Story Index:

Ao final
07/13/2014

Son in the sky
07/12/2014

Recife
06/27/2014

Impressions of Brazil
06/25/2014

Vida Dura
06/23/2014

Hawaii Fishing News - May 2013
05/01/2013

Un lugar para mi
09/09/2011

Crossed the border
08/18/2011

Quiero mas tiempo!
07/31/2011

Perched above Medellin
07/23/2011

Yay for a shower!
07/19/2011

New coast for me!
07/15/2011

The ocean calls
07/09/2011

Thick rain, freight train
06/26/2011

Tierra Dura
06/26/2011

Time to dry
06/24/2011

The next quarter century - on we go!
06/18/2011

Rolling with it
06/09/2011

Viviendo la vida
04/27/2011

You live and you learn: Adventures in Bureaucracy
04/12/2011

Snippets of Life - Part 4: La vida hermosa
04/08/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 3 - Las flores y los pájaros de Mindo
04/07/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 2 - An afternoon in Colonial Quito
03/30/2011

Snippets of Life: Part 1 - Fútbol en Argentina
03/27/2011

La diferencia principal entre Ecuador y Thailand
02/12/2011

Mi misíon por cada día
02/05/2011

Me gusta mi linea de trabajo!
01/28/2011

Mi primer fin de semana en Ecuador
01/18/2011

First off, let's catch up: Where's Whitney?
01/13/2011

Day BA
02/24/2009

What a year! 2008 in Review...
12/29/2008

Southeast Asia Superlatives (and not-so-Superlatives)
12/12/2008

One week in Cambodia
12/03/2008

Waterfalls, cliffs, and caves of beautiful Laos
11/09/2008

Beautiful, happy northern Thailand
10/31/2008

One amazing month on Koh Tao
10/24/2008

Daily mission on the islands: Enjoy life!
09/14/2008

Bangkok, Thailand
09/13/2008

Last week in France
09/05/2008

August 08 in Europe
08/24/2008

Failed Cape Melville
07/13/2008

Day trip to Bowen
06/25/2008

Part 3: Volleyball playoffs
06/15/2008

Part 2: Ultimate camping
06/15/2008

Part 1 of... many: FOLK FESTIVAL!
06/15/2008

My weekend of great vistas
06/02/2008

A glorious weekend on Magnetic Island
05/27/2008

Ugh. I'm exhausted.
05/02/2008

New Zealand... ROCKS!!!
04/30/2008

It's been awhile...
04/23/2008

Sushi night at the house
04/07/2008

Thanks for all the letters and mail!
04/01/2008

I finally got to dive the Great Barrier Reef!
03/31/2008

Blues Fest - Byron Bay
03/26/2008

The little things I realize I miss
03/18/2008

Bouldering trip
03/17/2008

Beach volleyball!
03/14/2008

I'M GOING TO THE BLUES FEST!!
03/11/2008

So many new animals!
03/08/2008

time for school
03/06/2008

Whitney saw a wallaby!!
03/02/2008

Pictures for my stories
03/02/2008

Just some observations
02/28/2008

Mailing address
02/27/2008

Rain in the tropics
02/25/2008

Townsville!
02/25/2008

We're finally in Australia!
02/23/2008

The Last Supper
02/16/2008
Snippets of Life: Part 1 - Fútbol en Argentina

Old problems rise again. What is it this time? It's the beloved old challenge of taking in all the beauty, adventure, and fun that life offers, and turning it back out in written form in order to share it with all of you. Often, the silence that transpires on this page is a good sign - an indication that my days are filled with life and the living of it.

So I must apologize for the brevity of the following posts, but I can no longer stay hung up on trying to write of my adventures in detail. I will instead simply have to catch you up with a few smatterings of thought and rely on photos to do most of the talking.

So let's rewind to 5 weeks ago, when I embarked on a 9-day stint in Argentina with the USFQ fútbol team. One tournament, 13 girls, 8 games. The tournament was in the city of Córdoba, and as this was not a sight-seeing trip, this was essentially the extent of what I saw of Argentina. But I can tell you that this was all I needed to know that I will someday return to Argentina to get to know it properly. There was something about the land, the people, the life... something that planted a seed in my heart that makes me want to know this country enough to be able to say "I love Argentina!"

In a discussion of the merits of Argentina, the people of this country must be mentioned. Aside from Patagonia... and wine... and steak... la gente de Argentina is what makes me want to return and spend some time there. Every single person I came across, whether it was taxi drivers, opponents in the tournament, or strangers on the street we encountered when in need of directions - everybody was incredibly friendly, helpful, and genuinely interested in what we were doing and how we were liking their country. The local fútbol club even befriended our team and made sure that the visitors from Ecuador enjoyed their time in Córdoba. After the final whistle blew in the game against them, they were no longer opponents but hosts. The camaraderie between the two teams made me wish that soccer competitions in the States could be more like that. Good, hard competition on the field, but afterwards it's all in good fun, and the sport brings people together. I know that club rugby in the States is like this, and I've always envied that aspect of the sport. So I'm glad I got to finally get a taste of it.


Our team (in white and red) with the girls from Racing, the local club (in blue)

There's so much more to be said about this trip of mine, but even as we speak, life is happening. The sun is shining outside, there's good food to be eating, there's more soccer to be played, flowers to smell, music to move to, and dreams to be dreamt. I will leave you with a few side observations of Argentina:

  • Eyebrow rings are more popular here than anywhere I've been (including the States). Mostly on guys, though.

  • Rat-tails... also a big trend. Not mullets, but tails - usually quite long, often dreaded.

  • The people here are much more western/ European-influenced than in Ecuador. There are actually blond people in Argentina!

  • Coke and bread rolls are staples of the diet. I think I drank more Coca Cola in 9 days in Argentina than I have in the past 2 years! And bread rolls come with every meal, in mass quantities (at least in Córdoba they did).

All for now. Here are some photos!

Futbol en Argentina photo slide-show:

https://s470.photobucket.com/user/GoodellsRule/slideshow/Futbol%20en%20Argentina/?albumview=slideshow

Posted by Whitney 03/27/2011, revised 04/07/2011 by Whitney
FreeStyle Journal 19.03.21
©2003-2011 by Dan Goodell

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