Colombia played a football (soccer) match last night. It was a Copa America group stage match against Qatar (an invited guest to the tournament). I’ve quickly learned since arriving here that Colombians take the beautiful game very seriously. The trend is the same throughout South America. Football is a religion in this part of the world and unlike anything you will see in North America, Europe or anywhere else (except cricket on the India subcontinent). Every place with a television (street corner, bar, hotel, museum, food stand, public square) is packed with people from all walks of life glued to the screen watching the action unfold. It’s fair to say Colombia stops when their team is playing.

I managed a find a seat in a tiny but packed bar in Bogota just after kickoff. More people began to slowly file in until there was barely space for anyone to move. A group of well-dressed lawyers grabbed some extra seats and plopped them down next to the tiny table where I was sitting. We ended up bonding during the match of football. I showed them pictures of the matches I attended at the World Cup in Russia last summer and they displayed wonderful Colombian hospitality by sliding an ice-cold beer to me every time a new round was brought to the table. It’s fair to say I was pretty tipsy by the end of the match. Colombia finally did manage to break through the Qatari defensive wall in the 86th minute with a powerful header which turned out to be the game winner.

Their next match is Sunday afternoon against Paraguay. You can bet I will be watching the match in another spot packed with locals to cheer on Colombia and soak in the wonderful atmosphere. Football unifies us all.

Feel free to share any amazing experiences involving sports that you have experienced aboard. Anyways onto Flakes...

Frosted Flakes

Cayman Islands Classic Bracket Revealed | Basketball | Corn Nation

It was announced today that Nebraska will play Washington State in the Cayman Islands Classic this Upcoming Season. The game will take place on November 25th at 7:30pm EST. This will be the fourth and final game of the day.

Mailbag: Potential Storylines for a Husker Football Hard Knocks? | Football | Hail Varsity

Hail Varsity staff members Mike Babcock, Jacob Padilla, Greg Smith, Erin Sorensen and Brandon Vogel tackle your questions about the latest news in Husker Nation.

Robinson, Foecke help US National Team rally for five-set win | Volleyball | Lincoln Journal Star

Ex-Husker Kelsey Robinson had another good all-around match to help lead the United States women’s national volleyball team to a five-set win against the Netherlands on Wednesday.

As Isaiah Roby waits to hear name called at NBA Draft, his former coach looks back with pride | Basketball | Lincoln Journal Star

Tim Miles and Isaiah Roby will be forever linked in the annals of Husker hoops history. Miles as the coach who saw Roby’s potential when the forward was just a baby-faced kid coming off his sophomore season of high school ball; and Roby as the player with athletic gifts rarely seen on Nebraska’s basketball teams of the last 25 or so years.

Ex-Husker Christy, Harvell officially join Bolt’s staff at Nebraska | Baseball | Lincoln Journal Star

The Huskers made it official Wednesday, announcing Christy as pitching coach and Harvell as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.

At Texas A&M, players fed off Bolt’s ‘relentless’ approach and his ability to build trust, confidence | Baseball | Lincoln Journal Star

Michael Helman, in his first fall on a big college campus, was pressing at the plate. That’s what his coaches were telling him, anyway, as the Lincoln Pius X graduate began transitioning from junior college to Division I. But Will Bolt, Texas A&M’s hitting coach at the time, and the Aggies made sure Helman didn’t carry those kinks into the spring when it mattered most.

Travel and More

What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane | News | The Atlantic

Five years ago, the flight vanished into the Indian Ocean. Officials on land know more about why than they dare to say. **I highly recommend reading this article**

Asian Airlines Continue to Rank as the Best in the World | Travel | Travel and Leisure

In this year’s annual Skytrax World Airline Awards, an overwhelming majority of the world’s top airlines were based in Asia. The winner, Qatar Airways, broke a record, becoming the only airline in the ranking’s history to be named the best in the world five separate years.

The Taj Mahal Will Start Fining Visitors Who Stay Longer Than Three Hours | Travel | Travel and Leisure

Over the last few years, the UNESCO World Heritage site has implemented a few new rules in order to fight overcrowding and injuries, as well as help preserve the delicate, ancient site from wear and tear.

Inside the Booming Chernobyl Tourism Trade, Where the Influencers Are Flocking | Travel | Esquire UK

There are nearly 20,000 posts on Instagram which include the hashtag #ExclusionZone. Some of these contain quotes from HBO’s recent, and excellently reviewed, series Chernobyl, while others are photographs of books which detail the nuclear disaster in Ukraine. **Would you ever consider visiting Chernobyl?**

The Day I Picked Up A Cuban Hitchhiker | Travel | BBC

A great travel story from Cuba. Have you ever hitchhiked somewhere or picked up a hitchhiker? Share your stories below.

Travel By Train: 7 Awesome Routes for Seeing the USA | Travel | Budget Travel

When you’re not in a rush to get to your destination, there’s no better way to travel than by the slow, steady pace of a train. Though often associated with a European vacation, there are plenty of scenic and adventurous rail routes that you can take right here in—and across—the United States.

A 24,000-mile walk across human history | Outdoors | The New Yorker

In January, 2013, under a desert sky the yellow of old newsprint, I set out, on foot, from Africa’s Rift Valley and began walking to Tierra del Fuego, the freezing tip of South America.

The Incredible Link Between Nature And Your Emotions | Outdoors | Outside Magazine

This is a great article about research connecting time in nature with improved mental health.