However, all plans changed when we learned that Clara needs surgery and in order to have surgery she needed 2 people to donate blood. I offered to donate since I am O+ and can match with anyone. A boy who never normally comes to the Breakfast Program said he woke up this morning and felt called to go. He wasn't sure why until he realized he, too, has O+ blood. His name is Fabricio.
Marlin had a Dr appt at the same hospital and Jacky came along to be sure Fabricio and I figured out where we were supposed to go and what we were supposed to do. We were actually really lucky to have her because thanks to her we were the first ones to leave. Some people had been at the hospital since 5 a.m. but Jacky knows how to get things done!
We left the hospital at 4. Friends had been waiting for us since the gates opened at 3 but they couldn't get in because I had all of the tickets. Poor Fabricio was pacing and pacing while he waited for them to call his name to give blood. Partly because he was anxious to go to the game, and in part because we all needed to use the bathroom but they closed the bathrooms at 3 p.m. That hospital is nuts.
We didn't expect to spend the whole day there. We thought we'd be done by 11:30. I hadn't brought my backpack with my raincoat and sweatshirt. The streets were at a standstill when we left the hospital. Jose kept calling every few minutes while we were stuck in traffic. We had only moved a few feet and he would call again. Finally he said I should pull the car over at the next gas station, pay one of the guards and park there. I pulled into the gas station but nobody was parked there. The main guard was a young guy with a big automatic weapon. Fabricio walked up to him on foot at the same time that I pulled over in my car. Fabricio let me do the talking, which I didn't think was the best idea at first but I was wrong.
I told the guard I was looking for a place to park while we went to the game. He said they have strict rules that nobody is allowed to park there. But I was determined, so I just said, "And..." He said the rules are enforced. I smiled and said, "And". I saw him start to soften. He said one more thing about the rules. I kept my smile and repeated my "And". And then he said that he thought he could let me park there, in the third spot from the left. I said thank you and asked if we should come back to see him (to pay him) after we park. He said no, he was doing this from his own willingness. So I got a free parking space!
As Fabricio and I sprinted through the rain to find our friends (me in flip flops that splattered mud up the back of my pants and have my feet cramping even at this moment) Fabricio announced that he thought his ticket was bad and he would have to buy a new one. I asked why. He said it had a mark on it. I said it's just a smudge, it will be fine. Buy he was clearly worried. In Honduras if your cash has any marks or the slightest tear, nobody will accept it. I'm sure he thought the ticket was the same. He kept listening each time we passed a scalper, sure he would have to return to buy another ticket. I told him your ticket is fine. It will get you inside. He said yes, that is the way I need to think. But later he told me that he had been really worried.
We caught up with Jose, Danny from La Tigra, and a friend of Jose's. Then we ran further in the rain. When I told Jose I had to go to the bathroom he was not happy. He didn't think it was safe or sanitary to use the bathroom in the stadium. I told him we had been waiting for hours and unless he could find another place, I had to use the bathroom in the stadium. Turned out the bathroom in the stadium was fine. No toilet paper, but that is to be expected in any public bathroom in Honduras. There was also no garbage can in a country where you can't flush your toilet paper, so there was a pile. I was happy I went before the game started because the pile was still small. Sounds grosser than it was.
Got my cheek painted with a Honduran flag. A tv camera passed down the line of people who were waiting to get in. When it got to Fabricio and me it stayed way longer than for anyone else so we cheered and jumped up and down for the camera. I'll hear tomorrow if we were on tv tonight.
The whole stadium experience was awesome. I kept wishing I had brought my phone to take pictures, but I figured that was not a safe idea. Turned out it wasn't a safe idea. I bought a blue soccer flag and it got stolen out from under a lady's butt. One second it was there, the next it was gone. I was sad. But as we were saying good bye Fabricio told me he left me a gift in my car. It was another flag. He is such a sweet boy! I am glad I got the chance to hang out with him today because I see him every week at church but he is always really quiet, so I had never really talked to him before. I enjoyed getting to know him better.
The whole time I was in the stadium I kept wishing I had brought a pen and paper. There were so many things I wanted to share in my blog. I can't remember them all but I'll try to hit the highlights.
The stadium didn't have any individual seats that I saw. It may have had a few on the other side. Everything was solid concrete. We searched for a space and finally found one big enough for all of us. They weren't the best seats because we got there late. But I didn't care. I was so excited to be there. As we sat down and watched the place fill up I had the most amazing time soaking up my surroundings. The Jesus Statue and the Coca Cola sign were on the side of the mountain behind the stadium directly in my line of sight. I wished I had my camera. It was awesome.
Soon we were squeezed in, sitting hip to hip with our knees pinned together. You can't call it shoulder to shoulder because we weren't. Our shoulders were too broad to fit, so we had to wedge them in sideways. Finally at about 6:30 the team came out to stretch. Fabricio and I stood up to watch. Jose kept telling us to sit down. I wasn't sure why. All I knew was that I had been sitting in the hospital all day and it was too squishy to sit any longer. I thought Jose was concerned we would tire and not be able to stand through until the end of the game. But that wasn't it. More on that later...
When the other team came onto the field many people booed. I felt uncomfortable. I felt more uncomfortable when they booed as their flag was brought out. I felt horrible when people booed and blew their noise makers during the other team's national anthem. Jose said he didn't like it either.
To cheer on their own team people thrust their arms straight out toward the team and chant "HON-DU-RAS!" then clap, clap, clap, "HON-DU-RAS!" clap clap clap. Jose's friend bought me a noise maker so I blew it like others did during the claps. I got so excited when I heard my first "Olééé! Olé Olé Olé!" I couldn't believe I was experience it live! Later in the game I realized they also use the Olé chant as the players pass the ball. When one player kicks it they yell "O" and when the next person receives it they finish with the "lé". Then they start again with the "O" when he kicks it to the third player and "lé" when it is safely received by another Honduran teammate. This continues until the ball is intercepted by the other team. It gets more exciting the longer the exchanges go on without interception.
Being part of the crowd is fun, until Honduras makes a goal. Then the people throw their paper cups of beer as far as they can. Thankfully, beer is not a very common beverage at a Honduran soccer game. But my hair was pretty sticky by the time we left. When you are not getting drenched with beer, it is really fun. People do the wave. They also do this thing that looks like a rowing crew. You grab the person's shoulders in front of you and push them forward forcefully, then yank them back. It looks really cool across the stadium but it is also really fun to do. We also did it side to side. Everyone is wedged in so tight it is fun to move as a unit, shoving the person next to you one way and the other. To celebrate a goal, everyone jumps up and down and hugs each other. Then you quickly sit back down. In a country where few people bother to follow the law, everyone sits down during the whole soccer game. They only stand when the team is close to making a goal. If you stand too long, people yell at you to sit down. It is a rule that is very strictly followed. I was surprised by that. They don't pay attention to traffic lights, but they sure do sit down during soccer games in Honduras.
I kept checking the big screen out of habit, but it wasn't much help in following the game. It did show live footage before the game of the teams stretching and the flags they carried onto the field for the National Anthems. It showed men talking, but you couldn't hear what they were saying. During the game there was no live footage. There was also no time clock. At the end of the game I noticed a man standing on the side of the field with a digital clock that counted down the last 3 minutes for the players to see.
From the time the stadium opened until the very last second when the crowds rushed outside after the game, vendors passed constantly. They sold everything you can imagine - noise makers, flags, hats, headbands, soda, beer, individual cigarettes, gum, different ice cream products, and a huge variety of food. There were also stands in the hallways that had lots of food which looked really good, but Jose said we could only eat Pizza Hut pizza or Chicken Campero. He said it was too risky to buy something else because we could get sick. They venders had hamburgers, plantain chips with all kinds of toppings and sauces, baleadas, and lots of other things I can't think of right now.
Jose pointed out the spot where he wanted us to sit, but I was glad we hadn't gotten those seats. Apparently there were some trouble makers there. The police had to go up there twice and pull people out of the crowd. It looked crazy from where we were. They had marched out before the game in full riot gear with shields and helmets with face masks. They had wooden bats. They were stationed throughout the crowd, but it was really impressive when they marched out and lined the whole stadium, making a barrier between the crowd and the field. As though there weren't fences and nets. The field was impenetrable. I told Jose in the states our security is usually some overweight guy in a polo shirt who stands there, leaning against the wall. The security in Honduras was pretty intense. Plus I got a full pat down on my way in.
Right now US is in first place and guaranteed to go to the World Cup in Brazil. Honduras is in third place, so we are hopeful! I can't wait to go to another soccer game. But the next game is scheduled to be in San Pedro Sula, which is not only THE most dangerous city on earth, it is also a pretty far drive. I'm not sure when I'll be able to see a game again. But I am looking forward to it. My first soccer game in Honduras was awesome!
