I'd Like to Buy a Vowel Please

I went to my first pro football game- Viking vs Slavia Praha. No, not that kind of football. Over here, there is only one type- what most Americans would call soccer. Lise's brother and his buddies have season tickets, and one of the guys couldn't attend. He was stuck at work-- in Australia.

Viking Stadion is just down the street. It is less than two years old. The first thing that struck me was the mass of bikes leaning against a stand of small trees. Most bikes were left unlocked. The stadium was open with a roof of sorts over the spectators. In case you missed it, I may have mentioned that it rains quite a bit around here. Tonight was relatively dry. The ground never dries out, but nothing was coming from the sky. On the roof, there were all sorts of heaters. I think they were there mostly for moral support, since they were too far away to provide any perceivable warmth.

As the announcer introduced the Czech team, I realized that the Czechs that actually played on the time were born during a vowel shortage. Of course they are an international team, and the non-Czechs appeared to have been born in better times. As he announced the Viking players, spectators were laughing inexplicably. Per Helge leaned over and mentioned that the announcer was "a comedian" and that he was saying there names in English. Of course I did not get it at all- but others found it riotous.

The spectators were very different than in any American pro sporting event that I've attended. There was practically a choir section that sang football songs throughout the game. I found the rythmic clapping to be a bit odd- as was the jeering whistling. I probably learned most of the Norwegian swear words as well. Like English, the most common cuss word can be handily used as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.

I have long been aware that "soccer" can end in a tie- as did this game. I found it most unsatisfying. A loss would provide more closure. Nonetheless, it was very cool. It was certainly more interesting than watching a game on TV. I am picking up on the rules well enough to begin to appreciate the game. One bizarre element to the game is how large the goal appears to be- yet how almost impossible it is to score. I told Per Helge that we need to bring drums to the next game.


Photos were swiped from The Stadium Guide.