Soccer isn’t a sport in Paraguay, it’s a way of life. I have not found one person who doesn’t like soccer here. Everyone has a favorite team, whether it be Olimpia or Cerro (the two major teams here) and plays soccer in the street, in the park, and in the house. So, when Paraguay played Japan in the round of 16, everyone went crazy. People tied Paraguayan flags onto cars, painted their faces, and wore their favorite jerseys. At 10am, all the groups stopped their work in Santa Ana to watch together, crowded around a couple of televisions. I take that back – the whole country stopped working to watch. During the game, I heard no cars in the street. Everyone was inside their house watching the game or listening on the television. Whenever Paraguay got the ball on offense, people screamed “Vamos, vamos,” and when Japan got the ball on offense, everyone screamed “No! Para la pelota!” I have never watched a more exciting game of soccer in my life. The best part of the game was the shoot out. Everyone was nervous, yet excited. Some kids started singing songs about Paraguay, others chanted “Paraguay!” and others just stood quietly and anxiously. Before every kick, the group became silent, only to cheer immediately afterward when Paraguay scored. This happened four times, and at the fifth time, everyone jumped out of their seats and started dancing, because Paraguay had just advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup for the first time. People were cheering, crying, laughing, but most of all happy. Everyone in the building had a big smile across their face (only to have it disappear when they realized Paraguay is playing Spain in the next round). The streets exploded with noise too. Honking cars and cheers of “Paraguay, Paraguay,” erupted everywhere, and did not stop. The whole day was crazy about the game.
The San Jose and Santa Ana students we are working with are very different. the San Jose students attend a private Catholic school, wear nice clothing, have big houses and learn English in their spare time. The Santa Ana students live in a village with sewage in the street, a couple of pairs of clothes, and limited access to schooling and medical care. One of the things they both share though is soccer. San Jose students play on the school team, and the Santa Ana students play in the street, but both love the sport. Everyone has a jersey of their favorite player and wears in one game day. The people in LSP are the odd ones out. Soccer isn’t as popular in the US, but we still serve as a mediator between the two groups in work and in sport. Both groups want to share their love for the sport with us and watch us enjoy their pastime. So, during the game we sat with both groups, cheered on Paraguay and celebrated with them. By helping them realize that they are alike in more ways than they think, we brought together two very diverse groups.