I have no interest in futbol (soccer). It's not a cultural thing. I had no interest in US football either. That's just me. I'm happy for those whose team won and sad for those whose team lost, but that is about it for my enthusiasm. I'll have to admit that I do get a kick out of hearing the sports announcers shout:
Go-Go-GO-GO-GO-GOL-GOL-
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!
(Gol = goal. See, Spanish isn't so hard.)
The excitement of those announcers is really hilarious. And winning makes me happy for Honduras because it is so important to the people.
Unfortunately, for the past few years, they haven't usually done so well. I never had to ask El Jefe who won the game as I could tell from his dejected manner. I'm not sure what happened, but lately (a new coach?), they have been hot, hot, hot.
A few months ago, Honduras beat Canada, as God wished.
Then their team turned around and the very next game beat Jamaica!Then they humiliated Panamá. ('Humiliated' was the word used in the newspapers.)
One night, I heard guns shooting off (more than usual) and fire works. I remember thinking "Is it a holiday?" and then "How odd to have a child's birthday party on a Wednesday night." El Jefe soon let me know that Honduras beat that dastardly arch enemy Mexico! The only other victory that even comes close to the elation of beating Mexico is beating the US.
Apparently, the Mexicans were taunting Honduras that they couldn't win because Honduran food was so bad that the Honduran players were malnourished among other nasty things. WELL! I guess we showed them!
One by one, Chile, Nicaragua, and Belize have fallen like dominoes to the far superior Honduran national team. A few days ago, El Salvador was trounced. Will this never end? Will Honduras make it to the world cup some day?
Honduras has a huge disadvantage to overcome. What does it take to be a world champion? Good players, sure. A good coach, of course. But more than anything, it takes money! Just like in the Olympics, the best athletes are usually bought by other, more wealthy countries. It's not fair!
The custom is that after a winning game, everyone takes to the streets, honking, screaming, cheering, fist-shaking, Titanic arm-raising 'I'm king of the world!' postures, with people hanging out of car windows and piled into the back of pickup trucks. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic on all of the major streets. The price of gas be damned! Others who watched the game at home go outside and shoot off their guns or set off fireworks. All is right in the world.El Jefe took some video on his cellphone to show the madness of how they celebrate a win in La Ceiba, but unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to convert it so I can edit it. You'll just have to use your imagine. (Imagine LOUD and crazy!)
Tonight (January 30), we play Panamá again. Wish us luck!
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