Adventuras con Fútbol

So soccer (to be called ¨football¨ from now on) is big here. Ecuador hadn´t accomplished much in the football world since the last dicator was ousted, but in the past few months they have been doing quite well. Well enough, in fact, that this past week Ecuador played Brazil for the championship in this year´s South American Cup. Here in Quito.

So of course I had to try to get tickets. But apparently getting tickets to one of the biggest football games in Ecuador´s history isn´t as easy as one would think. After lots of walking, a bus ride, and a small trip in a taxi, one of the other interns named Kaysha and I found ourselves in front of Quito´s football stadium. The only problem? The line to get tickets literally wound around the entire complex. We gave up after standing in line for a half hour (the line hadn´t moved). Afterwards we talked with our host mom who told us that sometimes people have to wait in line for 2 days to get tickets for the big games. Of course there are always scalpers selling tickets, but those go for as much as $100.

So that´s how I found myself in an Ecuadorian bar watching the game on a 15 inch tv surrounded by intoxicated football fans. Fans that were too lazy to stand in line for two days, but proactive enough to make it to the closest pub and down 5 beers before the game started. I suppose I should have been dissapointed. But I couldn´t have been happier. Brazil 0, Ecuador 3. Champions of South America.