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 2nd 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 (5th) 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.
