Well, I am back from trip, and it was very interesting! I saw some pretty cool things and had some neat experiences. I am getting my pictures developed and will be putting together some information about the trip over the next few days.
Today I want to talk about one of the highlights of my trip, and that was being in Brazil for part of the "Copa Do Mundo" or World Cup 2006 . When I was preparing for my trip, several of my students told me how lucky I was to be in Brazil for the event - I didn't get it - after all, the games were in Germany, and it wasn't like I was going to see any in person. Like most Americans, I know little about the World Cup, except that America doesn't usually do that well.
Brazil's national team, I have learned since, is currently ranked number one in the world and is favored by many to win the event - they are also a heck of a lot of fun to watch! I also learned how seriously countries OUTSIDE of the USA take soccer - or as the rest of the world calls it - FOOTBALL.
In Brazil, the schools, post office, many businesses - even the MALL - close for the duration of the game. Restaurants stay open, but you can fully expect the staff to be watching the game along with you. Almost everyone wears the Brazilian colors of green and yellow - some sport "futebol" shirts with the number of the players like #9, Ronaldo; #4, Kaka; or #10, Ronaldinho - others wear shirts with the Brazilian flag.
Watching the games is an event - folks come over, bringing food. Every goal is followed by rounds of fireworks going off in the streets - it was this excitement that my students were excited for me to see - and it was one of the highlights of the trip!
