To Spain and Beyond!: ¡Granada con La Selección!

For those who read my blog, I am sorry for not posting soon enough. I admit that I have neglected writing because I was preoccupied with other things such as doing my homework, sleeping, reading a bit, and then watching Youtube videos. I know, I know... those aren't legit reasons but I will make it up to all of you right now. Shall we start? =)

As we all know, assuming that my readers are fútbol aficionados, the UEFA EURO 2012 will take place in Ukraine and Poland and, at the moment, the qualifying matches are being held. Boy, oh boy, did I not pick the right time and place to study abroad? You may call it luck, but last week one of the matches was held here in Granada and it was between Spain and Czech Republic. Well, let me tell you, the Spanish spirit was so alive here I felt like I am no longer a wannabe Spaniard but a true Spaniard already! The Spanish national team arrived here in Granada last Thursday, the 24th of March. A lot of the Granadinos went to the airport to greet their favorite fútbol stars since there wasn't any ticket required to enter. Unfortunately, I couldn't go meet my idols then but on that same day, my host dad Antonio surprised me with something I will never ever forget: a ticket for el entranamiento or the team's training. I was beyond happy when he gave me the ticket. He told me that it was because I looked so sad that I was not able to go to Morocco with the other IES students and I was also not able to buy a ticket for the match since it was close to being impossible. The day when the ticket booth opened to sell the match tickets, a horde of 20,000 people were already waiting in line. Some of the people slept and waited for 3 days just to be able to buy tickets. I had classes and was not able to do any of that. Anyway, with the ticket from Antonio, I was already happy and content. I went to the stadium, El Estadio de Los Cármenes, with my host dad's grandson Pedro and his friends. It was a 2 hour wait in line before the gates were opened. Once they opened, we ran inside and found ourselves the seats closest to the Spanish team. I could not believe my eyes! THE GODS OF THE REAL FÚTBOL WERE TEN FEET AWAY FROM ME!!! They were so close yet so far! Still, I had the chance to take awesome pictures of my favorite players. That day I had multiple arrhythmic contractions and a massive one when I saw my baby Sergio Busquets and Fernando Torres. To my excitement, I yelled out Fernando Torres' name and OMG he looked at me and smiled! I was able to take a picture of this wonderful moment and I bet you I will forever cherish this photo until my dying day. The training lasted for an hour and when it ended, my heart started to ache. But then again, to have the opportunity to see them in the flesh never occurred to me; it was only a dream.

The next day, 25th of March, was game day. I donned my Red jersey again and strutted my way to the Palacio de Congresos with my friend Paige. There was a lot of people clad in red and yellow to show there undying love for LA FURÍA ROJA. The game started at 10PM so before that there were live performances by local bands. Little did we know that those bands were giving free tickets to the game. So, my friend Paige and I devised a plan to try and grab free tickets: I thought about lifting her on my shoulders so her tall figure could be visible while she waives the 2 scarves I gave her. Well, she did a great job waiving but seeing that she was not wearing anything red, we did not win. It was a little disappointing but it was worth trying. We were shown on TV multiple times because Paige and I were obviously foreigners. Haha! She looked the most American and I looked, well, Asian with a rockin pelo rizado (curly hair). When the game started everyone screamed and their fiery spirit were blaring with so much pride. Paige and I joined in the fun and complained when the referee made stupid calls by swinging our arms like mad Spanish people. Haha! Gosh... I could go on forever describing my feelings here but I need to post pictures for everyone to see. I just want to say that it was probably best that I did not go to Morocco because being able to stay in Granada while the Spanish team was here was also an amazing and once in a lifetime experience.

Here are the pictures from el entranamiento and the game day: