Viva Espana!

Congratulations to my temporary home for defeating the Netherlands in the World Cup final game. Being their first world cup victory, it was naturally an extremely exciting time for all Espana fans.

As Iniesta found the net in the last minutes of overtime, the entire crowd accompanying me at George Payne's bar went wild with excitement. The last minutes ticked down to zero and the energy in the atmosphere only grew stronger. There was a prevailing sense of community at that moment which I had hoped to feel at such a time. Having felt out of place the first few times I went out with my American friends to watch the games, receiving glares of intense patriotism from inhabitants of Barcelona, none of that nonsense seemed to matter anymore. The bar blasted songs to make it feel like a night club while flashes of red and yellow jerseys lit up the atmosphere as we all jumped up and down to the music. Spanish flags were waving in the air.

"I've got a feeling, woo-woo, that tonight's gonna be a good good night" sang the black eyed peas.

And such a good night it was. Fireworks lit up the streets, flags continued to wave, and mass crowds of people of all kind filled up Las Ramblas and la playa(or in english, the mediterranean).

One of my guy friends and I took a walk to the beach and sat with a group of Spainards playing guitar by the water. Their aloofness was nonexistent. Genuinely great vibes. Everyone was extremely ecstatic of Spain's victory. The community I had been searching for was there. Even if just for the night it didn't matter. It was priceless.

It's interesting to me how these types of major events can create such strong ties for a nation. In Amsterdam, I was talking with my waitress who was from South Africa. She was explaining to us how there has developed a national sense of community and perpetual friendliness that was previously extremely nonexistent in Johannesburg.

This type of entertainment has the ability to create such beneficial changes in a country and that is a beautiful thing to me. I could sense it even in Spain, where after they defeated the Netherlands they were extremely tolerant of anyone..... even us "stupido americanos".

So, on that note, cheers to Spain. Cheers to good vibes. Cheers to "viva espana". I can still hear the horns blowing, I can still hear the fireworks set off. No one's done celebrating. Not for a while.

11 days left now. In awe of time's ability to cruise.