Ok, so what I am about to do is going to be really hard for many reasons.
A. Because I am trying to explain a feeling that has taken over me and a whole nation, without having you guys here.
B. Because I am about to cover in GREAT detail a day that lasted an entire 24 hours for me.
C. Because I haven’t slept much in the last 24 hours.
Yesterday (still meaning Saturday) , I took off into the city to renovate my national ID before traveling to Buenos Aires to see Uruguay play in the final of Copa America. Already, there are so many crazy things about this sentence. First… it was just luck that when I got my date for renewing my cedula, they gave me a day that would allow me to travel, because NO cedula means NO travelling to Buenos Aires. The second crazy part is that I GOT TO GO TO THE FINALS OF COPA AMERICA!!!!!! It is surreal.
Soon after leaving Elena’s house the atmosphere and spirit took over. The city was on a high! The people on the bus were talking to strangers, the flags had taken over, and there was even music and dancing at the mall…. It was crazy!
Upon arrival at my uncle Emiliano’s house (and aunt Alexandra, cousins Diego, Felipe, and Cata), I handed out some scarves for the trip (so that we would all be wearing blue) and we went to sleep anxiously awaiting the 7:00 am departure for what awaited us in Buenos Aires, and believe me, none of us knew what that would be. Emiliano, Diego, Feli, and I got on the bus at 7:15 to Colonia, where we would get on the boat to go to Buenos Aires. Already the energy was in the air, people were decked out in all of their celeste (sky blue, color of Uruguay), and the world was cracking jokes. By the time we got to Colonia the multitude had multiplied. In Colonia there were cars parked on sidewalks from the people that had driven and taken the boat. The people at the port were more than ready. There were constant cheers from “soy celeste” to “vamos a ser campeon.” It was thrilling and invigorating! The boat ride was incredible…. If people were cheering at the port, I don’t even know what to call what went down on the boat. There were blow horns, there were vuvuzelas, there was face paint, there were wigs, here was more than one person per flag, and most of all there was pride.
Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, we had a bit of a wait before our bus got there to take us to the stadium. This was just enough time to start soaking in what we were witnessing. It took me a second to realize how incredible it was that all you could see in Buenos Aires were Uruguayan flags, because at first it didn’t click that we were in a different country. The streets were PACKED with Uruguay fans and some scattered Paraguayans in between… Both fans were out to have a party and they got along just fine! As we made our way slowly to the stadium we stop at the obelisk, where Uruguay had taken over… There were flags and people in celeste EVERYWHERE!
Once at the stadium, we got off and started walking. The spirit and pride just kept increasing with every step. On the way there, the cheers were heard from miles away, the drums led our footsteps, Uruguayans were heard helping out the Paraguayans with some cheers, and the smiles plagued the streets. It was incredible! As we got closer to the stadium everything kept getting better! There was suddenly music, the Uruguayan broadcasters were there, there were juggling contest, and people were just ready to enjoy the gift that our team had given us. Though we were going in as favorites, I don’t think anybody was expecting a sure win.
Entering the stadium was, for me, the biggest shock. Though Alexandra had told us we were on row 2, I had expected to either be on row 2 of a very high section, or be soooo close that we wouldn’t se anything. It was the opposite!!!! The seats were incredible! We could see the players expressing, watch them warm up, and almost hear what they yelled to each other (or we would have been able to, had there not been between 30,000 and 40,000 Uruguayans yelling their guts out). Between our seats and the fact that we watched for 2 hours as that stadium filled up with Uruguayans, I did not have much to say. I couldn’t take it all in, it was too much. Then …. The players came in…
The players that I have been following religiously since the world cup, the players that have given this little country so much pride, it just all took my breath away…. For the first time, I think, I heard the national anthem sung with feeling and pride, and it sounded GREAT!!!! We were sooo close to it all! And then… Suarez scores!!!! Point for me (since I predicted Suarez (1) Forlan (2) Palito Pereira (1))!!!!!! It was crazy, he scored so soon into the game, could it be that Uruguay would go through a game without suffering?!?!?!?! Then…. Forlan scores! After a year of not getting one in the net!!!!! It was just crazy, the crowds were eating it up!!! We went to half time full of smiles but worried, since we have always had to before. But just when we thought our guys were done for the night, Forlan comes back at it and scores!!! UNREAL, two in one night after all of the things they had said about his lack of scoring. It was too much. After it was over, we stayed some and then … we stayed some more!!! After all, we HAD to watch them get their cup and see Coates get his Best Young Player Award and Suarez get his Best Player Award. It was crazy, the put the cup in the goal and all ran into the goal, then they did it on the other side, then they look the victory lap, and this is where my most incredible memory come from. Lugano’s face… that is basically all I have to say. Except, this time it was full of price, surprise, tears, happiness, and disbelief. His face said it all! Amongst the overplayed Copa America song the cheers were heard until the very last moment.
Leaving the stadium, it seemed like all of the Paraguayans had switched shirts, because the celeste was EVERY WHERE! We walked to our bus amongst the festivities and enjoyed the feeling unity that hadn’t been seen amongst the people of Uruguay in many years. Our bus took us back to the port, and we headed to dinner on a beautiful boardwalk. There were even Uruguayans there that had chosen, like us, to skip the crazy streets and head to dinner (since we were STARVING). On our way we saw a million of celebrating faces and whether you knew them or not, everyone was friends for a day. After eating very slowly we still had almost 4 hours to wait until our ship left at 1:45 am. At this point, we left Feli at the port and went on a walk. It was beautiful out and my uncle gave me a lovely tour of Argentina by night, since we also lost Diego to the cold along the way. It was lovely and by the time we got back to the port we were ready to sleep.
At the Buquebus station (port) there were a ton of Uruguayans that had been out all day and had decided to nap on the floor until the late ships left. It was a great sight… There were still some cheers going on even at 1:45, when our ship left. The ship remained silent (aside from snores) and the bus back to Montevideo also. The celeste was still seen everywhere and grandparents kept telling their children what a historic moment they had witnessed.
It is so hard for me to explain what this was like. The people, the joy, the full stadium, the Uruguayan crowds in Argentina, the Argentineans cheering on for Uruguay, the victory, the player’s faces, and what this meant to this tiny little nation. Soccer, here, is like a religion, and for many years there have been only disappointment for us. Now, with this leadership that the team has, it serves as an example for everyone of how hard work pays off… They are just full of humility, it is soooo impressive. The work that they have done is very obvious and they are such a professional group that they serve as an example for the growing kids that look at them as heroes. It is magical what they are doing, and I am soooo grateful, which is why I am glad they won this!
On another note, though there were a TOOOOOONNNNNNN of Uruguayans in Buenos Aires, we knew it was about to get crazy back home. People in Montevideo were waiting for the players at 10:30 when they arrived at the airport. From there it took them way over 4 hours to get through the cheering crowds in the city and make it to the stadium, where there were over 60,000 Uruguayans ready to welcome them. They made it there when it was almost 3 am (we were in Colonia). This route that took them 4 hours, usually only takes about 30 minutes on a sloooowww day. IT WAS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone stayed up, everyone was thrilled, everyone celebrated, and they got to be received like they should be after giving this country so much joy. I am also soooo grateful to my aunt and uncle that invited me and gave me this wonderful present!!!!
I know this is the craziest summary ever, but it is now 8 o’clock in the morning, and I only slept the 2 hours on the bus, but I really wanted to post something before I fell asleep!!!! Hope it makes sense, but it is REALLY hard to explain the joy and pride that this has brought me!
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