I had some great times on tuesday. On that day was Brazil´s first game which was against North Korea. Now, I did expect Brazil to win the match wihout many scrapes and bruzes, however, the North Korean team did seem deadly to me for a few reasons. The biggest reason is because all the players and staff from the North Korean team had been isolated by the rest of the world. No one was allowed to view their practices. The players always had to be together and they all go directly from the practice field to their recovery areas without seeing anyone or anything. Because of this, nobody had any asumption about the skill level of the North Korean team, though most people belived, as I did, that Brazil would win this game. The unexpected skill of this team was quickly apparent, though Brazil still seemed dominant. Neither team, however, showed any brilliance in the first half, resulting in a nil-nil score at half time. Now, I forgot to mention that I was in the massive school theatre, completly packed with cheering Brazilians, with paint on my face and some crazy glasses. At the begining of the match, everyone was yelling and screeming with joy. Now, at half time, there were angry voices in the air. People were complaining how Brazil were plaing horribly. Everyone`s spirits, though, were lifted when we came outside to bags of popcorn and cups of soda. I didn`t stay for long because I wanted to be back inside and see the highlites of the first half and analize what Brazil could do better in the second half. I`m happy to say that the second half was much, much better. Brazil was emedietly dominant and it wasn`t long before the first goal was scored. The theatre erupted with screams and yells and people blowing into horns to make loud, slightly annoying, yet fun sounds. The crowd was now alive again, and every thirty seconds people would scream, as if every chance Brazil had was sure to be a goal. And they were right again when Brazil scored their second of the match. Another eruption of yelling, screaming and jumping followed. I was particularly happy because I had guessed before the game, on camera, that Brazil would win the game 2-0. It seemed to be true as the time was neering the end. However, the game switched in the last five minutes. North Korea came out of nowhere and started fighting desperatly. For these few minutes, the game was theirs. In the 89` minute, North Korea scored. Not only was I sad, but i was scared as North Korea seemed sure to score again in the last few minutes. But, it was not to be. The final whistle blew and the theatre, once again, erupted in joy. It was a great experience for me and I hope to see Brazil`s second game on Sunday before we leave to come back home.
Colin W.