Forget the Yankees, Allez Les Bleus! La Coupe du Monde Rugby!
I am not a sports fanatic, but i do like to catch the fever when it's in season if you know what i mean. i happened to be in Toulouse the first weekend of my installation in Pamiers.
I needed to change some check koruns which i had been hanging onto for3 1/2 months. I'm not sure why, except that I'm stupid and lazy sometimes. the money, everything i had been able to save after living in Prague for 7 months, basically my mounting security deposit and my last pay, amounted to 21,000 koruns. don't be deceived, i know this sounds like a lot of money.
after all that travel and time carrying the cash around i think it actually depleted in value. the bureaux de change gave me around 650 euros for it. i could end up needing twice that just to move into a damn apartment.
anyway, sports. so i was in Toulouse because there isn't a single place in the whole department of Ariege that could sell me euros for my koruns. i fell into it. France versus New Zealand, the All Blacks in the quarterfinals of the 15th Rugby World Cup, hosted by France. the Toulouse region is very well represented by the french team, Toulouse being one of the best teams in the french rugby league. I, being American, know absolutely nothing about rugby, except that players often have very few teeth and funny ears.
I had been spending the day in Toulouse with 3 Espagnols who are Spanish teaching assistants in Pamiers, St. Girons and another place that I can't remember. Between the four of us, we didn't know how the scoring worked and I seemed to be the only one really interested. We went to La Place du Capitol to watch the match. This is an immense and stunningly beautiful grand square, maybe common in Europe but nonexistent in the States. It is headed by the Capitole building of Toulouse, an enormous building constructed in 1190. The All Blacks are favored to win the world cup and France is never known to have an incredibly strong rugby team. French people being stereotypically wafer-thin.
We arrived an hour early and there were already thousands of people, painted,costumed, and partying, in front of a huge screen especially installed for the event.
New Zealand started off with their intimidating traditional dance, the Haka. Whoa! Huge ugly men, with no teeth and funny ears, sticking their tongues out and beating their chests. So far, so good.
As the game started, I'm trying to ask a new Espagnol that has joined the group exactly how the scoring works. We are communicating in French which makes it a bit difficult because the Spanish accent is thick and he is difficult to understand, he is probably feeling the same way about me. He was able to give me a basic idea. Three points for a field goal, five points for a touchdown, with two for the extra point. Simple. It sounds a lot like American Football, and it is a little bit, if you throw WWF Wrestling into the mix and consider that the play doesn't stop unless there's a penalty...I think.
New Zealand who started off with a quick 13 point lead was unable to live up to their reputation as France eventually won the match, with a very exciting outcome of 20-18. The crowd erupted simultaneously with the whole city of Toulouse and there wasn't a serene moment for the rest of the night. Honking horns and crowds chanting french fighting songs echoed all over the city.
My friends and I joined even more Espagnols in Place de la Deraude right on the Garonne river. The weather, is still warm enough here even though it's almost the middle of October. Most of the night, I listened to Spanish chatter and occasionally caught quick conversations in French or English. The french were still in the streets above the river banks and the cheers lasted long into the night.
I needed to change some check koruns which i had been hanging onto for3 1/2 months. I'm not sure why, except that I'm stupid and lazy sometimes. the money, everything i had been able to save after living in Prague for 7 months, basically my mounting security deposit and my last pay, amounted to 21,000 koruns. don't be deceived, i know this sounds like a lot of money.
after all that travel and time carrying the cash around i think it actually depleted in value. the bureaux de change gave me around 650 euros for it. i could end up needing twice that just to move into a damn apartment.
anyway, sports. so i was in Toulouse because there isn't a single place in the whole department of Ariege that could sell me euros for my koruns. i fell into it. France versus New Zealand, the All Blacks in the quarterfinals of the 15th Rugby World Cup, hosted by France. the Toulouse region is very well represented by the french team, Toulouse being one of the best teams in the french rugby league. I, being American, know absolutely nothing about rugby, except that players often have very few teeth and funny ears.
I had been spending the day in Toulouse with 3 Espagnols who are Spanish teaching assistants in Pamiers, St. Girons and another place that I can't remember. Between the four of us, we didn't know how the scoring worked and I seemed to be the only one really interested. We went to La Place du Capitol to watch the match. This is an immense and stunningly beautiful grand square, maybe common in Europe but nonexistent in the States. It is headed by the Capitole building of Toulouse, an enormous building constructed in 1190. The All Blacks are favored to win the world cup and France is never known to have an incredibly strong rugby team. French people being stereotypically wafer-thin.
We arrived an hour early and there were already thousands of people, painted,costumed, and partying, in front of a huge screen especially installed for the event.
New Zealand started off with their intimidating traditional dance, the Haka. Whoa! Huge ugly men, with no teeth and funny ears, sticking their tongues out and beating their chests. So far, so good.
As the game started, I'm trying to ask a new Espagnol that has joined the group exactly how the scoring works. We are communicating in French which makes it a bit difficult because the Spanish accent is thick and he is difficult to understand, he is probably feeling the same way about me. He was able to give me a basic idea. Three points for a field goal, five points for a touchdown, with two for the extra point. Simple. It sounds a lot like American Football, and it is a little bit, if you throw WWF Wrestling into the mix and consider that the play doesn't stop unless there's a penalty...I think.
New Zealand who started off with a quick 13 point lead was unable to live up to their reputation as France eventually won the match, with a very exciting outcome of 20-18. The crowd erupted simultaneously with the whole city of Toulouse and there wasn't a serene moment for the rest of the night. Honking horns and crowds chanting french fighting songs echoed all over the city.
My friends and I joined even more Espagnols in Place de la Deraude right on the Garonne river. The weather, is still warm enough here even though it's almost the middle of October. Most of the night, I listened to Spanish chatter and occasionally caught quick conversations in French or English. The french were still in the streets above the river banks and the cheers lasted long into the night.
posted by emily at 10:25 AM
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