gooooooooooaaaalllllllllll.

FC Barcelona soccer game, or should I say FUTBOL game, was last night! It was FANTASTIC! I could barely contain my excitement on the metro ride over. This is going to sound really cheesy but when I go to sporting events I absolutely love the moment right when you walk into the center of the stadium; the lights, the people, the sound...it's just awesome. Anyway, that moment was unlike anything I've experienced in my sport/stadium experiences. FC Barcelona plays at a stadium called Camp Nou, which holds 98,000 people. So right off the bat, you are just blown away by the magnitude of the stadium and the amount of people in it. NBA stadiums typically only hold anywhere from 10,000-20,000 people. I thought that was a lot when I went to my first NBA game. However, it simply pales in comparison to the number of people that were at Camp Nou for the game last night. As corny as it sounds, the moment we walked into the stadium was something I will always remember.

In true CEA fashion, we had nose bleed section seats. I was totally ok with it because I was just happy to be there. Aside from being up so high, it really isn't all that bad because you can see the field no matter where you're sitting in the stadium. The major downside of being up so high...the temperature. It was a night game and I have never been SO cold in my entire life. Yes, Dad, I did wear my Northface. BUT! I layered like no other. I had two shirts on, a sweatshirt, my northface, a scarf, pants, stockings under my pants, two pairs of socks, and sneakers. Ironically...I felt as though I was naked..it was THAT cold. At the beginning of the game I was thinking, "Oh I'll be alright...this isn't that bad." 15 minutes into the game, "Wow, let's see if my jacket can zip up anymore." End of the first half, "I will likely return to the U.S without fingers and toes due to frostbite." It took about an hour after the game, still in all of my clothing, wrapped in my burlap sack of a blanket, to regain feeling in my extremities. :)

So the game itself...AWESOME! FC Barcelona played this team called Sporting. They didn't seem like they were very good because Barcelona always seemed to be on offense...which I didn't mind at all. I'm not one to really enjoy watching soccer on T.V. I think the basketball girl in me wants constant scoring and soccer doesn't really have that. But seeing the game in person is a totally different story. Listening to the crowd, who is totally obsessed with their team, made it fun. When FCB scored the entire stadium went nutttssssss. Most of the game I just spent time either staring at the field or staring at the people around me; I wanted to take it all in. FC Barca fans are so proud of their team, the city, and you can really see it. Even if the team isn't scoring, the fans are going crazy, waving their flags, doing chants, etc etc. One funny moment...Sara and I sat next to eachother the first half and we tried to cheer along with the crowd but we couldn't really understand what they were saying. You can imagine our excitement when we thought we knew the chant they were doing. So Sara and I are doing the "dun. dun. LETS GO! dun. dun. LETS GO!" chant with great pride. Turns out the entire stadium...except Sara and I...were saying "dun. dun. BARCA! dun. dun. BARCA!" Oh well, it's the thought that counts. ;)

FC Barcelona ended up winning the match 3-1. The game itself wasn't really all that exciting because Barca just dominated the entire time. It was intense though whenever Barca scored or came close to scoring. The crowd went CRAZYYY!!! I finally understand why my dear grandfather goes crazy when he watches soccer (love you grandpa<3). All in all, the experience itself was incredibly exciting. I would definitely like to go back to watch another game...my only request is that it's not 30 degrees out. I also want to purchase some FC Barcelona gear. Alot of the fans had on FC scarves and had FC flag type thingers. I definitely want to get those before I go home. Definitely an A+ night.

Hmmm, what else to discuss? I think I'll start with the fact that I have come down with something again. Not as painful as my strep but it is making my existence miserable. Being sick just makes my homesickness 10x's worse so I'm really just trying to rest up and feel better. I'm thinking its a nasty cold since I'm so congested I can barely hear and I'm coughing like a smoker. No one has died from a cold so I'm sure I'll be fine. But seriously, I'm not going to be surprised if I come down the Spanish Plague. My health hates me here. In slightly better news, I got my first Spanish quiz back and I got a 100 on it. Any good grades in that class I will take because I'm already not understanding the new material. Fantastic. :)

Well I have to work on some homework for my next class. I hope everyone has a great day! I love and miss you all more than you know! <3