GOOOOAAAAALLLLLLL

Cante y une tu voz

Grita fuerte te escuche el sol

El partido ya va a comenzar

Todos juntos vamos a ganar

Uh-oh, Becky's speaking Spanish again... here's your translation....

Sing and unite your voices

Yell so loudly the sun can hear you

The game is about to start

All together we will win

The FIFA World Cup.  It's a big deal.  I guess ignorant me didn't realize how big of a deal it truly is.  It is the biggest sporting event in the world and it really has the power to bring nations together.  I have some opposing views on what it means for South Africa--let's get into that.  First of all, the amount of money that was spent building and renovating stadiums could have built more than 9,000 schools and libraries in South Africa.  Are we teaching the world's children how to read, or how to kick a ball?  At the same point, as the official song of the World Cup says... "waka,waka This time for Africa."  I can't say I know exactly what Shakira means by waka, waka (other than to do the very addicting dance) but I do know that Africa in general will be blessed by this event on their soil.  The revenue and awareness gained are, perhaps, innumerable.  

So what have my experiences been with the world cup?  Well, I've watched every game Argentina has played/won this far--and will keep cheering them on until the end.  The USA is still in my heart, as is Mexico... I must admit I even smile when Brazil does well (but DO NOT... under any circumstances tell an Argentine that) Case in point, I was at the gym last week while Brazil was playing.  They scored a goal at the end to win the game.  Argentines are absolute football fanatics and will get into any game--trust me.  However, I have never seen a room full of such stone-faced men as when Brazil scored and won.  I accidentally let a smile slip out, and it was greeted by a look from the man on the machine next to me of such a mixture of horror, shock and disgust that I finished my set and left the gym in a hurry, watching my back the whole time.  But back to the point.  I've had the pleasure of watching the Thursday morning game in a bar surrounded by all too enthusiastic Argentines at 8 am.  Yesterday we watched the game against Greece in Austin's apartment, right over Patio Olmos (one of the main plazas in the city).   For a bit of comic relief, our channel was about 3 seconds ahead of the channel that the people were watching in the bar below us.  Every time something scream worthy happened, we all got a chuckle of waiting for the rest of Cordoba to catch up.  

The game had us on the edge of our seats as our boys battled it out on the field.  I was sorely missing my preferred player-- Gonzalo Higuain.  He scored 3 of the 4 goals in Thursdays game--and he looked darn good doing it.  Move over Messi--we've got a new stud in town.  Palermo was a nice addition to this game though--especially when he scored an awesome goal!  Nobody beats watching Maradona on the sidelines though.  Let's have a quick and dirty Argentine football history lesson.  They played football for many years--and then Maradona came along... and things got interesting.  Maradona is widely regarded as the best football player in history. In his career, he set world record contract fees and played in four World Cups--including the '86 World Cup where he captained the team to victory.  Don't get me started on the history of that World Cup or the previous--but suffice it to say that he scored two of the goals that have football fans the world over, and physicists, still admiring him to this day.  Then, in 1991, he tested positive for cocaine, and failed a drug test in the 1994 World Cup as well.  You'll often hear the term "disgraced" thrown around.  However, he's back in the saddle, or should I say, on the pitch--drug free, as the manager of the Argentine team.  I think he forgets sometimes that he isn't a player anymore.  If you watch carefully, he kicks the ball whenever he has the chance and will often fall to the ground in a fit of anger at a missed goal and have a temper tantrum like a two year old.  Entertaining to say the least.  On the current team we have a nice young man named Messi.  Messi is the best footballer in the world, currently.  He plays for a team in Barcelona, Spain, but comes back to play for his homeland of Argentina.  Quite a team, quite a team.  

Listen carefully during the next game, Sunday at 3:30 my time.  You'll probably hear me screaming from Cordoba.   


**lyrics from "Wavin' Flag" by K'naan, image of Higuan courtesy of World Press