Colo Colo is not a soda

Okay, so updating the blog every week or so was a bit ambitious sin internet, or perhaps we're just acclimating to the Chilean way of life, but either way, we have many stories to tell, so let's get right to it.

Futbol.  Do not call it soccer.  Yes, everyone knows it is referred to as soccer in the United States, but no, that does not mean you can keep this term in your vocabulary.  It would be a vast understatement to say that futbol is popular here.  The only thing more popular in Chile seems to be protesting, but I'll save that for another blog.  Chile's best team is Colo Colo and recently they took on their cross town rivals, Universidad de Catolica.  After being warned by everyone we spoke with that it would be much too dangerous for gringos to attend this monumental game, we concluded that we needed to have this true South American experience.  At the least it should win us some respect from our students....

Tickets were easy to come by and a steal at less than $20 a piece.  We met up with some friends, including our fellow English profe Inga, from Germany.  More on her later.  After circling the National Stadium and exploring our exit options, we ran for our seats with only seconds before the opening kick off.  I'm not sure if it was the sprint up the steps, the smell of hotdogs mixing with sweat and smoke, or the pulsing beat of the crowds, but our adrenaline was pumping well before the fireworks began.  And by fireworks, I mean the mini-rockets that fans were shooting at each other from point blank range....

I've never seen such a high level of soc, er, futbol, but despite the great action on the field, the real action was in the stands.  In perfect union, the fans yell, sing, dance and occasionally try to jump the fence to reach the field.  All while paying keen attention to the match; quite impressive!  The match ended with a victory by Universidad de Catolica one goal to zero over Colo Colo, not good news for the fans.  A few small fires were lit but the cabeneros proved to be fairly athletic themselves and the fires were extinguished with minimal drama.  Due to the fact that we were sitting on the Colo Colo side of the stadium (the stadium is very clearly and intentionally divided), we decided to wait a bit until the crowds thinned before venturing on.  After 30 minutes, the mass of black and red Colo Colo fans swirled down the road and our small group left the singing and dancing Universidad fans to party on in the stadium without us.  

We were warned by a family selling hot dogs on the street to avoid the Metro and due to the fact that taxis were not venturing near the stadium, we began the walk home.  As we were walking I got a phone call from a friend watching the mass of fans parade past her apartment.  The Colo Colo fans were still a bit agitated by the loss and taking their frustrations out on passing Metro buses.  Apparently rocks, sticks and brutal force were involved.  Lady luck was no doubt with us as we avoided the angry mob, found our way back through an unfamiliar neighborhood and truly never felt threatened in the least.  Well, expect for those hotdogs, they didn't sit well with me...

I previously mentioned our colleague Inga.  Inga is a 21 year old petite, blond and blue eyed German who speaks wonderful English through a very thick accent but no Spanish prior to coming to Chile.  She is very soft spoken and the kind of person I worried would easily be targeted for any number of crimes.  Inga, however, is nobody's fool.  Out of the entire group of friends who attended the game, and I should mention that all except for Inga were college educated, dark haired and over 25, Inga was the only one to travel solo to the game on the bus with crazy fans for over an hour, bring a camera, and avoid eating a hot dog.  Inga is a very brave, intelligent and well traveled young woman and I have learned many valuable things from her.  More great Inga stories to come (I'll tell you all about the weather in Miapo, pronounced with a German accent like my-poo) and any pictures from the match in future postings will be credited to Inga.  

XOXO to everyone and I promise we'll reply to comments and post with more consistency from here on out!