¡GOL, COSTAAAA RRRRRRICA!
We had the awesome opportunity to attend a soccer match (fútbol down here) in San José tonight. Even cooler than that, it's actually a World Cup qualifying match between Costa Rica and Jamaica. Excited with this new development, I told both my dad and my boyfriend, who are the two most likely to be interested in the game. To my disappointment, they acknowledged my excitement, but told me that Jamaica was the favorite to win the game, and that I shouldn't get my hopes up for Costa Rica.
Since my stomach was still feeling iffy, I definitely didn't go all fútbol fan like some of my SOLmates. There were a lot of cheeks with CR flags painted on them, almost everyone bought an official, Costa Rica red shirt to wear, and many of them also bought flags or horns. Two of the boys even chose to paint their whole torsos red, and end up with a flag-painted face. We were definitely a spectacle for the Ticos to see when we got to the stadium.
Costa Rica scored within the first 15 minutes! I had watched the news this morning with Mamá Tica and Jorge, so I knew the little chant-song that the Ticos sing after every goal. Several times through a stadium wave, we sang the song again; Costa Rica lead Jamaica at the half, 2-0. About halfway through the second half, we would score once more, and hold off any scores from Jamaica to win. My favorite part about the whole night was that even though I've never been a huge soccer fan, being a part of the chaos really made me feel the pride that Ticos have for their country. For a moment, this gringa that had never left the US before felt like she was a part of the love and camaraderie shared by a whole country. The feeling is hard to describe, but it is incredible.