The World Cup- Vamos Argentina!

Being here in Argentina for the World Cup was an awesome cultural experience. We really got to feel the excitement and be a part of the passion that people have for soccer. We caught on quickly how important it was as the first games began. It became understood, that if Jill was supposed to teach at the same time of an Argentina game, that class would be canceled. Sara had Spanish class at the same time as a game once, and the streets that are normally so noisy were so quiet, that you could here people screaming from cafes nearby whenever a goal was scored. The city literally just stopped whenever Argentina was playing. We remember going outside on a weekday around noon and wondering where all the people had gone. The streets were literally empty. It was so eerie that we began to wonder if we missed some kind of holiday or announcement about some killer mosquitoes outside. Soon enough however, we heard screams, hoots and hollers, and car horns beeping all across the city at the same time and we remembered that it was the World Cup and Argentina must have scored a ''GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!''

After that experience we knew we had to be more on top of the World Cup, we had to join in on the excitement. From then on we watched all the Argentina games with Argentines. Our first venture out was to an outdoor space in the city where they projected the games on a big screen. This however, was a major fail because there were just way too many people. The park that it was in was so crowded that you could barely move, and to be able to see you would have had to elbow your way through. We opted to leave the public viewing area in Plaza San Martin and went to a cafe instead. The cafes were overcrowded with people, even those who couldn't get a seat would stand outside and watch through the windows. Light blue and white stripes were everywhere, along with crazy hats, face paint, and the loud (and annoying) vuvuzelas. We even purchased our own "Selección Argentina" jerseys, knock offs of course, with #10 Messi and #11 Tevez on the backs.

The atmosphere in the cafes was indescribable, the closest thing I could ever imagine to it might be watching the final world series game with the Yankees and the Red Sox in a Boston Bar, but even that seems tame compared to this. Everyone, including us, were on the edges of their seats. Every time there was a goal the whole cafe would erupt with screams, cheers, and applause that would last a few minutes, everyone was on their feet hugging and jumping. And when the games were won people cheered for even longer and left with the biggest smiles on their faces. The atmosphere in the whole city after the first few wins felt so different, everyone was abuzz and smiling and it just felt like such a happy place.

Argentina defeated Nigeria (1:0), Korea (2:1), and tied with Greece (0:0), defeated Mexico (3-1) and ultimately made it to the semi-finals to face Germany. We went to a cafe in a more Argentine part of town for this final game, sporting our jerseys, but it was a huge disappointment. Argentina lost the game with a final score of (4:0) and they were out of the World Cup. After the second goal it seemed like Argentina stopped pushing and the Germany's defense was impenetrable. It was so disappointing after all the hype, and the way the cafe felt after the second goal was scored was just dismal. The city felt even more depressing after the game was over. It was strange being outside looking at all the sad and disappointed faces and hearing the silence.

The general feel of the city throughout the victories and the final loss at the World Cup was really intense and all-encompassing. In many ways it made us feel so much more connected to the people around us. There was such a sense of solidarity all throughout the city, that even we, as foreigners, felt a part of it. It was really amazing how every soul came together to watch, cheer, jeer, and be passionate about the game. We have never felt that kind of solidarity before. It's amazing to think what the impact of that kind of passion could be if it were applied to a major world issue, like hunger, or war. But, for now, it's fútbol.

We'll look to 2014- vamos Argentina!