blog post seven.

i don't care about a lot of sports. i don't watch baseball or basketball or football. there's one particular sport being born Uruguayan that i absolutely care about and that is soccer. you can go ahead and say that playing the sport myself has influenced me to take a particular liking to it but also an understanding of the sport and since it is the world cup it is only fair that i blog about my team. the small yet humble country of 3 million people that is known as Uruguay.

personally i don't remember much of my own country. i was brought to the lovely town of Kearny,New Jersey when i was approximately 5 ( my mom and i debate my age on a constant basis). i don't remember much but being younger i do remember my father who would bring me to the stadium to see some of the games. i was on his shoulders and i can't tell you who was playing but i do know i partook in that. still i didn't think much of soccer. i live with my mother now and as i became a freshman in high school my mother decided that i wasn't doing much physical activity and although my mother is from the lovely state of New York she takes pride in her Uruguayan ties. i was forced to play soccer. i was skeptical at first being quite honest and soon enough i learned basic skills and the rules and i made good friends. it just so happened it was the year of the world cup. my mom keeps me close to Uruguay by sometimes cooking Uruguayan food but my grandparents discuss the politics around me and my grandfather enforces that i only speak spanish around him since his english is not good. he does know english but around family he speaks spanish. i also made a friend on the team who was the best player and a die hard soccer fan

so i watched my first match and i was excited i began to learn the players name. at the time my most favorite player was diego forlan not only because he made the most goals but because he had these blue eyes and blonde hair that made him stand out from the team. my second favorite ( now my absolute first) was luis suarez and some of my others were diego lugano ( he always had this passion the field... he knew that our country was relying on him) and fernando muslera ( he's an amazing goalie). soon i would try and watch every single game... and i did. i began having my own pre game rituals...( which i still partake in) i listen to a certain song and i'd even paint my face sometimes.  well i became so passionate i'd play our national anthem all the time i'd beg my mom for a shirt and i learned all the players name. as we got closer and closer to the finals it was the game between Uruguay and Ghana and my favorite player Suarez blocked the ball with his hand. i was in shock and i admired his actions. i thought that what he did he did it for his team. Suarez has absolutely been the backbone to the Uruguayan soccer team. his passion is displayed on and off the field. anyways every win and every kick meant so much. i felt like then i really was embracing my ties to my country.

i feel that being in America for so long has impacted my ties to being Uruguayan and at times i forget the lovely country i am from. when i watch soccer i feel as if i am one with them. i celebrate my little accent (thankfully that i haven't lost).

but what i want to address is Suarez's actions in the game between Italy and Uruguay. he did get a four month suspension and my words probably don't change that. honestly it does not change how i view him. i feel that in times of desperation and on a world arena we all do things that are not a true reflection of who we are. however i still can defend the theory that it was an accident however this being not the first time i understand the punishment. was it excessive? yes. the man who broke neymar's vertabrea was not punished and he possibly could have ended neymar's career. all suarez did was leave a bite mark that was not huge and will not impact the players career.

anyways


the point of this blog is


that wherever you may be from or wherever you come from
cherish it
do things to make you feel closer to your culture
don't get lost in American culture
celebrate your own
it's something that makes you unique.