GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

That's what the TV announcer shouts when Chile scores in futbol (soccer). This past Thurs they played Bolivia and won 4-0 securing them a spot in the championship this fall! Yet little did I realize how much futbol affects the ENTIRE population-it's not like the US where you have a majority of people who watch a major sporting event like the Superbowl and some who don't. Story following:

Well this past Wed I watched the first half of the game with my French and Chilean "brothers" who "don't like futbol," but were glued to the television with homework in hand of course accomplishing nothing and I, on the other hand, am sitting next to my Chilean "brother" Jose reading about Mapuche music, glancing up every now and again. The game wasn't very exciting so I figured why not be productive? All of a sudden Jose lurches forward on the couch and yells joyously. He scared the living daylights out of me and I even said you scared me in English before realizing I wasnt speaking Spanish and translated it-Chile had scored. The first, and only excitement of the first half that occured in the last 3 mins of the period. Despite the fact I had missed the original play, no need to worry with the slow-mo replays at various angles, etc. After that scare, I watched the 3 mins remaining and saw it was almost 10 pm-when I usually go to salsa. Only having three more weeks to maximize my salsa abilities I decided salsa>futbol.

Remembering the train left at 10 and it was 956 I sprinted to the stop even with a minute to spare, waiting with no other passengers. I entered the train where a couple was seated and maybe 2-3 businessmen-that was it. The crosswalk light was red but there was no traffic-not a bus, car, truck-nothing. Instead of my sprinting across the road when there is a large enough gap in traffic, I walked casually. I presented my ID to the guard outside Tablon and walked up the stairs ready to dance. I was dressed in my impervious lavender North Face fleece-that thing never comes off of me!-and a skirt with long underwear underneath ready to dance the night away. But when I entered, there was no salsa music and my normal salsa buddies were absent. The couches that are usually in the corner, very conducive to sipping a pisco sour and chat casually were in front of the two tvs and the game was on. Furthermore, there were ten men sipping beers in front of the televisions, two women chatting with their backs to the television, and me. The usual salsa instructors, bartenders, etc were all absent. Figuring eventually someone I knew would show up and having already gotten there I decided to watch the game-sola. It was quite an interesting dynamic with the men standing up everytime Chile scored, the volume increasing as their beer(s) diminished, and the two women chatting like nothing else was going on. The game ended at 11, the owner turns the tvs off, puts the salsa music on and lights the dance floor, and minus the fact there were no people dancing or even mingling ready to dance, it resumed like any other night. At 1115 after being told lessons would occur, with what people I'm not sure, and being quite cool from the open windows,  I decided to take a micro back home and have an early night in.

When in Chile and there is a national futbol game, you can't avoid it-so watch it in whatever atmosphere you prefer-whether that be with your family next to the spaceheater or a salsa bar.

Every Wednesday I go to El Tablon, a versatile bar in Valparaiso, that on Wed has free salsa lessons. Being a regular, I have my group that I just meet there and dont' worry about going alone because I will find them there.