Futbol Fever

Last night after dinner we played a rediculous soccer game with all of SHH and friends. Three teams rotated over two hours, and even though I'm not a huge sports fan, it was the most fun I've ever had playing soccer.

Today was a day of soccer as well. After working on our surveys at Las Brisas in the morning and then giving our English lesson, we headed to San Pedro Sula for the epic Honduras versus El Slavador game. I'll give you some insight on the events behind the rivalry. Google told me that in 1969, during elimination rounds for the World Cup, tensions mounted between the two countries, as Hondurans felt that the El Salvadorians were to blame for the increasing economic problems in their country. After that, military action broke out, and this skirmish became known as the Soccer War. So, everyone was slightly nervous about what to expect at the game.

We arrived at the stadium and it was packed! We found our seats, and waited with anticipation for an hour before the game started. There was much to see, though, including vendors selling everything from fried plaintains to bracelets and soda to turtle eggs (Rob and Daniel from UVA ate one each). Also noted by all: the barbed wire and moat surrounding the field, the roped off area where the El Salvadorians sat, and the police special teams with shields waiting for fights to break out. Hey, soccer is intense here.

Once it began, Honduras scored pretty quickly, and the crowd erupted! After the first goal, there were many attempts by both teams, but none were successful. The game ended 1-0, and Honduras was happy.