Soccer Mania

The much anticipated soccer match (which is called football here) between the school staff and students took place on Thursday.  The tension was palpable all week as both teams practiced for and strategized about the upcoming game.  I was invited to play on the staff team, but laughed as I told them that they’d be sure to lose with me on the team.  Nevertheless, my office neighbor loaned me an official staff jersey to wear to the game to show my support for the staff team (although I actually was rooting for both teams).  One of the students interviewed me on his smartphone before the game began and asked me what I thought the final score would be.  I replied that I hoped it would be a tie.

When the rain started at noon and continued until 4 p.m., the designated time for the match, I was sure the game would be postponed.  But not in Rwanda, where it has been raining nearly every day.  And, when it rains in Rwanda, it’s a torrential downpour, raining cats and dogs.  So, when the rain stopped, the teams took to the soggy field, and the fans, including me in my staff jersey, took to the stands.  There was an official referee unrelated to either team, who did a professional job.   The purple team was the school staff, and the orange jerseys the students.  And, what an exciting game!   Filled with so much action.  Because the field was saturated from the rain, there was a lot of slipping and sliding.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  The shoes and uniforms of both teams were so muddy, they looked like they were made for a Tide commercial.  The goalies on both teams did a fantastic job of deflecting lots of balls that would have otherwise been goals.  There was so much excitement that the fans were constantly cheering and shouting.  The final score was 5-4 in favor of the students.  The students couldn’t have been happier.