Chile Part 13
Hola chicos!
I was going through my photos from my trip and stumbled across this set. I remember the night as if it were yesterday - I was cooking cream of broccoli soup to warm my bones on the wintry evening, ignoring the sounds of the soccer game being played on the TV. I felt sad because although my school, Universidad de Chile, got to the final of the national tournament, they lost the first game to La Católica and were already losing 1-0. Although I loved soccer, at that moment I loved hot food more, so I kept on mixing the soup...until I heard a yell. My Chilean roommate, Denis, shouted that La Chile had scored 2 goals, then 3, then 4! Now, if they held out till the end, they could actually win the championship! The goal differential was in their favor. I braced myself, adding milk to the green mixture, and then heard the final whistle. Champions! I was so excited that I ran to my room, pulled on my La U shirt, then ran downstairs to celebrate with all the rest of the fans in Plaza Italia. Great fun.
Here are the photos!
P.S. The title, translated into English, reads: "The lion is my passion!" One of the popular chants for La U, it alludes to the fact that the mascot is a lion.
 |
| Young fan of La U, set against the jumbled backdrop of flags, people and streetlights |
 |
| Yet again, Plaza Italia was absolutely filled - and as always, la Virgen was watching overhead. |
 |
| Chi-chi-chi, le-le-le, Universidad de Chile! |
 |
| Crazy fans who had climbed up onto a statue and were screaming at the top of their lungs. |
 |
| Oooh, look at the pretty fireworks... |
 |
| Rene and I, the avid soccer fans! |
 |
| What's weird in this picture? Hmmm...there's a guy on top of a streetlight. He's waving a flag that somehow looks like a UFO according to my camera. Awesome picture? Check. |
 |
| Another die-hard fan, looking ready to ignite the crowd with his checkered flag |
 |
| The ground, littered with celebratory confetti. |
 |
| So I discovered that it's pretty hard to take pictures of flags! But they definitely come out cool. |
 |
| Where there's smoke, there's fire. And where there's fire, there's more fireworks! |
 |
| The flags, bravely battling the smoke. |
 |
| How many people were there? |
 |
| LOTS of people. Fans as far as the eye can see...and then some! |
Chau! Viva fútbol!
