¡Si se puede! Ecuador plays Chile

Sunday was the world cup qualifier game between chile and ecuador. we left at 12 and the game started at 5. why did we leave so early? the director of the school who had found us tickets wanted to get the best seats possible. so we sat in a row- all seven students, me next to my friend from australia, and she and i ordered gigantic bottles of pilsener, the official, and as far as i can tell the only beer in ecuador.

it was really an eye full. vendors are allowed to serve beer that they carry in a bag with cups and a container of ice, which you need- becuase its cheap beer its awful when its tepid; women and children carry boxes of cigarettes sold as singles, half or whole boxes along with candy and toys all together. the best are papas y fritas- home made potato chips with a tiny twisted bag of salt. also, similar to corn nuts but indigenous corn thats very big is served with salsa lime and chile; hot potatoes and sauce and cold hotdogs.
no bottles made of glass except for the vendors are allowed in the stadium for fear that people will throw them at the opposing team!

oh and umbrellas! in the morning it was very hot and by half past 1 it was raining and this didn´t stop for the rest of the night. so we sat and drank, like everybody else, to try to ignore the very cold and wet, numb fingered situation; and vendors sell peices of plastic for a quarter and ponchos, umbrellas. the whole scene was brilliant- a packed stadium of colored umbrellas and the mountains filled with black clouds and mist behind.

here´s what else: many cops in riot gear line the field. when the game finally began people threw roles of toilet paper and let off fire works and fire extinguishers and chanted and screamed- "si se puede" yes we can! which, by this time people have been getting drunk for 4 hours and have been singing national pride songs and the small group of chileans try to sing the rest of the stadium whistles so loud you cant hear them sing.

also the insults were great! when the chilean players are introduced one at a time, the whole stadium cries "hijos de puta!", after each one and when a chilean player got hurt and was rolling on the ground in agony, a woman screamed- he acts just like a little girl! and everybody laughed. oh and the guys in front of us were buying smuggled in cheap liqour and everytime anything exciting happened they would look back at us to be sure we were enjoying it as much as they were.

Ecuador won with one goal and when it happened everybody suddenly stood up and jumped in unison and congradulated eachother shaking hands and giving eachother drinks! it was great and much more entertaining than football at home.

at the end though i was very wet and tired and barely could stay awake for dinner.
ecuador is mi pais!