futbal de salon

So life here isn't really so bad, but I think I'm going to have to learn to love AFL. Or at least tolerate it. Fortunately among the BCV students there are quite a few European and South American guys, which ensures that a proper emphasis on football (sorry, soccer) is maintained.

Speaking of which, I played futsal for the first time in a while last Friday night. Futsal is a Brazilian invention; its full name is 'futbal de salon' - basically 'football in a small room' - and is five a side soccer played on a basketball court with smaller goals and some modified rules. Also the ball is smaller and heavier so the emphasis is more on passing and small, quick moves because you can't blast the ball into the opposite goal on a goalkick. So. Futsal. Friday night. I played two games with my friends from BCV, playing two quite hard teams. And we won! Woot and all that. I think the scores were something like 9-6 and 8-7. And the highlight....well. Picture the goal, about the size of a field hockey goal. And then picture a whole lot of people around one side of it, trying to kick the ball. And then picture the ball popping out to the other side of the goal with no one to kick it. So what could I do? I just had to run forward and help it into the GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALL! I think that's my first goal in futsal. Really, it was just cleaning up. But a goal's a goal.

So I think that's the most fun I've had in a while. But coming up this Saturday morning, beginning at 0300, is the most fun I will probably have in a while. Although I'm not really sure it's fair to compare the two, seeing as the one is more than 160 times longer than the other. But hey. I'm going to PNG (God willing) this Saturday for two weeks. So all I am doing this Thursday and Friday is waiting for Saturday. And some other things I have to do also.