Hello Parents, Friends, Camp Havaya Staff, and other people related to members of the Havaya Sportugbraltar trip,
I am excited to bring you the Havaya Sportubraltar Granada edition. This one will be shorter, recapping the sites we visited, the experience watching España win the World Cup, a short section on Spanish football terms, and finally the community of this trip.
History and Culture
During our time in Granada, we visited the Alhambra, the old town, and saw a flamenco show. Eli described his experience as, “There were a lot of things that stood out in Granada, but the most interesting thing to me was the Alhambra. It was absolutely beautiful and was full of amazing ancient architecture.” The Alhambra is called that because it was originally a Muslim palace, specifically a summer home. Featuring many pretty fountains and gardens, it was a beautiful experience. We also did a walk through the old town in almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit, which made the ice cream that we got for free feel very refreshing. Everyone really worked together to support each other while taking in the views of the old town. Finally for dinner we watched a flamenco show, which was extremely intricate and full of rhythm. Overall, Granada was a beautiful city full of culture that our group enjoyed thoroughly.
Community and Celebration
While our community here on the teen Sportugbraltar trip was extremely united by the viewing of the World Cup, other fun events also occurred. Most importantly, on the same evening, we celebrated a member of the trip, Evan’s birthday. He received a cake as well as presents from several group members, including singing in three languages and some rubber ducks. Evan himself commented that “I had one of the best birthdays ever. It was truly unforgettable. It was amazing spending it with everyone, old friends and new. And España winning the World Cup only made it better.” It really has been seeing the community come together and celebrate each other throughout the trip. As Ruben, a 7-weeker (someone attending both sessions of camp), noticed, “this group quickly all became friends. Aleph session and Bet session people are talking to each other, sitting together at meals, and during pizur time. It is great to see two different friend groups come together as one.”
Términos de Fútbol (Havaya en Espanol)
El futbol es un juego muy especial para el mundo hispanohablante por todas partes. Y de la misma manera que se llama al deporte “fútbol” en vez del término estadounidense “soccer”, hay otras cosas únicas sobre el lenguaje español sobre el futbol. La primera cosa que debes saber es que en español no solo se llama al deporte el fútbol, sino que intercambian con la palabra balompié. Como la palabra “fútbol” tiene la palabra “balón” y “pie”, la cosa con que juegues y la parte de El Puerto con que se juega. También de la misma manera que los fanes de futbol se llaman ingleses, son “holigans” los “ultras” son un diferente nivel de fan. Balompié existe para preservar la lengua española en vez de básicamente usar la misma palabra en inglés. Ultra se viene de la idea de que ellos son fanes extremos o ultras del deporte. Ultras no solo son fanes de futbol, sino ideologías extremas y a veces violentas. Pero afortunadamente, en el partido final de la Copa tuvimos no fanes locos, sino fanes de muchos diferentes lugares celebrando su país hasta la victoria.
Soccer Terms (Havaya in Spanish Translation)
Soccer is a very special game throughout the entire Spanish-speaking world. In the same way that they call the sport “futbol,” there are other words unique to the Spanish language around the sport that we call soccer. The first thing to know is that they don’t just call it “futbol” but interchangeably with the word “balompie.” Like the word “futbol,” “balompie” has the word for ball and foot in it while being more in line with Spanish linguistics. Just as English soccer fans are known as “hooligans,” “ultras” represent a different level of fandom of the sport. The term “balompié” exists to preserve the Spanish language rather than simply adopting the English word. With that specific name “Ultra” stemming from the idea that they are extreme fans or “ultra” fans of the sport. Ultras are not merely soccer fans but ones often associated with extreme ideologies and, at times, violence. Fortunately, however, during the World Cup final, we saw not crazy fans but good ones from many different places celebrating their countries as they achieved victory.
La Copa Mundial!
On our first night in Granada, it was July 19th, or the anticipated final game of the World Cup, or the Copa Mundial in Spanish. Throughout the trip, many soccer fans bought Spanish jerseys in anticipation of wearing them to the match. Our gracious tour guides found us a watch party in the center of Granada so that we could watch the game live with Spanish fans. I’ll just let the following testimonies speak for themselves and end with VIVA ESPAÑA!
“It was amazing being in Spain for the World Cup. One of the best nights of my life, the energy of the Spaniards in infectious and as soon as we got to the party it felt like we were one of them”
Charlie
“Fun as all hell highly recommend predicting the World Cup winner and traveling to that country for the final”
Aaron
“Watching the world cup in Spain was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would have been able to do without this trip. I am so glad I could celebrate it with all of my closest friends and even though I don’t really care about soccer, the experience of everyone at the watch party was something I will never forget.”
Geff
“The World Cup watch party was one of the best nights of my life. We didn’t speak the same language as most of the crowd, but everyone felt connected to each other. It reminded me that even in a crazy world, people can still come together to support something they believe in.”
Ari