Calcio (Cal – ch- O) – Soccer

          …today was a relatively simple day but it was seriously one of the best days….today a big group of us USAC students went to the Torino FC vs. Atalanta, Serie A soccer game….and for a girl who was raised on soccer, holding onto her daddy’s shoulders as he held her leg “flat as a board and swing all the way back and straight through the ball” before she could really run, it was amazing….i was raised on soccer the way that most kids in the states are on football….every weekend of the different leagues seasons, there was a game on…or I was up on Saturday or Sunday on the sidelines watching a game….it was fantastic, but in the US its just not big…most of my friends in school didn’t even understand the sport, and I understood offsides by the time I was 11…I love soccer, and let me tell you, so does this continent….

            …so last night I was watching the news with English subtitles (just to work on my Italian) and all of a sudden the sports highlight reel came on, and it was ONLY soccer….in the US we are lucky if a soccer moment makes the Top 10 plays on SportsCenter at night, but here it is all they care about….man that is such a nice feeling…

           …so since I have always watched the sport, I know what a stadium of a Serie A team sounds like….the hooligans (crazed soccer fans) chanting and singing…giant flags waving, the works….but I never expected it to be SO amazing….           

            ….so today most all of the USAC kids took the day to sleep in, but early afternoon we all met at one of the apartments to head to the stadium together…oh wait let me just clarify what stadium this was….the Turin OLYMPIC Stadium…ya know, where the opening ceremonies were held…(that alone made me just about die)…..so we all took off to the stadium…and as soon as we were a block or two away, you could hear it….the chanting and singing of the hooligans….it was the kind of sound, that to an American soccer fan, gave me chills J….i was pumped and not even to the stadium yet…so as we got closer, we all bought some new scarves or jerseys and headed into the stadium to find our seats…that we never sat in….and I don’t say that to mean that we just stood the whole time (although we did)….but basically everyone in our area stands, and pushes basically as close to the pitch as possible…..in the stairwells, asiles, railings, EVERYWHERE!....so, when in Rome….we went from our seats on the 3^rd deck to the 1^st deck and pushed up to about the 4^th row or so….and oh my dear goodness it was awesome!!....it was thunderous! And absolutely everything that I had imagined, and better!...

  J that was such a cool memory….i freakin love this city, and this country, and, well, soccer J

          ….the whole experience was magical and  I cant wait to go back!....we stood next to an Italian man who noticed we were Americans and helped us learn the cheers to sing along….and then when the team scored, he started hugging us and kissing our heads (to be honest tho, there was so much hugging and kissing going on, it was like someone had just had a child or something)….he was soo funny and so sweet…

            …Torino FC won too…which made the day even better J….1-0 from a PK :….after the game we all just headed home to study….(honestly we did too, this isn’t just to make my mom and dad happy; we all have Italian tests in our classes in the morning)…but boy was that a great day…seriously one of my most favorite things that I have gotten to see and do in the last two weeks…..I cannot wait to go to another game!! J