Because our team is the best in the world, tickets are very expensive. I have limited funds for my Spanish life, and as much as I would love to see a game, I would rather save up my money to travel Europe. A very difficult life decision, I know.
And so it has become clear to me in these past few weeks as the season winds down, that I will not be able to cross this item off my list. Which is especially sad since, for the record, I am a staunch Barca fan. I watch almost every game with my roommates at home, and defend them whenever I encounter someone from our rival team, Madrid. I know the players' names, and recognize their faces (which is honestly more than I can say for any American sports team at the college or professional level). I love to watch them play, and I would have really loved to see them in person.
But alas, (unless someone wants to send me 200 dollars), I admit defeat. Epic fail.
However, perhaps you all would consider a substitution?
Fútbol is an incredibly Spanish thing, and is a huge part of their culture. Indeed, the main purpose behind going to a Barcelona match was to have that cultural experience of screaming various profanities and praises at our beloved players. So I was pretty bummed at the thought of missing all of that. But then I realized, there are other ways to get that experience, of course. And lucky for me, I have a Spanish roommate with some football connections.
Laura is part of a "penya." A penya is basically a hardcore fan club. Every football team has a penya which consists of dedicated fans who go to every game, or at the very least watch it all together in the penya bar. They are the "diehards," if you will.
Laura, therefore, is a diehard fan for her hometown's football team, Depor. Since she currently lives in Barcelona, she and other members of the penya watch the home games together in a bar, or travel on a bus together to catch the game live. They bring their jerseys, signs, and chants, and provide the players with emphatic team spirit.
Although I was unable to make it to a live game in a stadium, one Sunday afternoon I went with her to the penya bar to watch an away match.
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| My roommates Sabela and Laura |
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| The penya cheering after a goal. |
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| Outside at half time. Depor's winning! |
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| Celebratory drums |
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| Laura excited because we're winning! |
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| Celebratory smoke bombs |
It turned out to be a perfect game for me to attend. It was close and intense, which made things exciting. I paid special attention to the vocabulary being thrown around, trying to commit it to memory to be used later during the game. My only regret was that I didn't learn the chants and cheers before coming.
Some were easy enough to catch on to...
Others required some practice and a wider knowledge of Spanish profanities...
The game turned out to be even more perfect WHEN WE WON! Which Laura agrees can be attributed to my good luck charm.
Watching a win with a penya makes it that much more inspiring. Nothing can beat these fans' cheers after the winning goal...
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| Laura super excited! |
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| We won! We won! |
So what do ya'll think? Does watching a match with my Spanish roommates with a real Spanish penya constitute a Spanish fútbol experience?
I think Laura (who rather hates Barca and much prefers that I am a fan of Depor) would say, "Um, duh."
In the end, although I can't cross off "Attend a Barcelona football match" I do believe I can cross off "Participate in the Spanish football experience." And that's really what it's all about, right?
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