Allez Bordeaux!

I love World Cup soccer but I must admit that I know precious little about European football clubs. The only thing that matters to me about A.C. Milan is that Kaká is on the team. 

I'll just pause and let you savor that for a moment. Mmm.

Anyway.

It just so happens that Bordeaux's team, FC Girondins, is one of the best in France, and my host sister Lisa and all of her friends are huge fans. No study abroad experience in France could be complete without a football game, so last Sunday I, along with some California cohorts, decided to head to the Bordeaux vs. Sochaux game with some of our French friends.

As in the U.S., a game without alcohol is no game at all. So my host sister organized an apéro in our yard. Apéro is technically short for apéritif, a pre-dinner drink, but our friends here use it to mean a casual kickback...whiskey included. See? The French out-class us even in their pre-gaming vocabulary. I guess you could say that I had a lot of fun, especially considering that at one point I face-planted into a bush.

Click for full size:

The crew

Boys juggling before the game

I won't lie, the rest of the night is a little hazy, but I know that I still had a great time. We scored 3 goals, winning the game and tying Marseilles for number 1 in France for the Championnat (I think? Ligue 1 soccer is very confusing). For a football newbie, I have to say that the best part was the fans. All the songs and chants reminded me of Cal Football games, especially this one where the virage sud, the south side of the stadium (equivalent to our student section, aka rowdy as fuck) calls out to the north side, which echos back :

Aux armes, aux armes

Nous sommes les Bordelais 

Et nous allons gagner 

Allez Bordeaux, Allez Bordeaux...

Take up arms

We are Bordelais

And we are going to win

Go Bordeaux, go Bordeaux...

It sounds better when it rhymes but you get the idea. On top of that, everyone rushes the field for each goal. At some point someone was lighting fireworks. Flags were being waved everywhere. I felt proud singing "nous sommes les Bordelais," even if it wasn't really true.

I didn't bring my camera, but here are a few photos I've stolen from Emily and Alexa:

Alexa, Laura, and I

I don't know what I'm doing, and probably didn't at the time either.

Me and my host sister Lisa :)

Girondins banner

Just to prove that it actually was a football game.

Another reason to love les Girondins: