Locals: Kim Kardashian is the secret to learning English

A line of soccer fans as far as the camera can see forms in a flash when word gets out there's free soccer tickets to be had.

I was walking into the Expo Guadalajara Arena around 1 p.m. today — which is the main media centre and also the site for ticket sales and boxing — and I saw what looked like a scuffle breaking out at the front of a very long line. I assumed someone at the front was giving out tickets and he was about to be mugged by this angry sports-loving mob. 

People about 50 back started yelling towards the front. Then the entire line, maybe 150 people long started chanting and pumping their arms in the air. And just when I thought it was about to come to fist a cuffs, everyone started laughing. 

Turns out organizers had in fact released a batch of free soccer tickets for a Mexico match. Out of giddy excitement people were being silly. They'd chant: "Give us tickets! We want tickets!" or "Get in line! Get in line!" to people who tried to cut in. 

Not everyone ended up with tickets, but people seemed to have a good time regardless. 

Another random funny story from Guad today:

Have you ever been talking to someone and everything they say is insanely hilarious, but they don't know it? It's awkward because you want to laugh along at their very funny jokes, except they don't realize that they're doing stand up comedy so you have to stare at them and bite your lip and try hard to remember everything they're saying so you can laugh at it later.

That was my afternoon. I met this very nice Pan Ams volunteer — Ivan Rodriguez — on the bus to the team rhythmic gymnastics event and he was telling me how he learned English.

"Television. The subtitles on English TV shows make it very easy. Especially if try to watch Kim Kardashian. Or the Hills. It's very slow and not complicated. They speak in very simple language with no big words... Keeping Up With the Kardashians is teaching me English."