There is no other excitement on this good Earth that could amount to the excitement at the fútbol game this afternoon. It simply cannot be possible. I’ve been to plenty of sporting events in my life, but I have never before been to one so genuine and enjoyable. Of all the things I have done this semester, the soccer game today will always be one of my favorite memories from my semester abroad in Perú, and this is the story of why I am now in love with the game.
My host brother, his friends and I all got together a couple of hours before the game. If I have learned anything in my time in Perú, it is that going from place to place in the great city of Lima is not a simple, quick car trip, but an all day excursion. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the stadium, to make sure we would not miss any of the game. Upon our arrival I had become quite hungry, and my brother and friends suggested that I try anticucho. I think it sounds more appetizing in Spanish, but anticucho is actually cow heart. I was a little nervous to try it in the middle of a fútbol stadium, given that in the States the most gourmet you can get is a hot dog with all of the dressings, but I decided to go for it. That was the best decision I could have made. It tasted just like BBQ, which I have had a strong craving for lately. It is tough meat, but it is also delicious meat, and definitely one that I would eat again.
After we finished eating, we headed into the stadium to choose our seats. Although we had wonderful seats with a view of the whole field, we did not sit in them for most of the game. In fact, most of the stadium was on its feet for most of the game. People were constantly singing chants to cheer on the favored team, and squares of paper were thrown like confetti. In a way, it was actually beautiful. Most sporting events that I go to in the states are all about the spectacle, and not so much about the actual sport. Here, at this Peruvian fútbol game, the fans were actually there to watch the sport. I have never before been in a crowd that gets so excited over every goal scored, and I have been to a lot of Husker football games in my time. People were not there for the tail-gating and the pre-game performances, they were there because they love soccer, and they wanted to come together as a community of soccer loving people to cheer their team on to victory.
Besides trying anticucho for the first time, I also drank water out of a bag for the first time in my life. When Diego and I left our seats to find me water, we learned that there were people selling it from outside of the stadium. In order to purchase the water we had to pass my money through a crack in the door, and in turn the vendors handed us a plastic bag (also through the crack) that they proceeded to fill with water (also through the crack in the door). There were also vendors selling ice cream and other snacks throughout the game, but the most interesting item that one could buy was individual cigarettes that people would buy and smoke right there in the stadium. Not many things should surprise me anymore considering that I have been living in Perú for ten weeks now, but even that one still came as a little bit of a shock to me.
Alianza, the team that all of us were cheering for, won the game, 4-0. It did not come as a surprise to many of the fans in the stadium, considering that we were the favored team, but it was still a happy ending. After the game I decided that I would like to continue watching Alianza after I return to the States. I am sure that all South American soccer games are equally as exciting as the one that I went to, but Alianza now holds a special place in my heart. Soccer is an elegant and exciting sport, and I am excited to follow it and continue to cheer my team on to victory.
My host brother, his friends and I all got together a couple of hours before the game. If I have learned anything in my time in Perú, it is that going from place to place in the great city of Lima is not a simple, quick car trip, but an all day excursion. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to arrive at the stadium, to make sure we would not miss any of the game. Upon our arrival I had become quite hungry, and my brother and friends suggested that I try anticucho. I think it sounds more appetizing in Spanish, but anticucho is actually cow heart. I was a little nervous to try it in the middle of a fútbol stadium, given that in the States the most gourmet you can get is a hot dog with all of the dressings, but I decided to go for it. That was the best decision I could have made. It tasted just like BBQ, which I have had a strong craving for lately. It is tough meat, but it is also delicious meat, and definitely one that I would eat again.
After we finished eating, we headed into the stadium to choose our seats. Although we had wonderful seats with a view of the whole field, we did not sit in them for most of the game. In fact, most of the stadium was on its feet for most of the game. People were constantly singing chants to cheer on the favored team, and squares of paper were thrown like confetti. In a way, it was actually beautiful. Most sporting events that I go to in the states are all about the spectacle, and not so much about the actual sport. Here, at this Peruvian fútbol game, the fans were actually there to watch the sport. I have never before been in a crowd that gets so excited over every goal scored, and I have been to a lot of Husker football games in my time. People were not there for the tail-gating and the pre-game performances, they were there because they love soccer, and they wanted to come together as a community of soccer loving people to cheer their team on to victory.
Besides trying anticucho for the first time, I also drank water out of a bag for the first time in my life. When Diego and I left our seats to find me water, we learned that there were people selling it from outside of the stadium. In order to purchase the water we had to pass my money through a crack in the door, and in turn the vendors handed us a plastic bag (also through the crack) that they proceeded to fill with water (also through the crack in the door). There were also vendors selling ice cream and other snacks throughout the game, but the most interesting item that one could buy was individual cigarettes that people would buy and smoke right there in the stadium. Not many things should surprise me anymore considering that I have been living in Perú for ten weeks now, but even that one still came as a little bit of a shock to me.
Alianza, the team that all of us were cheering for, won the game, 4-0. It did not come as a surprise to many of the fans in the stadium, considering that we were the favored team, but it was still a happy ending. After the game I decided that I would like to continue watching Alianza after I return to the States. I am sure that all South American soccer games are equally as exciting as the one that I went to, but Alianza now holds a special place in my heart. Soccer is an elegant and exciting sport, and I am excited to follow it and continue to cheer my team on to victory.