So THAT's what an African soccer game is like!


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Africa » Burkina Faso » Centre » Ouagadougou
October 15th 2012
Published: October 15th 2012
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Last night a few volunteers went to the Burkina Faso v. Central African Republic soccer game here in Ouaga. And let me just tell you that it was unlike any other sporting game I've been to. It was AWESOME! We got our tickets earlier that day, got to the stadium, stood in three different lines because they weren't letting people in the doors anymore, finally found an open door and ran through it, got ushered down to the front by some Burkinabe's to sit with them, crammed into the "bleachers" like sardines, and had the best time of our lives! CAR scored within the first couple minutes, but Burkina quickly caught up, winnning 3-1. This was a qualifying game for the African Cup and Burkina did it! The people we were sitting around are probably what made the whole experience worth while. They were so energetic and wanted us to be right in the mix of it all. At the end of the game when Burkina won, people starting jumping from the bleachers and crowding the field in celebration, doing back flips, laying on the field, even praying by the goal posts. Burkinabe are so prideful in their Etalons that it just really goes to show that even though life is very difficult here, they can still find the simplist joy when they put their faith into something like this. Their national pride is contagious, seeing them dance in the streets, honking their horns, celebrating with people they've never met before. It really was the greatest time I've ever had at a sporting event. With 22 months to go, I hope I can go to a few more games!

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