Pero no comes sardinas!
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which I was surprised to find was less of a big deal than I would have anticipated in an all Catholic country. Mass (at 6:30am!!!) was all business, finishing quite quickly so those that had to get on to work wouldn't be late. We also had communion without any Presentation of the Gifts/Eucharistic Prayer. The priest just barreled through the Our Father and that was that, communion time. Didn't seem regulation, but then again there are quite a few things about Colombia that aren't regulation.
I was also surprised to see that not many around the city had ashes. I feel like I typically see more smudged foreheads in Irish Catholic land aka St. Paul than I did here (Madison was always a different story-I always got quite a few "umm you have something on your forehead"s while walking around campus.) Not exactly what I was anticipating in a country where the inside of buses are clad with crosses, icons of Mary and prayers stamped on the walls.
Since I was up so early I figured I'd just get my run out of the way early so I could shower and go back to bed. Before I headed upstairs for a snooze, I wanted to clarify with Glo that they wouldn't be cooking meat for lunch. When I asked her, she looked at me like I had just landed here from the moon. Then a look of comprehension came upon her face and she said "Ahhhh, si, hoy es miercoles de ceniza....pero no comes sardinas!" I could see her brain ticking "what am I going to feed this girl?! She won't eat meat and she doesn't like sardines (can you blame me?!)!" Then she suggested 'huevos?' And I said si, huevos estan perfectamente bien.
I actually ended up being served some question mark brand of fish that tasted quite nice (looked kinda sketchy though, so I don't think I'll be asking what it was). I really hope we don't have to repeat this scene every Friday for the next 40 days.
I also had trouble finding something meatless to eat for dinner last night after the soccer game. I went to the Bucaramanga v. Barranquilla game which was quite fun despite the fact that because Bucaramanga finished last in Division I last year they got kicked out for this season and now play in Division II. The stadium wasn't nearly full, but there was a section across from where we were that was packed with jumping, likely intoxicated, singing, chanting fans. My friend Mayo told me that they get paid by the team to travel to the away games and generally cause a rukus. Looked like a lot of fun to me!!!
Fans by us were generally stationary but did enjoy shouting streams of Spanish profanities when the team did something unfortunate. It was scoreless until nearly the end, when Bucaramanga got a goal off a nice crossover shot made from the left corner. There were virtually no fans from the other team, so don't worry Daddy, I didn't get caught in a riot. And there were plenty of po around in full riot gear to keep the peace.
I hope to make it to a Colombian national game before I leave here, but they play in Bogota so I don't know if that'll be possible. Watching the game last night really made me miss playing though...there's a severe satisfaction that comes from giving the ball a resounding kick halfway across the field. Probably can't kick as good as I used to though, like back in the day where people on my own team cowered away from the ball when I took a goal kick.
PS Pei and I have become somewhat like celebrities around here....so far we've appeard in three newspapers (two issues of the university one and another similar to The Villager in STP or The Isthmus in Madison.) I'm getting quite sick of randos taking my picture and sticking it in a paper and randos on the street being like you're the girls in Gente! Yes, yes we are, thank you, good day.
I was also surprised to see that not many around the city had ashes. I feel like I typically see more smudged foreheads in Irish Catholic land aka St. Paul than I did here (Madison was always a different story-I always got quite a few "umm you have something on your forehead"s while walking around campus.) Not exactly what I was anticipating in a country where the inside of buses are clad with crosses, icons of Mary and prayers stamped on the walls.
Since I was up so early I figured I'd just get my run out of the way early so I could shower and go back to bed. Before I headed upstairs for a snooze, I wanted to clarify with Glo that they wouldn't be cooking meat for lunch. When I asked her, she looked at me like I had just landed here from the moon. Then a look of comprehension came upon her face and she said "Ahhhh, si, hoy es miercoles de ceniza....pero no comes sardinas!" I could see her brain ticking "what am I going to feed this girl?! She won't eat meat and she doesn't like sardines (can you blame me?!)!" Then she suggested 'huevos?' And I said si, huevos estan perfectamente bien.
I actually ended up being served some question mark brand of fish that tasted quite nice (looked kinda sketchy though, so I don't think I'll be asking what it was). I really hope we don't have to repeat this scene every Friday for the next 40 days.
I also had trouble finding something meatless to eat for dinner last night after the soccer game. I went to the Bucaramanga v. Barranquilla game which was quite fun despite the fact that because Bucaramanga finished last in Division I last year they got kicked out for this season and now play in Division II. The stadium wasn't nearly full, but there was a section across from where we were that was packed with jumping, likely intoxicated, singing, chanting fans. My friend Mayo told me that they get paid by the team to travel to the away games and generally cause a rukus. Looked like a lot of fun to me!!!
Fans by us were generally stationary but did enjoy shouting streams of Spanish profanities when the team did something unfortunate. It was scoreless until nearly the end, when Bucaramanga got a goal off a nice crossover shot made from the left corner. There were virtually no fans from the other team, so don't worry Daddy, I didn't get caught in a riot. And there were plenty of po around in full riot gear to keep the peace.
I hope to make it to a Colombian national game before I leave here, but they play in Bogota so I don't know if that'll be possible. Watching the game last night really made me miss playing though...there's a severe satisfaction that comes from giving the ball a resounding kick halfway across the field. Probably can't kick as good as I used to though, like back in the day where people on my own team cowered away from the ball when I took a goal kick.
PS Pei and I have become somewhat like celebrities around here....so far we've appeard in three newspapers (two issues of the university one and another similar to The Villager in STP or The Isthmus in Madison.) I'm getting quite sick of randos taking my picture and sticking it in a paper and randos on the street being like you're the girls in Gente! Yes, yes we are, thank you, good day.
posted by Teresa @ 12:37 PM
2 Comments:
At February 27, 2009 9:56 AM ,
mollymeg said...
you played soccer?! I don't think I knew that.
also, don't get sick of being put in the newspaper, enjoy it! I don't think that any chilean news source will be asking me to make a fool of myself on a national show anytime soon/ever. they don't love foreigners here.
At February 27, 2009 6:36 PM ,
Bex said...
Remind me to show you the pictures of me being interviewed by Telemundo (yes, INTERNATIONAL Spanish-speaking television, not some local Salvador station) while at a soccer game. It's me and a sea of Salvadoran men. Looks like Colombia has the same deal Salvador does with their teams, where the best team moves up, worst team moves down. We happened to be at the game to determine which team would move up for the next year and it was...insane. They call one section of the stadium "Vietnam" because people throw...well...some of the less gross things thrown include cups of urine. Yeah. Bit insane!
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