Viva Argentina

After spending much time in the city, one thing I have noticed as a great difference between Buenos Aires and home in Boston is the national pride they display. Of course with the World Cup Soccer Championships ending right when I landed in the city there were flags and banners lining the streets. But, beyond the national colors I have noticed that the people take pride in their country. They love to talk to the students about their history and culture.

Today, I went to an Argentina and Spain futbol game at the River Plate Stadium with over 60,000 other fans who were chanting for Argentina. It was here where I noticed that their heart and soul is truly in their country. Of course, the portenos will always cheer for Argentina, but, the past the face paint and tall blue striped hats, you could see the real pain in their faces when forward Lionel Messi missed a goal, or goal keeper Sergio Romero almost let one in. The stadium itself was filled to the top with these exuberant fans for just a practice match. People took up seats on top of fences, on the stairwells and in the pathways just to get a view. The fans had cheers and songs that everyone in the stadium sang to. The people at the stadium, of all ages, embraced each other with each goal. The pride that was sweeping through the stadium was overwhelming. Both kids and adults alike were wearing their favorite team jersey filling the stadium of sky blue.

There was no music to get the crowd excited because the crowd was it’s own music. There was no halftime show or cheerleaders because the distraction would have been too much to take away from the game. However, at the end of the match, the sky was filled with fireworks of blue and white congratulating the Argentina National team.

The people in the stadium came together not as a crowd, but as a family, all for the same team. They were a unit. Of course, the natives have an easy time weeding out the foreign students from the crowd, despite our attempts to blend in with Argentina jerseys. They love to talk and to ask questions.

Apart from the stadium, national pride runs through the streets. The streets are named after presidents, political leaders and influential men of Argentine history. Each intersection is marked with grand statues and art hundreds of feet in the air. Some, are gifts from Spain, England and the United States; but most are monuments of famous Argentines who still hold the hearts of the portenos.

Everywhere you walk the flags wave proudly, the people hold their heads high when walking past their favorite monuments on the streets named after their ancestors. The people of South America live off of it, they embrace it because it is their history.