bielefeld to meet my advisor and get situated for not only the classes I would take that summer(Such as where they were located, etc) but also my living arrangements and anything else I needed to do. My advisor was named Johan and even these many years later, we stay in contact as much as we can. He does not live in Bielefeld anymore as he moved to Munich a few years ago with his family, but his love for DSC is just as high as mine is.

That first day touring the campus was an exciting but somewhat anxious moment for me as well. I had never been so far from home before or been around people who did not speak my native language. Yes,  essentially everyone I talked to spoke English, but still a culture shock moment if you will, to hear the German accents and realize how far away I truly was from what I knew and trusted.

We went into the Center for Interdisciplinary Research first and I was so in awe of how everything looked, how it was structured, etc. I remember Johan smiling in amusement when he saw this from me. Nothing personal against the college I attended in the USA, but they had nothing even close to the design and overall academic feel that these buildings had.

A few hours later, after looking at the whole campus and doing all I needed to do to prepare myself for the classes I would be taking, Johan suggested that we go to one of his favorite local hangouts to grab a pint. I said sure! Off we went.  The place he chose? The Irish Pub Bielefeld! To be honest I would assume he would have picked something more…German sounding let’s say haha.

Upon walking in the door, I immediately clocked  a few people wearing a sports jersey(As I said earlier, football was not my forte as far as fandom goes, at this point).  I asked Johan what team it was and he grinned and said with great enthusiasm, ‘That’s our Arminia’! If you are going to be here for a while, I suggest you get to know them’ and then he laughed and found us a table.

After drinking more than I probably should have,  Johan called over an older gentleman to sit down with us and told him to give me the lowdown if you will, about DSC. This gentleman, Oscar, enthusiastically welcomed me to Bielefeld, ran a hand through his shock of thinning white hair, and dived into it with his rather thick German accent but I think I got the gist of it haha.  He relayed that he had been a fan for over 50 years and that everyone in his family loved the club with every breath they took. He said it was unfortunate that I was there when the season was over with mind and therefore could not see DSC in person.  The rest of that night, several more pints included, was full of DSC stories from some others in attendance, my first authentic schnitzel, etc. I still  remember it so fondly even now.

Fast-forward 5 years later and our beloved DSC are playing in the 3. Liga with our main man Fabian Klos leading the line. At this point, I had fully immersed myself in everything DSC. It was not the easiest to find the games or even news, but I tried my hardest to do so. Nary a day went by where I did not check for news about my favorite club.

Then…tragedy struck in my personal life. Both my grandparents died within a few months of each other. I was devastated to put it mildly. These people were the ones who had practically raised me, helped me get through college, and were my backbone whenever I needed anything. I went into a deep, dark place and did not think I would ever crawl out of it. But, with the help of my brother and fellow DSC fan/friend, Johan(I still kept in contact with him) I was able to get myself together and refocus my psyche.

Almost 20 years later now and my love for DSC is the highest it has ever been. This is not just a club to me, it's a symbol of pride, a reason to be happy or sad if the occasion calls for it, and a fraternity and friendship I can share with DSC fans in Germany and wherever else in the world they may be.

I love this club with everything I have and that will never change. DSC has given me high moments, has aggravated me to no end, and like making the cup final this season and winning the league, has put a tear in my eye more than once. What more could you want from your club?

Wouldn’t have it any other way.

#immerdabei