¡Fútbol!

As you all know, American football in the South is pretty much a part of our genetic code. It is considered sacred, definitely worshipped and possibly idolized. Who am I kidding? It is idolized. Well here in Guatemala, futbol reigns as king. For those of you in the slow lane, futbol is the spanish word for soccer. I feel like kids here come out of the womb with the ability to score a goal from twenty feet away. It is pretty much loco.

Now soccer is not a sport I excel in. I can't even claim to be decent at it. Personally, I think it has something to do with my inability to shuffle my feet. Every time I attempt to move the ball, I look like a 75 year old woman trying to avoid stepping in a pothole. It is slightly embarrassing and doesn't do much to raise ones morale. Good thing I never had dreams of helping the Guatemalan national team make it to their first World Cup. Those dreams would have been crushed today.

For the first time, since I've been in Guate, I tried my luck at this game of quick pace and swift movement. Here I am, in jeans and Nike shocks, standing on what four Guatemalan boys consider a soccer field. The crooked trees serve as goal posts and you have to be careful to avoid the stumps and gaping holes that clutter the field. It is covered in dust and if the ball is kicked in the wrong direction, you have to climb through a barbed wire fence to retrieve it. Sounds horrible right? I loved every minute of it! Not only did I get to play soccer with some locals, I also got to score my first Guatemalan goal. Granted it wasn't graceful and I may have tripped over my feet while doing it, but it counted towards the 15 goals that won us the game. It was Gringos versus Guatemaltecos and the Gringos actually pulled off a win. Who would have seen that one coming? Sure one of our opponents couldn't have been any older than 5 and the oldest one no older than 16, but it still counts as a "W" right?

I don't think I have laughed so hard in a while. Watching Kim struggle to keep possession of the ball while yelling profanities that hopefully only we could understand and then scoring and screeching with glee. The mere sight of it pretty much made my day. By the end of the game, we were sweaty, covered in dust and laughing the whole way home. It was perfect. I'm sure it was the first game of many that I will participate in over the next two years. Hopefully I will show some improvement on the field. Because getting worse definitely isn't an option. So here is to trading in my football helmet for a soccer jersey and spending the next two years kicking a ball instead of throwing it. Wish me luck. I need it.