I’ve visited Uruguay a number of times and I can’t help drawing comparisons with my own country Scotland , both relatively small , proud, inventive and with a strong spirit . Scotland was ecstatic at the weekend after a remarkable come back against Norway, scoring two goals in the last three minutes .
We could learn a lot from Uruguay in our push for independence .
I visited Uruguay to study the buildings of Eladio Dieste, the remarkable engineer, Have you visited any of them, The Church of Jesus Christ the worker ( Iglesia Parroquia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes) in Atlantida was listed as a world heritage site a couple of years ago, beautiful, stunning and technically very inventive.
Hi Candace!! I am Uruguayan and of course, lover of soccer National Team.. You couldn't describe better our feeling. It is exactly what you wrote. Amazing essay that I really enjoyed to read. Thank you for sharing about our small country. We all are very proud of our nation and feel united through soccer. You are very welcome to Uruguay, el paisito. 🇺🇾❤️
I have no words to describe how this read made me feel. As an Uruguayan living abroad, this took me right back to our people, our culture, and to that unexplainable passion for futbol.
You are absolutely right when you say we are born knowing about the "Maracanazo", "everything is forgiven in the stadium", and we all could tell plenty of "stories of unlikely heroes and unexpected victories"
My sister sent me this essay and dared me to read it without crying... I failed miserably.
Thank you for taking me back home for a few minutes, thank you for your ki d words, and thank you for painting such beautiful picture for us.
My sister and her husband retired to live in Uruguay for six months of every year. They ADORE Uruaguay. They only maintain the rest of the year here because their children and now an ever growing garden of grandkids are here. I don’t think they’d come back otherwise. From what I hear I don’t blame them. I am going to share your story with my sister who I think is stateside now with weddings coming up soon. They live (while there) in a tiny seaside village. I am very much looking forward to visiting them there sometime soon. My Spanish is pretty rusty and I was never really fluent but could muddle my way thru a bit of conversation. Anyway, loved your story!
You keep doing it, Candace. You keep reminding me of the good things I experienced during my work travels and for that I am grateful. I hope you’ll indulge me with the following response to your wonderful story.
Ah, futbol! For years, I enjoyed watching African kids playing the game with homemade rag balls on red dust fields. It was always a spontaneous thing. I would be driving through a rural area and a group of kids would be playing their hearts out for the pure joy of it. And when I stopped to watch, it turned into an international event. The little kids would gather around me, some staring in wonder at the strange being that was me, but then the focus always returned to the game.
I never watched a professional game until I made a serendipitous work trip to Bolivia that coincided with a matchup between the Bolivian national team and Brazil, the home of “Beautiful Futbol!” Our chief of party in Bolivia was a young Brazilian guy who made sure we had tickets and would sit among the local Brazilian expats.
Game night and La Paz was alive. The stadium was packed. According to my seat mates, Brazil had already won just by showing up. When the teams met on the field and my Brazilians started cheering, I noticed dark glares from the locals. I asked my Brazilian colleague what his friends were shouting. “It is best if I don’t repeat it,” he replied. So I sat there calculating my odds of survival from the glaring thousands. Not good.
The home team had a definite advantage. The altitude at La Paz is about 12,500’ above sea level, and the Brazilian team probably trains at less than 500’. The Brazilians were tall and lean; the Bolivians were shorter, more barrel chested, and well adapted to the altitude.
The game did not go well for the Brazilians from the start. As they gasped for oxygen, the Bolivian team scored the first goal and the stadium erupted, while five thousand glares were cast in our direction. When the Bolivians soon scored a second goal, my host suggested we leave early to avoid the crowds.
As we walked out of the stadium, we heard the crowd erupt a third time. It was not a good night to be a Team Brazil fan. And I, in my heart of hearts, felt so happy for Bolivia.
Great storytelling! Yes, even in Canada, there are still die-hard futbol fans who set up projectors in the office/workplace and keep up to date on the game progress.
High school was my first experience. A group of students had organized to keep the games playing in the library.
My current employer is from the UK and he'll get up at 3am to watch a match on tv.
I like how you noted that it shows the priority: futbol comes first over work. It's a good reminder that there is more to life than work <3
The country where fútbol comes first
Really interesting and enjoyable essay
I’ve visited Uruguay a number of times and I can’t help drawing comparisons with my own country Scotland , both relatively small , proud, inventive and with a strong spirit . Scotland was ecstatic at the weekend after a remarkable come back against Norway, scoring two goals in the last three minutes .
We could learn a lot from Uruguay in our push for independence .
Remo pedreschi
Oh this (the words and the pictures) is just beautiful!
I visited Uruguay to study the buildings of Eladio Dieste, the remarkable engineer, Have you visited any of them, The Church of Jesus Christ the worker ( Iglesia Parroquia de Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes) in Atlantida was listed as a world heritage site a couple of years ago, beautiful, stunning and technically very inventive.
Hi Candace!! I am Uruguayan and of course, lover of soccer National Team.. You couldn't describe better our feeling. It is exactly what you wrote. Amazing essay that I really enjoyed to read. Thank you for sharing about our small country. We all are very proud of our nation and feel united through soccer. You are very welcome to Uruguay, el paisito. 🇺🇾❤️
I encourage you to read Eduardo Galeano's "Football (Soccer)in Sun and Shadow." (El fútbol a sol y sombra) A brilliant read and a definite eye-opener.
I love all your work, but this one made me particularly happy. I could feel the excitement!
I have no words to describe how this read made me feel. As an Uruguayan living abroad, this took me right back to our people, our culture, and to that unexplainable passion for futbol.
You are absolutely right when you say we are born knowing about the "Maracanazo", "everything is forgiven in the stadium", and we all could tell plenty of "stories of unlikely heroes and unexpected victories"
My sister sent me this essay and dared me to read it without crying... I failed miserably.
Thank you for taking me back home for a few minutes, thank you for your ki d words, and thank you for painting such beautiful picture for us.
My sister and her husband retired to live in Uruguay for six months of every year. They ADORE Uruaguay. They only maintain the rest of the year here because their children and now an ever growing garden of grandkids are here. I don’t think they’d come back otherwise. From what I hear I don’t blame them. I am going to share your story with my sister who I think is stateside now with weddings coming up soon. They live (while there) in a tiny seaside village. I am very much looking forward to visiting them there sometime soon. My Spanish is pretty rusty and I was never really fluent but could muddle my way thru a bit of conversation. Anyway, loved your story!
"everything is forgiven in the stadium" words to live by!!!
who ARE these guys? one must ponder when stumbling on great work like this
I like the 4 food groups best. Candace have you heard a song called Dandelion Seeds by July? Pops into my head as soon as I see your masthead.
Uruguay noma! Beautiful article about the beautiful game
You keep doing it, Candace. You keep reminding me of the good things I experienced during my work travels and for that I am grateful. I hope you’ll indulge me with the following response to your wonderful story.
Ah, futbol! For years, I enjoyed watching African kids playing the game with homemade rag balls on red dust fields. It was always a spontaneous thing. I would be driving through a rural area and a group of kids would be playing their hearts out for the pure joy of it. And when I stopped to watch, it turned into an international event. The little kids would gather around me, some staring in wonder at the strange being that was me, but then the focus always returned to the game.
I never watched a professional game until I made a serendipitous work trip to Bolivia that coincided with a matchup between the Bolivian national team and Brazil, the home of “Beautiful Futbol!” Our chief of party in Bolivia was a young Brazilian guy who made sure we had tickets and would sit among the local Brazilian expats.
Game night and La Paz was alive. The stadium was packed. According to my seat mates, Brazil had already won just by showing up. When the teams met on the field and my Brazilians started cheering, I noticed dark glares from the locals. I asked my Brazilian colleague what his friends were shouting. “It is best if I don’t repeat it,” he replied. So I sat there calculating my odds of survival from the glaring thousands. Not good.
The home team had a definite advantage. The altitude at La Paz is about 12,500’ above sea level, and the Brazilian team probably trains at less than 500’. The Brazilians were tall and lean; the Bolivians were shorter, more barrel chested, and well adapted to the altitude.
The game did not go well for the Brazilians from the start. As they gasped for oxygen, the Bolivian team scored the first goal and the stadium erupted, while five thousand glares were cast in our direction. When the Bolivians soon scored a second goal, my host suggested we leave early to avoid the crowds.
As we walked out of the stadium, we heard the crowd erupt a third time. It was not a good night to be a Team Brazil fan. And I, in my heart of hearts, felt so happy for Bolivia.
Great storytelling! Yes, even in Canada, there are still die-hard futbol fans who set up projectors in the office/workplace and keep up to date on the game progress.
High school was my first experience. A group of students had organized to keep the games playing in the library.
My current employer is from the UK and he'll get up at 3am to watch a match on tv.
I like how you noted that it shows the priority: futbol comes first over work. It's a good reminder that there is more to life than work <3