Aurora Football, Cochabamba (the other team)

I finally made it to a football match in Bolivia thanks to my friends Emily and Jason (who we met back in Sucre; the second time). The game was between Cochabamba (Aurora) and Sucre (Club Universitario). Aurora are known as an underdog that represents the south of Cochabamba. The south is generally recognized as the poorer part of town. The rest of Cochabamba support Wilstermann. My previous Spanish tutor, Delma, had told me about Aurora. She said that it was very easy to go and see them practice during the week. Jason and Emily confirmed this for me on game day, too. This will be another side road, or cul-de-sac, for me to check out.

The experience overall got a strong pass mark. The perennially clear Cochabamba afternoons combined with the stadium which has the stunning backdrop of the surrounding (gargantuan) hills made for comfortable football watching.

I also got to soak up the Aurora scene pre-game because, luckily for me, Jason and Emily were running late. As my jeans stuck to my legs I glanced at the sky and thought of the team (light-blue is their colour), I observed the very modest crowd in attendance while inhaling - with pleasure – the smoke wafting over form the barbequed potatoes and felt the heat of the concrete on my elbows as I reclined and watched the fans amble. It was Sunday afternoon as it should be.

Beyond all of these things the best part of the day was that the team that I was supporting actually won. A highly uncommon experience for me. I will be transparent and acknowledge that I wanted to support Aurora for their underdog status. Now, combining that with the fact that they actually notched-one-up I am in.

¿Que color es mi sangre? Ahora, mio sangre es celeste.