San Pedro Sula, a city about 3 hours from Copan, was the site of the Honduras vs. Mexico World Cup qualifying soccer match last night. And we got tickets.
After about 30 minutes of significant panic setting in when Kate and I got immediately separated just outside of the shuttle from Ben and Brian (who had our tickets) in a rather dangerous large city as the sun was setting and our phones were not working, we reunited with the guys and headed into the already packed stadium an hour and a half before game time. The rain started shortly thereafter, and lasted much of the game, at times falling quite hard. Think this could possibly dampen the spirits of 38,000 people at a Central American futbol match (let alone such an important match)? Heck no. The noise level was so high throughout the entire game that talking was difficult. Cups of beer flew joyously through the air when Honduras scored the only goal of the game and at the game's end. People were climbing up on posts and hanging off railings. The crowd chanted and sang different things throughtout the game. Oddly, they spoke Spanish, making it difficult for me to understand and join in. There was a lot of "o-ley, o-ley, o-ley" singing. Our section was trying to start the wave before the game started. It was making it farther with each try. Whatever section let it die, the fans in our section would point at them across the stadium furoursly chanting something to let them know to get on the ball.
We were standing at the top of the bottom section closest to the field. Behind the goal in which the only goal of the game was scored, over to the right a bit. A great view, much better than what I was expecting for what we paid. I was standing close to the steps and had a river of discusting water running around my feet. I was happy to have my raincoat (even though it covered the $6 Honduras jersey I had bought) but was soaked to the core besides that. I enjoyed a cup of bad beer for $1.25 and a hotdog covered with unidentifable slimy substances for $1. It was no stadium dog with brown mustard and it was a small cup of bad beer as opposed to a large cup of bad beer, but really, eating and drinking at a professional sporting event for $2.25?
On the shuttle back to Copan the mostly 20-30 year-olds (locals) who had seemingly drank a lot more bad beer than us, liked the windows open and the air-conditioning on as we zipped through the cold night air in our wet clothes. We were surrounded with honking and yelling and people hanging out of vehicles for a while through the city. The open windows made it more convienent for them to toss out their trash from the fast food they picked up after the game.
I see I haven't posted it a while... the kids at San Rafael continue to amaze me, the weather continues to confuse me, and I'm having an overall good time. Saying the kids at school were excited and not able to focus on work after last night's victory would be a huge understatement. That's also putting in nicely, they were really just bad today! We've went from temps in the 60's to 80 with solid sunshine for about 2 weeks, and back to 60's with rain and wind this week. And people at home are giving me a hard time when I complain that this is cold... but when it's 60 and windy outside, it's 60 and windy everywhere, including the school where we work, because everything is open-air. Unless you work in room 120 at Southgate, you get to walk in from the cold and be warm inside for most of the day. Not the case here, as my fingers and toes have been white with cold as I dress in 3 layers for work! Don't get me wrong, the two weeks of 80 and sunshine were wonderful... shorts, tank tops, flip flops and I would still be hot walking around town.
Wow, long post. If you're still reading this, thanks, I guess!
