Tonight was Chile's World Cup Qualifying game against Uruguay, and it was unlike anything I have ever seen. I wouldn't say I'm a soccer expert, but I'm not completely in the dark. I've been to a Barcelona game at Camp Nou with over 100,000 people. My Mac dashboard gives me live-feed updates of EPL scores and news (another reason everyone should switch to Mac) and the Seattle Sunders home page is top on my "Favorites" list. But I have never experienced anything like what I experienced tonight. The game started at 7:00, which means my class, that also starts at 7:00, was empty. Cars raced down the streets with people hanging out the windows waving Chilean flags, and screaming Chilean chants. My university suspended classes to watch the first half. This is the same university which chose not to cancel class during the Dia del Joven Combatiente, a day of protest against the dictatorship which in the past few years has resulted in police in riot gear spraying crowds with tear gas and water hoses. The city came alive before my eyes: every restaurant and cafe was packed with people and every establishment was showing the game. If there was no more room, people were on the street watching through the windows. If anyone watched the game you would have noticed that there were police officers in full riot gear with plastic shields to protect Uruguay players taking corner kicks or throw-ins from things being thrown at them from the stands. It's the raw passion and euphoria that made an impression. My roommate has been saving his money to go to this game for months. It's not just passion and excitement for the game, but it's the immense pride that Chileans have for their team. Chileans do their best to amplify the little positive recognition this country gets, and most often that is in the form of fútbol. Here are some pictures of my students watching the game instead of coming to class. Everyone came to the school to watch, but no one came to class. In this situation, I could care less. I wanted to watch the game too!
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