Welcome to (FC) Bengaluru

Well it's official! I've made it to India. I've been here for two days now and already have so many experiences I want to write about.

First though, I'd like to thank my friends and family for all of their support of my temporary move. Here are a few pictures of some sweet moments in the states before I left:

Co-workers at my "going away" lunch

Mi Madre

2/3 of the Charlotte PwC Finance practice

Enjoying an Indian buffet

Queens represent!

There are some stories from my journey over to India that I definitely want to share with you soon. But, it shouldn't come as a surprise that one of the first things I want to share has to do with soccer :)

I am staying for now in a hotel that overlooks a park and the city team's soccer stadium. I learned by reading the local newspaper that the city's team, FC Bengaluru, had their first home game of the season yesterday. When I got back from work, I decided to head to the game, which started at 7 PM.

View of the soccer stadium from my hotel

I immediately encountered one startling difference between sporting events in the states and sporting events in India - the ticketing system. I walked around the stadium trying to find the ticket booth. When I couldn't find it, I asked a security guard where I could get a ticket. He told me that I could buy it at the gate, and he quoted me a price of about $19; this was the price printed near the entry gate.

Hala Madrid - even in India :) 

I told him that was too expensive and that he should point me to another gate with less expensive seats. He asked me how much I wanted to pay, $10? I said that was fine. So he led me past the ticket agents and up the stairs to the seating next to the VIP section. He asked for my cash when no one was looking.

I sat in a covered section with about 20 other fans (I was the only woman in the section). I talked to one man whose son played on the junior team and was one of the field attendants for the night. The game itself was pretty exciting - the final score ended up being 4 - 1, and the home team easily won.

The presence of dogs at the stadium was another difference between sporting events in American and in India. Stray dogs ran around the track surrounding the field, rolled in sand patches on the track, and even used it as their personal potty. I kept waiting for the dogs to run on to the field and start chasing the ball. It didn't happen during this game. Maybe the next one!

The "12th" man - woof

The most memorable part of the game was the behavior of the home team's coach. The English coach of the Bangalore team cussed more than any coach I've ever encountered, in person or on TV. He cussed at his players, the refs, even the other coach. When arguing with the other coach about a PK that wasn't called, he made a gesture that mocked the other coach's weight, which elicited cheers from the more boisterous fans (there were about 6,000 people in attendance, as it turns out).

I actually felt embarrassed for the home team for what I thought was ridiculous behavior. The man next to me assured me that this was just the coach's "personality on the pitch," and that he was really a very nice guy.

Most of the 6,000 fans were in the section above me

As I left, I ran into the security guard who took my ticket money earlier. He shook my hand, handed me a sealed can of coke and a wrapped chicken salad sandwich, and told me that next time, I can get in for free.