I am still not sure how it came to be or what it was that brought me here in the first place. This must be dumbest thing that I have ever done. Why would I ever volunteer to run a half mile alongside 6 angry bulls? Well, no sense in pondering the reasons now. It is 7:58 am on July 7th and I’m standing in the heart of the bull run (with no exit in sight) on Estafeta Street, the final straight away before the entrance to the bullring. Within the next 5 minutes, my “dumbest thing” thought will either be confirmed or I will have successfully dodged six angry beasts, who weigh in at more than 1,300 pounds each.
The balconies are packed with cheerful revelers from all over the world. I think to myself, “this must be what it feels like before the Super Bowl”. I hear the first rocket go off, followed closely by the second. This signifies that the bulls have left the corral and are now barreling towards us at approximately 35 mph. They’ll be on us in less than 3 minutes. There is an initial rush of people running frantically towards the bullring. These are the people who finish before the bulls even get to them and then proclaim to their friends, that they “ran with the bulls”. I didn’t come this far for that. I stayed put until the bulls were about 30 yards away; and when it was time – I bolted from my spot like Ricky Henderson in the 1989 ALCS. I was more worried about the unpredictable humans than anything else. I didn’t even turn to see where the bulls were. Within seconds, they blazed past me on their way to the ring. Just like that, the first encierro of San Fermin 2017 was in the books.
After the bull run, everyone flocked to the bars for Sangria and bocadillos (Spanish sandwiches). I mostly stuck to sangria, as the Spanish are not particularly known for their beers and the few that I had tried (Cruzcampo Pilsener and Mahou Five Estrellas) were rather poor. But hey, I didn’t come here for the beer and I am not one to complain about $3 bottles of sangria. It’s a scene that will be replayed eight more days until the end of the fiesta on July 14th.
Thankfully, there were no deaths at San Fermin this year. There were, however, numerous injuries and gorings. Chicago native, Bill Hillmann, was gored for the second time in his life. He had a few choice words for his haters – “You’re boring, pathetic, fat, dumb people who vote for Donald Trump and have no interests except McDonalds and malls.” He went on to say that “America by and large is full of idiots”.
Some of you may agree with Mr. Hillman, but his statement is a sweeping generalization. Although, I’ll give the guy a break considering he was talking from his hospital room. And it doesn’t help that our government has turned into an idiocracy. Don’t let Trump’s minions get you down, Bill.
Speaking of Trump, he’s now running things like it’s all one big reality show with only a few episodes left. I had a few folks ask about Trump while I was overseas. Not a single person had anything positive to say about him or the US. Congratulations Trump, we’ve now lost the little respect people did have for us. Let’s hope the finale is sooner rather than later.
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Editors Note: This photo is a Creative Commons licensed photo from Wiki Media
