"The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does." - Phil Woosnam

My third day in Cadiz and I’m still feeling the effects of jet lag. I can’t believe that I’m actually sleeping through the night. I don’t have a/c, but I do have a fan. The mattress is still as hard as me trying to speak Español. But with like all things, I’m learning to adapt. Maybe I wouldn't feel so tired if I went to bed at a respectable time.

Last night though, España played Portugal in the semi-finals of the Eurocup. It’s a real treat to be able to be in Spain during this soccer tournament. Their national team is the best in the world and they are ranked #1. They are like the Saints in the European soccer world.

Last night, everyone was wearing their red, yellow, and blue colors to support their national team. The plazas, restaurants, and bars were packed with people glued to their seats. I went with a group of high school, summer abroad teachers to a small bar outside on the coastline in the northern part of the island. We got there towards the end of the 2^nd half because the match started at 8:30pm but dinner wasn’t ready until 9:00pm. Luckily the score was still nil-nil when we arrived. I decided to wear my Chicago Fire jersey because it’s a soccer team from a city I used to be from. But I got extra stares last night because the jersey looks like the Portugal jersey. I also have a handle-bar mustache so they know that if they mess with me, I will fight them like an old-time boxer, ha!

There are similarities between cultures that I find interesting. People wear their team’s jersey in solidarity. You swap the red & yellow for black & gold; you couldn’t tell the different…well maybe you could but you know what I mean! And both Americans and Spaniards yell at the TV like the players are going to hear them. It reminds me of my NOLA host family during Saints games. During last night’s match, everyone in the outdoor bar in the plaza would rise out of their seats and try to get close to the TV when the Spanish team would have an opportunity to score. The tension would build but fall quickly when they missed. The match did go to a penalty shoot-out and it went down to the final (5^th) shot and España won!

We were with a docile (older) crowd so it wasn’t too wild of a celebration so we decided to head toward Plaza Mina were it was much more livelier! There were many young teens jumping around, cheering, and sounding off air horns. People were also setting off fireworks and running around. One of the restaurants set up a lot of chairs and tables in the plaza in front of a big screen TV; not as big as American standards but big enough. The restaurant and big screen TV where the focal point for the match in this part of the city. Since España won, the owners decided to get on a tall ladder and spray the crowd with a garden hose. A big group of teens and college kids were in the middle jumping around and dancing to (of course) techno music while getting wet. Of course I wanted to join in but being dry and not having to do laundry was a bigger priority.

I got back to the residencia at about midnight. The night clerk at the front desk hasn’t met me and she was asking me questions in Spanish that I didn’t understand. So I showed her my key and everything was alright. I thought that the city would be lively all night but it was surprising quiet. At least where I was.