Jill Tucker went to a small Cape Verde World Cup watch party in the Bay Area. • One of the 20 people there was her former student from 35 years ago. • She says the meeting, and the World Cup, have affirmed her faith in humanity. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jill Tucker, an education reporter with the San Francisco Chronicle. It has been edited for length and clarity. The two years that I spent teaching in Cape Verde with the Peace Corps have shaped so much about who I am.