Futebol

So until about 6 months ago, my knowledge of Brazilian culture was basically knowing that Brazil dominated in soccer. Okay. Cool. But I was surprised how very quiet football has been in my Brazilian experience. I mean, I've gotten to know the teams that people torce (cheer) for -- Corinthiians, Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Flamengo(?). And Marite is actually a fan of soccer and plugged me into such current superstart jogadors such as Kaka and Anderson.

Yeah, that video is hilarious.

But I forgot how much I really love soccer. For Americans, we only really get into it during the World Cup,(Soccer is such a ROW thing, isnt it?) And I actually met some Brazilians (mostly Brasileiras) who told me the same. Otherwise, it's mostly the dudes. And Sunday football matches are pretty much the norm. There are like 4 different clubs in Sao Paulo alone (I dont even know for sure). And at one match, aparently when I first got to Sao Paulo, the military police were out there keeping the peace with rowdy rioters, as well as the city police, and at one point they forgot about the fans and just went after each other. Huh??? What? Um, yeah, I guess!

But a little secret I forgot about, is that I know how to play soccer! Like every American girl, I paid my dues on the soccer field, 8 years as a goalie and 2 years playing Soph-Frosh in high school. Have a separated collar bone to show for it. So it was a nice little thing to pull out, when someone would bring out the soccer ball and start to juggle a few. I'm ok that I've hung up my cleats except for the occasional pickup game after work. But one thing Marite pointed out was that Brazilians continue their sports well into adulthood. When she told Brazilians that she used to play soccer, she said the normal response was "ussed to!?!?! why don't you still play?" with some kind of shock. I guess it's true. We're letting years of soccer practice go fallow.