Last night was nothing short of incredible. For those of you who haven’t heard, Honduras qualified for the 2010 World Cup for the first time in 28 years. They won a tough game against El Salvador, but were only able to get the bid when the United States tied Costa Rica in the final minutes of their game. I had the opportunity to watch the game with a bunch of friends (catrachos and gringos) at a nearby hotel and can honestly say that I had never seen anything like this before.
There were tears, hugs and dancing – so much dancing! At one point everyone made a train and danced through the tables of the lobby. But that was nothing compared to the celebration happening on the streets. We headed out to Boulevard Morazan, one of the main streets of Tegucigalpa, only to find a sea of cheering people packing the street. Honduran and US flags were waving, cars were honking, people were being splashed from a nearby fountain. Everywhere we (the gringos) went, we were met with “thank you” shouted from every direction. We may not be Honduran, but last night we were all a part of something great. The pride these people have in their country is astounding, and I think I can speak for the rest of the American staff here in Honduras that we all feel very honored and lucky to be here during such an incredible event.
