18

what a game.
i'll get to that.
i was out late on friday, and only slept for a few hours. Yesterday morning, after getting up and eating, i put myself back to bed. but couldn't sleep. i read. and listened to music. but my mind raced. and i felt good. so i got up. i did pushups and sit-ups. and cleaned. and then she called. she was headed to san salvador too. with a friend. she told me, no quieres ir con nosotros? of coarse i did, i said, and so met them at her place and we took off for the capital. after living here a year, i have become more than used to the realities of Salvadoran public transportation. but i still marvel. hot buses, packed with people. and no one gets pissed. this would never fly in the states. people push past each other and do other things that would cause a fucking riot among americans. but here, no one is bothered. it's amazing. it has had a very positive effect on me. so, the three of us pile onto a bus, and find three seats, two together and the other across the isle. it's a 90 minute ride, and the open windows allow a nice breeze. but an hour into the trip, we stop. there's been an accident. an 18 wheeler has flipped over, and traffic has been stopped. we don't know this yet, the cause of the accident, and really only care that we're not moving and suffering in the heat. but we pass the time. I’m secretly pleased to have an excuse to sit co close to her. And for so long. I show the two girls my ipod, and pick out a playlist for them to listen to. we tell jokes. Talk about love. It’s nice. She’s holding my hand.

we get to san salvador, and i tell her something in english that i know she wont understand, because im shy, and tell them both goodbye. i walk to my hotel, picking up speed as i approach. there, my friends await. i stumble into the room and demand beer. inside my best friends enjoy air conditioning a sports on television. but there needs to be mayhem. so i start yelling at everyone. we drink beer and insult each other for 30 minutes, and then pile into a cab. our destination is the stadium, the objective to survive a soccer match between team USA and el sal. it's my second time to the stadium, so im prepared for the madness. we find a group of friends drinking beer outside. hugs and high-fives are exchanged. we buy el salvador tee shirts and i begin yelling things like Los Pinche Gringos VAN A PERDER! Which everyone loves. More friends and more madness inside. i haven't seen some of these people in a while, and im already in a good mood. we chat, and enjoy the filling of the stadium. Team El Salvador enters the field, and we cheer. Team USA enters and we boo and whistle. i let loose another vulgar insult. the people around us love it that we're whiter than christmas and cheering for el salvador. this is reinforced by a goal scored by el salvador. and another. but then the crowd grows bitter: the gringos score 2 goals in the final minutes to tie the game. the good news is: a tie still pacifies the crowd, and we are allowed to leave the stadium with out lives.
i took a lot of pictures. great pictures. but also consumed a lot of beer. and put my camera down somewhere, or had it taken out of my pockets. i know. i really enjoyed posting those pictures. and i've made a promise to post something everyday for a year. so, my words will have to do. i'll try to mix it up.

sunday evening. always pleasant. yesterday's game will give me great conversations for the next week. i need to plan tomorrow's english class, and possibly write a letter. to her. in spanish. i've never done that before. wish me luck.