Living in Peru : your everyday companion

(by Jason Woods)
 

Universitario won gainst Alianza by a score of 3:2 (Photo: Daniel Valdivia y José Callañaupa, peru.com)

Last Sunday, I went with my host brother and two other guys to the biggest fútbol game in Peru--Alianza Lima vs. Universitario. I was going for Alianza, but, unfortunately, La U won 3-2. (Note: "La U" translates exactly into "The U," as in The University of Miami... reason enough to dismiss La U as a bunch of thugs...).

It was nice being in an intensely competitive atmosphere once again. In fact, it felt pretty familiar during most of the game, except for a few things. First, Peruvians seem to be obsessed with whistling. So, instead of the "roar" of the crowd, I heard... kind of an intense chirping... or maybe like the screaming of jets or something. The Peruvian fans also bring actual whistles and blow them, too. And, then there are the more agressive noisemakers that sound like cannonfire.

But, otherwise, this was very reminscent of sporting events I have attended in the United States.

...that is, until the game ended. This is when the running began.

At the exact second the game had ended, the thousands of people who had been watching the game on the east and west sides of the field turned simultaneously and booked it toward the exits. Apparently this was due to the presence of the "barra," the Peruvian soccer hooligans on the north and south sides of the stadium.

Universitario players celebrate their second goal in 'El Clasico II' (Photo: Daniel Valdivia y José Callañaupa, peru.com)

These upstanding young citizens, I was informed, run out of the stadium and start fighting each other... and I suppose the police... and innocent bystanders. The way Peruvians have made it sound in various conversations, gang members are waiting outside, sharpening their knives, while members of the barra descend on the city center like a plague of locusts.

And so we all ran like our lives depended on it. Perhaps they did, I don't know... but so far in my experiences in Peru, I have found Peruvians to be an overly-worried people. But, hey, they know better than I do, so I follow their lead.

Regardless, the sight as we all careened down the stairs, turned the corner, and flooded the streets reminded me of video footage I have seen of the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

After we turned off of the main street, we slowed to a brisk walk, leaving the natural disaster film that was "Alianza/La U" behind us. My host brother and I walked all the way home, but the entire time he kept saying, "We need to walk fast. Some members of the barra live in my neighborhood, and they might be behind us."

Well, friends, we made it back safely. Just another day in Peru, I suppose...