Fútbol

I play pick-up soccer on an empty lot in our neighborhood in the evenings when I get a chance. I played a lot growing up but was never very good and gave it up after high school, but after going to Peru and playing all the time I realized that brushing up on my game is probably a smart idea before moving. The truth is, I have found that playing this game has become so much more than brushing up in order to impress people in Bolivia. Soccer really is the universal sport. If I ever dictated our country's foreign policiy it would be to train everyone to play soccer because we would make so many more friends. Where else in Chattanooga do grown men from 5 or 6 countries all congregate and forget our differences for a while and enjoy each other's company? Maybe they play because they love the game, but I have found myself playing because I love the people. I'm on a league team now, the only gringo in the Central American league in town. I can't wait to start playing in Bolivia. It honestly might be the best way to meet people and make friends there. Of course it is also a good way to humiliate myself as they dribble through me, but it makes me feel good that they don't give me any special treatment any more. I guess it just hit me the other night as I was playing and realizing how diverse we each were yet how we had found something in common and have become friends.