South Africa 2010!

The Soccer World Cup is coming up, and everyone is getting the fever. Around the streets and in every store there are people selling the album stickers. You can see kids of all ages with the sticker packets, or their checklist walking around ready to trade or bet.

This year is the first time I'm making the album. Back in October, when Colombia was almost surely qualifying, my father promised he would make the album. Obviously Colombia messed it up in the end (as it always does) and was eliminated. It's just so sad that everybody loves soccer in Colombia. It's the national sport (apart form Tejo), and no matter how fanatic and obsessed people are about soccer, it just sucks! There is not one team and not one selection of good players that can represent our soccer mad country decently. I'm talking about men soccer, because women soccer is a lot better, and ironically, it receives a lot less attention from the media, the fans, and the general public. The day one team enters a quarter final in the "Copa Libertadores Cup" is declared a national day, while the women team (Sub-20) becomes Sub-Champion in the South American Championship and the game isn't even transmitted by T.V. Anyhow, even if Colombia didn't classify to the world cup, that championship is just too important to miss. We finally decided to make the album between us because it would be a lot more entertaining to do it together.

We started on Monday with a sticker we saw falling on the floor. The guy seemed to busy to notice and perhaps it was just a repeated one for him. We have kept on filling the album with the ones my father occasionally buys in the store. He is the most enthusiastic of us, because he says it reminds him of his happy childhood. Like every single Colombian boy, he too started playing soccer when he was about 5 years old, and like every true Colombian, any brief moment were there is enough space and time, he'd start playing soccer with his friends. (At least they always have something to do).

I’m so happy because until now, I have found Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldhino, many team emblems (they are shiny) and part of the official logo. My little sister on the other hand found Messi (lucky her). Anyway, we still have along way to go before we fill the 637 stickers plus the Coca Cola ones. Really, there's no hurry, because we still have about two months before the championship begins, and by then, we'll be ready to enjoy real soccer. I can't wait!