Category Archives: World Cup 2010

Bafana! Bafana!

Posted on by
Reply

11 June

Unable to find Wifi, face paint, or pick up our World Cup tickets in Hartsbeesport Alex and I quickly decided to change our plans and drive an hour north to Rustenburg.

Our FIFA information stated the Waterfall Mall had a ticket pick up station, so we headed directly there. Wondering through the mall we stopped at several stores including an Adidas to see if they had any Bafana Bafana jackets because Alex is getting nasty stares for wearing his Springbok fleece. No one had anything. The lady at the Adidas store said that they were expecting to get some either Monday or Tuesday, but it all depended on how the team did in the opening match today. It was disappointing to think they didn’t have enough faith in their team or in the spirit of the World Cup to think that even if Bafana Bafana lost people would still want SA apparel.

Continue reading →

The Little Train that CAN: Our First Ride On The Gautrain

Posted on by
Reply

10 June

Much like it takes leaving the United States to remain appreciative of all that we as a nation possess, the same goes for South Africa. Even though it is very possible to live a comfortable first world lifestyle in ZA, there are always those differences stemming from our diverse cultures. Dealing with the target on your back in ZA as a white person, never mind a tourist or an American, is quite different from most other nations. The lack of Internet access, which my iPhone and job at Apple have made such a necessity, plus the craziness on the roads that seems to be ‘proudly South African’ can lead to a dissatisfaction upon arrival. The fact that my first few days in country were troubled with a lost airline bag, and food poisoning, my return to South Africa had been far from pleasant. However, two weeks in Mozambique with the beautiful chaos that is most of the continent brings my appreciation for ZA back to a all new high. 2 weeks of seafood had also been my limit and being able to grab a fast food burger at Steers (a local burger joint) was certainly needed to balance my diet.

Continue reading →

Tea

Posted on by
Reply

Everywhere we went today the World Cup was present. Magazines with pictures of the country players in boxer briefs ( courtesy of Vanity Fair), newspapers with predictions of the winner, passengers on our airplane sporting their teams jersey, everywhere even our little travel pack with an eye cover, toothbrush & socks from SA airlines had a world cup theme. For most die-hard soccer fans that would probably be what they needed to have the ” rush” of reality that they were going to Africa for the World Cup, but I am not a die-hard fan. If you have not already figured this out this is Alisa’s post not Alex’s.

My ” rush” of reality came at 2 AM in the morning somewhere over Guinea. Unable to sleep I was able to enjoy the early morning complementary drink round. I ordered tea with a milk and a little sugar, probably not the best idea since I was already having problems sleeping and tea in Africa means black tea (typically some form of english breakfast) Oh well! One sip of that tea and I was suddenly back sitting with my host family outside our house in Ghana having deep in-depth conversations about politics, religion and culture. Another sip and I was in Namibia having breakfast with Alex and Mo at the base of the tallest sand dunes in the world. So many of my greatest memories of my 2 trips to the African continent revolve around tea. I have been up way too many hours and I am starting to think what was my whole point of writing this?  Well I guess my point is that everyday I look at baskets, masks, photos of my journeys as many people will do when they return home from SA, but they do not illicit quite the same memories or emotional response as that cup of tea. So while we are buying a 2010 world cup t-shirt and other reminders of your trip find your tea. Find the thing that no matter where you are in life you will see, smell, taste and it will bring your right back to SA and the 2010 world cup because when future generations ask you about what it was like to go the first World Cup ever hosted in Africa they are not going to want to see a t-shirt. They will want the little details that made this experience one of a kind, the memories that are often brought about by the smallest and most simple things.

A side note. I feel I should explain my relationship to soccer because it is very different then that of the other writer on this blog. Unlike Alex I had never seen a soccer game let alone a professional soccer game until I studied abroad at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban in the fall of 2007. The first professional game I went to was to see the Kaiser Chiefs play . After that Alex took my soccer education into his own hands ( I’m still learning). On our way back from SA Alex and I spent a few days in London where we did the grand tour of the Arsenal stadium( in exchange for him going to see Wicked with me). I was blown away by the detail that had gone into everything from the grass to the locker rooms. After returning to the states I realized how disconnected Americans were from the worlds most popular sport. Yes there is MLS ( Go Earthquakes!!) but for the majority of Americans it is all about American football. My biggest hope is that the USA qualifying for the 2010 world cup will spark more interest in the sport. Not just because it’s the most popular sport in the world and a lot more interesting to watch then American football ( in my opinion) but because of the power of sports to create peace and friendly competition. Sports psychologist have known for a while that play on a team sport like soccer builds confidence, cooperation and leadership. But recently members of the peace building community, like Search for Common Ground, have used sports ( mostly soccer) and television to address issues, raise concerns and build lasting peace in countries that have been torn apart by war. Please if you get a chance check out SFCG website and information about their program The Team, what it has achieved has only just begun. I will also post the articles I wrote about The Team on this blog if anyone is interested in reading them.

My soccer goal for the World Cup is to expand my soccer knowledge and learn how to kick the ball well enough to play in a pick up game with the kids in the villages I am volunteering at in Kenya starting in August.

Following the Invasion of Boks into Witbank

Posted on by
Reply

On May 7th, I happened to be checking out SuperSport’s new iPhone app (which is surprisingly robust and filled with information) and I saw that SA Rugby just recently announced a test match would be taking place in Witbank, a two hour drive from Joburg, between the Springboks and Italy in June. I was excited to learn that we would be in Johannesburg on the 19th(the day of the match), as the Slovenia – US match was being played just the day before at Ellis Park. A chance to see World Cup matches AND catch a Springbok game is a great score as it fulfills one of the things that I truly missed out on in my time in South Africa.

The first Springboks game I watched was one of their World Cup warm-up games against Namibia, held in Cape Town in August. I had no real sense of desire to watch them play, but after their subsequent run to hoisting the World Cup in Paris that November, the desire to watch a Springboks game had taken hold.

I booked on my calender the day test tickets were available, as I the article made it seem they would go quick. Tickets in the end were easy to get, we just bought ours through Computicket tonight, and it’s only $70 for the both of us. It’s only a 20k seater stadium, and out in the rural areas, so not in the pantheon of Afrikanerdom that say Newlands or Ellis Park offer, but it should be a great experience regardless. They were predicting a quick sell out as this is the first Springbok game to come to the local rugby union of the province, though I’m sure there will be lots of people from Gauteng making the trek out east to catch a glimpse of the Springboks while the country is in the throes and drama of the World Cup.

Making the trek to Witbank is very doable as we’ll be in our three week period of hiring a car. A much longer trek is heading out to Bylde River Canyon which is close to Mozambique border. As it’s nearly a six hour journey by car, I’ve had a hard time convincing Alisa to wake up early enough to get out there and get back. I had originally hoped that we could get out there for a morning stroll and hike, and then head back to Joburg and stop in Witbank (which is on the way) for the Boks match. While a typical South African could make up that distance in the speed that they drive at, I’m not sure we want to rush throughout that day as it will diminish the enjoyable of two spectacular events. I think we’ll put off the canyon till the end of the trip, and hire a car for 2-3 days to make the journey out there and take in all the park has on offer.