Last night Chile creamed Bolivia in the World Cup Qualifiers, 4 to 0. This was my first big soccer game, and it was amazing!
It makes sense now why soccer is so popular in Latin America; it’s more of an experience and a way of life than just a game! I have to say Chilean fans are extremely passionate. I heard some new cheers, such as, “Bolivia is [the worst], they have no sea, they have no sea!!!!” and also many Bolivians have… bad mothers. In fact, there was a high wall with sharp spikes on the top, surrounded by riot police to keep the Bolivians away from the Chilean fans. Yikes!
Getting to the game during rush hour was a mad house. All the buses and metros were the most full I have seen in your entire life. Our group split up, locked arms, and just had to push our way both onto and off of the trains. I don’t think this is the best way to meet Chilean friends.
The Metro in Santiago is way nicer than the DC metro, with flat screen TVs and American music videos, plus with no crazies yelling the CIA tortured them. But must be avoided at all costs during rush hour.
The other day we were waiting in line to purchase tickets and I called my classmate in English to see how much they would be willing to pay. If you had the credit card of the store, you could save $10 each ticket, but we didn’t have the card. So the woman behind me said in perfect English, “I’ll get the tickets for you; no problem!” She saved us $60! Apparently she is such a big soccer fan that she flew to Paraguay for the game last week, will go to Colombia this fall, and is planning to go to South Africa in 2010. Wow! I also think she may secretly be Miss Chile.
I’ve taken so many pictures from my trip thus far that my camera is now officially full. I’ve transferred over all my pictures and it’s time to start afresh again.
