Because I tend to avoid any sport that requires some sort of hand-eye coordination, it’s not very surprising that I’ve really never played soccer aka fútbol but holy guacamole (side note, I also never liked guacamole until now but that’s another story) this game is some serious FUN. I still have close to zero hand-eye coordination but the sheer aggressiveness and versatility of this game makes for a sweaty, dirty and sometimes painful experience that everyone will enjoy (I really made that sound attractive, didn’t I?)
We played our first game during our three hour lunch break from school today, us gringos against each other. We couldn’t get enough so we continued playing after school where a group of local girls asked us to play with them. So here we are, a group of kids who mostly have never played soccer before with the exception of a few playing against a team who had actual skill and what seemed like game plans. My strategy: when I get the ball kick it as hard as possible to my side. I’ll admit, this strategy may have it’s downfalls but I’ll stick to it until I find a better one that I can actually do.
With some beginner’s luck, we actually made the first goal… and unfortunately our only goal. All in all, the game is definitely one of community.. and cue my cheesy rant. It really does bring people from different walks of life together and on that field, even though we hardly spoke eachother’s language, we had one thing in common: we all just wanted to make the next goal. So tonight as I sleep with some small blisters forming on my feet and some pretty sore legs, I will be dreaming of that goal.
The Ecuadorian fútbol team. They may be just a bit better than us.
abroadgringa 