finde de deportes

Sorry that I only write huge weekend summaries, but here's another... Friday I went to the big mall and surrounding trendy shopping area in Palermo with Hanna. As usual, the only thing I bought at the mall was food (a delicious cheesecake tart), but I did get some knock-off Converses later on, so now I can really look like an Argentine. Funny story of the day: we went into a nicer shoe store for Hanna to look for boots and ended up drinking mate in the back room with two employees (see creepy picture). This guy was just saying ridiculous things to me, like "I fell in love with you at first sight," "I want to marry you," "You are so beautiful, we'd make a great couple" in the middle of the store with all these other customers around. I was trying not to laugh because he was acting so sincere and all but then I was starting to get uncomfortable. He kept asking me to go get coffee and stuff, then the other employee helping Hanna suggested having some mate in the back. Sharing mate here is really common, even among strangers almost, so it wasn't all that sketchy, especially since there were other employees back there. Anyway, I was ready to get out of there but Hanna kept whispering to me it would be an experience and egging the guy on. So, we go in the back and drink mate and take a couple of pictures and these guys are literally trying to kiss us and keep grabbing our hands and this guy is literally confessing his love to me and it was just unbelievably pathetic and comical. There's definitely a stereotype of guys here being like that in a boliche or out dancing and stuff, but it was the strangest thing to be hearing in the middle of a shoe store. All in all, it was a borderline inappropriate but hilarious experience. Saturday morning we had soccer practice. The losing team from practice Thursday had to bring facturas (like doughnuts), and I figured we'd eat them after practice. But, in typical Argentine fashion, only 8 people showed up, and we ended up drinking mate and eating the facturas for the first 40 min of practice, then transitioning directly into a scrimmage without any stretching or warming up. Of course I had eaten 4 doughnuts, this after my regular breakfast at home, and in combination with the 80 degree weather I thought I was going to die in the middle of the game. But it was fun to be playing outside. Saturday night I went to what is known as a "superclasico" rugby game with my program. I don't quite understand what exactly constitutes a superclasico, because it seems to be a very firm and permanent designation, like River/Boca, and not just something you could call any big game. Anyway, it was up north in the smaller, wealthier suburb of San Isidro (where I went biking), and it was SIC vs. CASI, the two rugby teams from San Isidro. The atmosphere reminded everyone of a big high school football game. It was pretty intense and interesting, except for that I have never seen a rugby game before in my life and knew absolutely none of the rules. All I can say is...strange sport, huge thighs. After that we took the train back to Belgrano and got Chinese food for dinner in Chinatown. It was delicious, and the sauces and spices were a flavorful change from the bland, although good, pasta and meat here. After that Hanna and I went to a cafe till 3:30 in the morning. It was both the worst food and worst service I have ever gotten in my life. We ordered a strawberry licuado (milkshake or smoothie) that tasted like chalky, warm apple juice and milk. It was so disgusting that we actually complained, and they told us it was because they use powder, not fruit. Then they just took it in the back, added more powder and charged us for it even though it was so bad we couldn't even touch it. This afternoon I went to another soccer game, River Plate vs. Independiente. I went with like 5 other girls from my program, and we sat in the platea (nicer, you actually sit down), as opposed to the popular, where I was for the Boca game. It was super fun, but a totally different experience. We had seats, were in the shade, and were down below from all the fanatics. The River stadium is the biggest in Argentina, up north of the city, and where they play national team games, but because it wasn't quite full and not as steep or packed in as Boca's, it was less intense. We were by all River fans, but none of us really cheered for anyone in particular. I've been pretty inculcated by my Boca host brother, so it would have been hard to root for River. But they won 2-0, and it was a really exciting game, with lots of chances on our end and two missed/blocked penalty kicks. I tried some stadium food (a dubious looking hamburger that actually was delicious), and we chatted with some Argentine fans. We had to wait like half an hour to leave after the game because they literally trap you in the stadium until the visiting team's fans leave to avoid riots. I much preferred the atmosphere and craziness of the Boca stadium, but I was there for a superclasico after all, and this was better for actually watching the game (instead of worrying you're going to die). There were still a ton of rabid fans, and the field was gorgeous. I've just been watching the beginning of "Futbol de Primera," the two hour soccer recap we watch every Sunday night. There will be a longer feature on my game, because Independiente is another of the big, storied clubs here, so I'm excited to see it. Tomorrow is a feriado, Argentina's Independence Day, and I think there are some parades or demonstrations or something downtown, so hopefully I will see some of that. Otherwise I will be studying for my midterm...Have a good week.