Fútbol/Soccer & Gringas/Ticas

It sounded like a good idea at the time...so many stories start out that way haha. There was a soccer game between Costa Rica and the U.S. in Washington, DC last night. If Costa Rica had scored three goals they would be qualified for the World Cup. Oddly enough I would guess that maybe a quarter of the U.S. population knew that it was going on, and yet the entirity of Costa Rica seemed to be invested heart and soul. People just don't really pay attention to soccer in the states. Anyways, Rhiannon and I wanted to go watch the game, and I decided to wear my U.S jersey. Oh, the looks I got when I walked into a room full of Costa Ricans (men in jerseys, women in club attire and heels)! I really can't remember the last time I felt so awkward. It was like saying y'all in the north , or asking for sweet tea on the west coast, or probably more like wearing a Red Sox's jersey to a Yankee's game; regardless I was marked as an outsider (an unwelcome one at that). I think I would have felt more at ease walking around naked... maybe not, but almost. So the game ended in a tie, and then I really started feeling awkward because everyone got dead silent when the U.S. scored a goal in the last 20 seconds. The stoney silence didn't wear off as quickly as I expected it to. When it did, it gave way to muttered curses about gringos. The tied game means that Costa Rica has to play Uruguay twice in order to qualify for the World Cup, and the chances of Costa Rica winning again the Uruguayan team aren't so good. Lesson learned: everyone can be a sore loser when it's a matter of national pride & try to look less like a gringa in the future =D