It’s a well-known fact that soccer is the most popular sport pretty much everywhere except the U.S. So being in a Latin American country I have been able to experience first hand the passion these people have for the sport and their team. When I asked my host family why soccer was so popular they simply said it was part of the culture and that it was cheap so anyone can play. Which is so true you don’t need a ton of equipment to play soccer, just a ball and some friends. It’s also one of the reasons many pro futbolistas come from humble beginnings (like in the movie Goal, even though the protagonist is from Mexico its similar in all of Latin America).
In the past week or so I’ve had the opportunity to watch two futbol games at sports bars with some friends in my program. And let me tell you the people watching (or creeping if you will) just at these bars is awesome! And I hope to be able to go to a game live because that would just be madness! The bars are packed wall to wall with fans wearing red or Chile’s team scarves. At one of the bars some of the fans painted their faces like the Chilean flag (yes its ALMOST identical to the Texas flag) and wore crazy hats/wigs.
Everyone started cheering when the players walked on the field and sang along at the top of their lungs when they played the national anthem. In the Chile v. Peru game Chile scored early on and the whole bar went nuts! Everyone jumped out of their chairs and screamed GGGGOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!!! Then they chanted CHI-CHI-CHI LE-LE-LE VIVA CHILE! The excitement was definitely contagious! Chile continued to play really well and won 4-2! It was an awesome game with lots of scoring for a soccer match and the atmosphere really added to the experience.
One observation I have about Latin American futbol teams is that when they get hit they tend to be super dramatic and roll around on the ground a lot waiting for the other team to get penalized or whatever. Its kinda annoying but also really funny to think about making a montage after every game of the players just rolling around on the ground!
Now for a few miscellaneous updates!
1. Second time camping was a total success! The weather was awesome and we hiked to the top of the mountain. From the top on one side you could see the beach and Valparaíso and on the other you could see the Andes and Argentina. Super cool!
2. The strikes are still going on. The police went in and extracted the students that had taken over the school and were living there. But my professors think the kids will just take it over again.
3. My program took us on an historical tour of Santiago and we went to the cemetery where all the presidents are buried and to Villa Grimaldi. Villa Grimaldi was where they tortured people during the Pinochet era. It was comparable to a concentration camp during WWII. As depressing as it was I’m glad we went because I understand a lot more about Chile’s recent history now.
4. Things I miss: my car, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a tall glass of milk, chick-fil-a, and surprisingly the hot Texas weather (side note: its technically spring but we’ve had a cold front and I’m just dying to get to the beach!).
Besitos,
Gaby
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