Fùtbol

I have started actually watching soccer. And calling it football. I thought this day would never come. The whole of Costa Rica is obsessed over the World Cup right now... OBSESSED! Cost rica has qualified for the first time since the nineties, for one of about four times in the history of the competition. They came into the compition projected to loose every match. The teams they were selected to play against were nicknamed something translated like the death group because they were so good. The morning of their first game Costa Rica versas Uraguay everyone was dressed to represent in the selection's jersey. It was my three year old host cousins birthday so we went to their house for a birthday lunch of rice beans meat and beans. Then we watched the game. A lot of the family was there and every time Costa Rica scored they all SCREAMED jumping up and down. It was a so intense that it scared the little kids my littlest host sister and her cousin that they started crying. To be honest it was a little scary for me too. Everyone came dressed proudly, someone had a jesters hat, and another a top hat all in Costa Rican colors. Their was even a Costa Rican flag which they used to decorate underneath the tv. I too was dressed in a Costa Rica jersey my host mom lent me. Despite everyone's expectations Costa Rica won the match. My host cousin and I took all the kids out to the streets to celebrate. All of the cars were joyful honking at each other I express their excitment. The Costa Rican games are obviously the most popular but they also watch all the other games too. In fact they even put up a huge screen in the park at the ruins in the city center to watch all the games just for the World Cup. Friday was the second game Costa Rica played in the cup it was against Italy. I was in San Pedro at an AFS orientation where we watched the game. The exchange students were pretty in to it. Some came dressed the Costa Rican red white and blue or with the short of the "sele". some were gettin pretty intense sitting at the edge of their seats and swearing at the tv in a mixture of English and Spanish. Costa Rica miraculously won. We went out to the streets to celebrate. The entire main road was blocked by an informal parade of proud ticos who excitedly tooted their noise makers and waves their Costa Rican flags. Some were yelling "oe oe oe oe ticos ticos!". A few cars driving really slowly stuffed with people drove by honking loudly and waving at everyone, there was even a car driving backwards dangerously fast amidst the crowd of walking celebrators. Even on the side roads which were still passably the cars were beeping and people were screaming out the windows to share their joy. It was pretty crazy. There would never be anything ever like this in the USA and it was really fun to see their pride and excitement. I even felt proud of my own adopted country. As well as more interested in the games that the USA played. I actually watched most of the game between the USA and Portugal today and I got kind of ino it. It's wierd how much more patriotic you get when you are living outside of your country. But Costa Rica plays again on Tuesday This time against England, I am guessing that although its at 10 our school will show the game in the gymnasium and skip some classes, and let is wearing jeans tennis and the Costa Rica jersey instead of the uniform because That's what they did on Friday when I was gone. It should be exciting to see it at school. Besides just watching almost every game my family is also working an album of all the players of every team in the World Cup. It's like a booklet where you stick playing cards of all the players and teams of he World Cup which you have to buy seperatly or trade to fill up the book. It's kind of the same basic idea as baseball cards. Anyway soccer is a way bigger deal here than in the USA that's for sure.