Day 18-19: The Return of Ramsey and some soccer stuff happened

Wow…still feeling kinda soccer blurry.  The only way I can remember what has happened on a particular day right now is to look at the World Cup calendar and remember “I watched that game at this place and then this happened.”  Wild…

On Monday my friend Ramsey and his girlfriend, Lena, made their way back to Pretoria.  If you will remember, Ramsey is a fellow Rotary scholar and Midwesterner that now lives in Jordan.  We started out our World Cup adventure together in the opening weekend, after which our paths diverged in the pursuit of our respective World Cup missions.  He’s been back and forth between Durban and Joburg for games.  His dad came to check out SA and World Cup and his girlfriend, Lena, also joined in the madness.  It was really nice to see Ramsey again.  I think we had a really good time in the opening weekend and he’s a great addition to any posse J 

Honestly I don’t even remember what I did in the morning before I met Ramsey and Lena…probably nothing.  It takes me forever to get out of bed and get my ass in gear these days.  Getting back to reality in the USA (soon!) is going to be a big wakeup call!  In the afternoon I took a taxi into town and met Ramsey and Lena in Church Square.  Church Square is one of the main attractions in downtown Pretoria.  Well, more of a focal point.  There are some really historic buildings around there as well as some museums.  Pretoria has been a seat of government for a long long time and its structures reflect this.  Of course there is also the big memorial at the center of Church Square with Paul Kruger perched like a big iron Afrikaans cherry on top.  Paul Kruger is a major figure in SA history.  I can’t recall off the top of my head if he was the first President of the Republic or if he was just a majorly important one.  At any rate, Oom Paul is not to be missed if you are coming to Pretoria.  (Oom means uncle in Afrikaans and is a term you can use for pretty much any man older than you, even with strangers). 

(Church Square wire sculptures)

So we met up and Ramsey told me the tales since we parted.  I did likewise.  We took photos of the wire and bead sculptures in Church Square.  These sculptures are actually the last group of sculptures I have needed to see in Pretoria.  It appears there might be a few stashed in random locations, but of the major groups of them…these were the last I needed to see.  So far the ones at Bosman Station are the best ones I have seen.

We made our way slowly to the taxis for Hatfield, checking out some of the vendors along the way.  The vendors we spoke to are really trying to get rid of their World Cup stuff now because there are no more games being played at the stadium in Pretoria.  No more ridiculous floods of tourists now…time to dump this merch!  And now this is where I will swoop in and get the normal or even reduced prices for the gifts I still need before I come home.  Being relatively local has its merits J  At times I have been worried that my accent will make me a target for being ripped off but so far, so good.  I can pretty much demonstrate that I’m “local” so it’s all good. 

Ramsey, Lena, and I grabbed a taxi home.  Good times.  We squeezed in the back next to the most adorable old man, who in the style of most old black people here, spoke to us mostly in Afrikaans.  That always kind of cracks me up.  I can usually follow most of what someone is saying, but it’s a bit hard at times.  This guy had an awesome little cane that was covered in well worn impala hide.  The whole trip was pretty hilarious.  We were squished into the back and I dropped all my coins on the floor, but I couldn’t pick them up cos I couldn’t move.  Luckily I bought this awesome lighter that also has a little blue light in it.  In the last week it has really come in handy.  Now was another moment for it to shine…literally.  I managed to get most of them and kept up a lively conversation with the old man.  He asked where we were from and I said “pheshaya,” which means “overseas” in Zulu.  This made him really excited and then he started to say some weird things to me that I didn’t really understand.  The people in front of us were laughing at my weak ass Zulu.  Finally, per usual, we managed to get out unscathed.  Taxis…always a good time. 

(A taxi in Pretoria representing for Bafana Bafana.  "So mooi Bafana" means "so nice boys" or "so nice" and Bafana Bafana is the name of the SA national soccer team)

We dropped off into the madness of Hatfield.  Got a bunny chow (curry inside a “bread bowl” made of a ½ loaf of white bread), bought too much candy at the grocery store, and finally headed into the Square to enjoy the Chile vs. Brasil game.  Poor Chile…they never had a chance!  But I still screamed my heart out for them.  And of course more vuvu action.  I am still digging the mad luv I get for my vuvuzela skills.  I can’t lie…I’m not too shabby at this plastic horn thing.  I’ll demonstrate for you when I get home J  People here really love Brasil.  I guess everyone loves a winner.  It’s been a bit weird cos I always think I’m going to start talking to a lovely Brasileiro when I see a Brasil scarf or flag, but often times I end up talking to a fake ass Brasil fan from Pretoria or Krugersdorp or something.  It’s kind of disappointing at times.        

The next day I did some serious bike missioning.  I bought this hard drive enclosure and it’s all messed up and really getting on my tits.  So I had to go get that sorted out…which hopefully can get done before I have to go home.  Ugh, this thing has been such a pain.  Then went out somewhere to pay a bill for a friend who is out of town.  That was interesting.  I wanted to get a paper receipt for the amount paid since that is something my mother taught me.  Always get a paper receipt and always send a thank you card.  There’s just no way around it.  So this guy I was paying sent one of his agents to meet me at this McDonald’s in my neighborhood…but the agent didn’t bring a receipt.  The guy said he’d send me a text message confirming that he got the money, but that seemed a bit shady.  I ended up scratching out a receipt on the back of a bank slip and the guy that signed it said that “my protocol was too much.”  Oh, business in South Africa…

I headed up to the Union Buildings to meet Ramsey and Lena for a little picnic.  The Union Buildings are on one of the hills/mountains that surround Pretoria.  Most of Pretoria is located in a valley between two mountain ridges with some of the rest of the city spilling out and over the neighboring rises of land.  This jaunt up to the Union Buildings reminded me how out of shape I really am.  I huffed and puffed my way up to the top, at first on two wheels and then on two feet.  Wowser.  But it was nice to be back to the Union Buildings…still one of my favorite places in Pretoria.  When I catch a glimpse from down in the valley of the Union Buildings peeking out from in between some other buildings…I get really excited.  It’s kind of like seeing the Sears Tower or the rest of the skyline as you head into Chicago.  I get a little surge of emotion inside. 

(L-R: Me, Ramsey, and Lena at the Union Buildings)

After a bit we headed down the hill into Arcadia and Sunnyside towards Hatfield so we could catch the games on the big screen in the Square.  The area leading up to the stadium was jam packed with fans heading to the stadium and people trying to sell them things along the way.  My favorite park, Arcadia Park or as I call it the Art Park (there’s an art museum there), was stuffed with people playing a pickup game of soccer, vendors selling food and goods, and of course the requisite dark element…the drug dealers and shady folk.  The streets on the way into Arcadia were conspicuously absent of the normal prostitute here or there.  I guess folks gotta keep the streets clean for the tourists.  People are still representing for their various countries, even if the countries have been eliminated from the tournament, so I donned my American flag.  There were some folks handing out Jesus pamphlets.  I saw these white folks in a group in the Art Park and was like, hmmmm….I wonder what they are doing.  They just stuck out.  My guess was Jesus…and as we continued past them, my suspicions were confirmed.  So, everyone was really out in force J 

The game at Loftus was the last World Cup fixture to grace Pretoria.  Paraguay and Japan faced off at 4pm at Loftus.  It was an interesting crowd cos there were some Japanese supporters and some Paraguay supporters, but mostly you could tell that the people there had just bought tickets hoping for a different match.  It was an odd mix of fans.  Per usual, there were lots of police and news reporters.  Helicopters buzzed through the air around the stadium.  There was one military ‘copter, one police chopper (I think), and the other ‘copter was probably filming for the TV broadcast.  Normally there is a lot of air traffic in the area.  Sunnyside is a bit buck wild.  I have seen police helicopters circling on more than one occasion in the 6 months I have been here.  Also there is a military airstrip nearby and a military base in Centurion, which isn’t far away.  There are often fighter jets and other military aircrafts passing through the air over the house.  The baby really hates the fighter jets.  He gets really upset cos they are really loud.  The airstrip on the other side of the mountain from the house is where Jacob Zuma (SA president) lands by plane.  From there he is taken by helicopter to the Union Buildings on the other side of the valley.  But these helicopters we saw were definitely in place for the game. 

A note on the police presence during the World Cup.  The police are EVERYWHERE these days.  I think South Africa has been doing a good job so far on the security tip.  I would guess that the police here are ill-equipped to deal with a major terrorist event, but so far that hasn’t been a concern.  Keeping people from going nuts in the streets is probably the biggest problem here.  I have seen some crazy stuff happen in the heart of Sunnyside, but that place is crazy anyways…World Cup or no.  On the opening night, I was part of a crowd that the police were releasing pepper spray into (and maybe rubber bullets, but I can’t confirm that) but I think most of the crowds, at least in Pretoria, have been relatively calm.  It seems that extra cops have been brought in from other towns to beef up the police presence here.  I spoke to one police officer who normally works in Joburg, but was in Pretoria to add a little muscle to the police force for the game. 

 (Mounted police near Loftus Stadium, Pretoria)

Another thing to note has been the explosion of mounted police.  Even as I type this some mounted police just walked past our house (I’m out in the backyard doing my lizard thing in the sun).  I have seen mounted police in Pretoria before the World Cup.  I saw some mounted police in the Art Park when I was hanging out there one day just before World Cup.  The police were shaking down people for drugs since the Art Park is a place where drug dealers and prostitutes hang out even on the sunniest days.  The best part of this encounter was that I saw one of the horses bite his rider in the ass as the officer was searching the guy next to me for drugs.  Up until this point I had kept my cool, but that made me laugh SO loud.  I couldn’t help myself.  I was trying to look cool cos there aren’t many white ladies in the park and I was hoping that the police weren’t going to harass me.  I would have guessed that since there aren’t many white ladies in the park, um like none, that I might be suspected of coming there to get drugs.  I didn’t have any reason to fear them, but I would prefer to keep my interactions with the police to a minimum in any situation.  The other time I have seen the mounted police in action was in 2008 up at the veterinary campus.  In May 2008 there was an outbreak of xenophobia attacks in South Africa.  Many people from the surrounding African countries were beaten, killed, burned to death, and many other nasty things.  A lot of people were displaced from their homes.  A number of people set up a little shanty town in one of the pastures that make up the veterinary campus property.  The mounted police came one weekend to get rid of them.  I don’t know what happened to the people, but I’m sure they were removed.  But otherwise the amount of mounted police in place for World Cup has been pretty astounding.  It really fascinates me.  The horses are gorgeous and in general I am just intrigued by the mounted police.  They seem really hardcore.  Sort of an old school throwback to military force. 

(Dr. Seuss meets vuvuzela)

Ramsey, Lena, and I continued through the area around the stadium.  I saw the most adorable little boy with a Dr. Seuss meets the World Cup vuvuzela.  He was so cute with this vuvuzela that was longer than he was.  Also I got to blow the Dr. Seuss vuvuzela…kind of cool.  We were part of a photography feeding frenzy with some guys from some African country I couldn’t quite identify, but they looked Ethiopian to me.  Maybe Eritrean.  Photo feeding frenzies are just a part of life these days.  Someone will identify a person on the street that they want a photo with and then each permutation of the group and the flags available must be displayed and photographed with every camera in sight.  It’s kind of a fun little activity.  Definitely a good vibes situation.  Photo frenzies were a major part of meeting the Algerians in the Square the first time I encountered them.  I have been a part of, witnessed, and caused a few feeding frenzies in these World Cup times.  The Argentinians are interesting in this respect because it has been my experience that they are pretty much interested in taking photos with any pretty girl around.  And making out and taking pictures if the situation warrants that.  Hilarious.  Those guys are animals.  Lock your daughters up on the real. 

(Photo feeding frenzy...and this is only like 1/3 of the shots taken)

We got to the Square and walked down so I could get a vetkoek.  Vetkoek means “fat cake” in Afrikaans and is kind of like eating a donut sandwich minus the sweetness.  They are freaking delicious.  Ladies cook them on the streets and you can usually get them in the morning.  The street ones don’t normally have a filling, they are just dough.  But at the vetkoek stand near Hatfield Square you can get all kinds of crazy fillings.  My favorite is Chicken Surprise.  I’m not sure what all is in Chicken Surprise and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know.  There are definitely pieces of chicken and hot dog though.  Interesting.  I got this enormous vetkoek and after eating it I know why I never buy that one…I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!  Yikes.  Ramsey and Lena went to the grocery store after that and met me inside the Square.  I was worried about bringing outside food in, but the ladies that search bags at the door practically know me by name now and don’t even look in my bag anymore.  Nice. 

I sat down by a Zambian guy (a white African this time) and had a nice chat while I was eating monster vetkoek  and waiting for Ramsey and Lena.  When they came back they were like “oh do you know this guy?”  And I was like…no.  That’s just me.  I talk to just about anyone.  I have been like this since I was knee high.  My parents have said that there is no stranger to me, just people I don’t know yet.  So true.  When I was dating this guy at the beginning of the year he asked me if I have to talk to everyone.  It bothered him.  I told him, yes…I do have to talk to everyone.  If you remove that part of my personality I will shrivel up and die inside.  For real. 

I also met another guy in the Square during the Japan game.  We started a vuvuzela war and he came over to make me test out his vuvuzela.  It was frickin’ hard to blow.  The mouth was the same as mine, but the cone was much larger.  I could hardly blow it properly.  My lips just couldn’t fill the space to produce the necessary vibrations.  We chatted for a bit about architecture and race relations in Pretoria and Chicago.  He started the conversation by saying that he heard Chicago was one of the most racist places in the USA and he was fascinated by how the architecture reflected this.  Intriguing way to start a conversation, I must say.  The Zambian, the vuvu player, and I also discussed the merits of Joburg vs. Cape Town.  The vuvu player is a Pretorian in Joburg and the Zambian is studying in Cape Town.  Cape Town and Joburg have this little rivalry going on so it was a heated debate.  I am under the impression that Capetonians find Joburg to be one big heaving disgusting fast-paced cesspool and the Joburg folk find Capetonians to be stuck up and lame.  It’s easy to hate on Joburg because Joburg doesn’t reveal its riches to just anyone.  It has a prickly, scary, dangerous candy coating that is not easy to see past.  I was fooled at first but the more you go to Joburg the more fun it is.  Joburg is a crap place for visitors.  It is huge, dangerous, and there isn’t much touristy stuff to do.  But it is a really cool place once you have been here for awhile.  You really need friends to take you around though…that’s when Joburg shines eGoli style.  (eGoli means “city of gold” and is one of the nicknames of Joburg)    

The Japan vs. Paraguay game was sort of boring until the end.  I didn’t pay attention too much throughout the match.  The game went into overtime and then penalty shots.  Japan missed one and Paraguay hit all their shots…so Paraguay came out on top.   Well done gents.  After that people started to pour in from the game and we were beginning to get a nice little vibe going on in the Square. 

Ramsey and Lena decided to go home early and I sat and chatted with the Zambian for a bit longer.  He ended up splitting to go hang out with his friends.  My next door neighbors were at the game and wanted to head to the Square to watch the 2^nd match (Spain vs. Portugal).  They had a whole big group of adults and teenagers.  It was pretty fun to join them.  The Spain vs. Portugal game was interesting.  Many people here are Spain or Portugal supporters.  There is a large Portuguese population in South Africa so that gives some people Portugal allegiances.  Many of the players on the two teams play in big famous teams in Europe so the supporters of those leagues were out cheering for their favorite Iberian.  It was split as far as support in the Square went.  I don’t think anyone really had a majority per se. 

(The neighbors: Wessel, me, Debbie)

I was rooting for Spain because from what I have seen in the World Cup matches I have watched…the Portuguese squad has a lot of douche bags on the field.  Led by the biggest toolbag of them all…Cristiano Ronaldo.  He is fast, skilled, and adorable.  But he is also a person that falls over a lot to get penalty shots…even if no one has touched him.  I don’t dig his arrogance and attitude in general.  I’m so not a fan.  There is one guy on the Spanish team, David Villa, that I really don’t dig either (cos I saw him slap a man in the face…lame), but given the choices I gotta go Spain.  Villa has scored the most goals in the World Cup.  He is really good, but nothing excuses you from slapping a grown man in the face.  That is some wack shit. 

The game was fun to watch.  The Iberian peninsula fighting against itself.  Spain played much better and ended up scoring the only goal of the game.  I think I was sitting with mostly Spanish supporters, so that was cool.  Otherwise just general camaraderie to report.  Met some nice Brasileiros do Brasilia…both with the name of Victor.  Taught a lady how to blow a vuvuzela.  Waved my flag and danced around for the “Wave your Flag” song.  Saw a World Cup hookah/hubbly/nargile.  Met some people from the USA which I couldn’t even identify cos they had really crazy accents. 

(Adorable Brasileiros with adorable hats)

(The World Cup in my hands...kinda)

I said goodbye to my neighbors and their posse after a bit.  I was going to go home, but decided to have one more beer to see if I could find a situation worth staying for.  I didn’t find one.  Met some Mexicans and more Algerians, but nothing exciting.  Some of my posse is out of commission right now for various reasons, so I have been going solo a lot.  Or ending up solo, rather.  It’s kind of a bummer at times, but you gotta go with the flow.  I was riding my bike home and since nothing grabbed my attention, I decided to head home before I was too drunk to ride.  Drunk + bike + South Africa + dark = trouble…this ain’t Urbana, people. 

I love riding home from Hatfield right now.  It’s downhill and the roads are blocked off so it’s wicked fun.  I can really cruise the whole way home.  People were getting worried I was riding alone at night.  I said if a tsotsi (robber) can catch me on my bike then they deserve to rob me…cos no one is catching me on 2 wheels!  I tied my American flag to my belt loops and headed off into the night.  I wish I could have seen me riding cos I was hoping to make my flag poof out a bit when I rode.  I hope I was a vision in stars and stripes…

And now it’s a bit of a break in the action.  Friday is the next set of games.  Holland vs. Brasil and Ghana vs. Uraguay.  My money is on Ghana and Brasil…

Until then…enjoy it J 

          

Day 15-16-17: A Whirled Cup blur…and the USA goes home :(

I have to be honest…things are all starting to blur together on the World Cup tip.  Whirled Cup, indeed.  The one thing I do know for sure is that my name is Lynsee, the USA has gone home, and Africa’s only got one hope left in Ghana.  The rest…well it’s kind of hazy. 

Friday I was still a little tired from the previous days of USA fanfare, substituting sleep for hanging out, and tour guiding a bit around town.  My only hope for going to see an actual game was Friday at Loftus: Chile vs. Spain.  My friend said he had some complimentary tickets from some work he was doing.  But a few days before he was in a car crash at home and he still hasn’t come back to Pretoria.  He is okay and no longer in the hospital…so that is good.  But we didn’t go to the game L 

My friend’s boyfriend, Sven, called me in the middle of a nap on Friday and told me that he and his friend were in Pretoria.  Sven lives in Cape Town and he and his friend from Germany have been touring all over South Africa on a World Cup holiday.  It sounds like they are having a lot of fun, have been to a lot of games, and seen lots of wonderful SA sights.  I met Sven and his friend in Hatfield Square, again taking a path down past the stadium so I could get a glimpse of the fans en route to the game.  Saw lots of bull fighters from Spain, red wigs, and flags flags flags.  There wasn’t really anything special about the fan costumes for these teams, so far as I could see.  I did see some guys with a big drum and like 20 HUGE Chilean flags.  I wanted to take a picture but somehow had a shy moment.  I did take some pics of the fans though…so you can check them out below.  I even brushed off my Spanish to ask permission to photograph.  It was really hard cos I’ve been thinking in French for the last week or so and when I have too many languages in my head they all come out at the wrong time.  It’s really something I need to work on. 

(Spanish supporters and me)

(Viva Chile!)

The Square was fun.  It was cool to see Sven.  But I think I’m getting over the Square a bit now.  Seriously if I hear “I like to move it, move it” one more time I’m going to stab someone.  There are only 2 CDs that the DJ/sound guys are playing because that’s what FIFA says they can do.  I have voiced my concerns to them, but they say they can’t do anything about it.  Lame.  FIFA is the new world order it seems.  The sound guys are doing a great job otherwise…and I told them so.  I’ve done sound.  It’s not easy.  But they have been delivering the goods on all the bands that have been playing.  If only they could get rid of the damn FIFA soundtrack…

(Andreas, Sven, and me at the Square)

On Friday I watched part of Portugal vs. Brasil (at home) and then the Chile vs. Spain game.  My heart really wasn’t in either game.  Portugal’s team annoys me and Brasil just always wins.  Chile vs. Spain…whatever.  I rooted for Chile since they seem to have been doing really well in their matches and compared to Spain they are the underdogs.  I guess Spain just won some major tournament in Europe, but they haven’t really opened any cans of whoop ass during World Cup.  Portugal and Brasil drew 0-0 and Chile lost to Spain 2-1.  Sorry I can’t remember any specific details from the games…

Had some nice conversations in the Square with some South Africans.  It was kind of quiet this night, but there were lots of Spain supporters…they are a favorite.  Talked about marketing and advertising with a guy who studied in Chicago at Roosevelt University when the Fridge was still terrorizing the gridiron.  We had some laughs about the Superbowl Shuffle and the fact that I was like 7 years old when that was hot.  I was also scolded by a young man because “you ladies watch soccer for all the wrong reasons.”  Meaning that we just watch for the hotties.  And for me…the thighs.  Whoa mama…the only thing hotter than soccer thighs are rugby thighs.  Someone cool me down!  But I won’t take that from this young man.  There is a game called netball here in SA that is sort of like a lamer version of basketball for women.  The highlight for most spectators of the male persuasion is that the ladies wear very short skirts.  So I came back with this evidence and that guy had nothing except to say that if he wanted to see hot ladies then he watches tennis.  Fine…even steven now. 

I showed off my vuvuzela skills some more.  I actually had a debate on the merits of the various models of vuvuzela…which was funny cos I just wrote on my blog about it.  Sven, Andreas, and I were sitting by some other folks and when Sven and Andreas left I joined their table.  Had some nice conversation with a young man that was clearly interested in a bit more from me.  At this point in the week…it’s been a wild 7 days and I’ll be honest when I say I still have Algeria on the brain a bit.  I don’t switch gears in that department that fast so I had to shut down this young man I was talking to and ask him to cool his jets.  But it was cool.  He was respectful and we ended up hanging out the rest of the night. 

Saturday my friend, Tshepo, was coming over to spend some time hanging out.  We haven’t seen each other since 2008, when we were going to Onderstepoort together.  He’s graduated now and is working in a clinic in Pretoria.  While at Onderstepoort, I turned him onto Johnny Cash and my mom sent a poster of Johnny Cash from the USA for him.  So I had to see him and hand over the goods.  It was nice to hang out with Tshepo.  We chilled at my house for a bit and then went to go get supplies for a braai we were going to later in the day. 

(Tshepo and Johnny) 

Saturday was the first day of the final 16 games.  The final 16 are the top 2 teams from the 8 groups (each group had 4 teams) that started out in the beginning.  So this is the start of the real games.  Go time!  Now, if you don’t win a game then you are eliminated from the Cup.  Games that draw go into extra time and then into penalty shots if need be.  That last part sounds damn exciting.  There is no draw now…someone must win and proceed.  The first game of the day was South Korea vs. Uruguay, with Uruguay winning 2-1.  South Korea wasn’t doing too bad I guess…all I know about that game is that it was pouring down rain (probably was played in Cape Town) and I got to see a Korean player’s butt as he slid all over the slick field.  Nice. 

The next game was of course…USA vs. Ghana.  Now my allegiances are split…almost.  I want to support Africa’s last team in the World Cup (cos I always do) but I can’t watch a game with the USA and not support them.  So victory will be bittersweet no matter who wins.  My friend Zadok and his sisters were hosting a braai at their house, plus my brother from another mother (Bento) was going to be around.  Good times will be had!  Tshepo and I got some meat and beer and got over to Zadok’s house.  Tshepo had to go home early…it was sad cos the braai was really fun but those of us without cars sometimes have to make plans we don’t want to make.  Nice to see you Tshepo! 

It was becoming very clear that I was going to be the only USA supporter at this game.  The crowd at Zadok’s was a mélange of pretty much any country you can name in Africa and me, the lone American.  It doesn’t bother me cos I can hold it down for the USA if I need to!  People started trickling in, beer was flowing, meat was grilling.  I wanted to go watch the game in the Square but it was obvious we were not going to cook in time to see the kickoff.  Also we had our own little party in the apartment and didn’t need the ambience of the Square.  The game started, I sang my anthem…poorly.  My voice is so thrashed these days.  I just have no time to rest it in between more and more insanity.  It’s cool though.  I will stop sounding like a gorilla one of these days J 

(Some tense not-so-good-for-the-USA moment during the game...)

The game didn’t start off very well.  We conceded a goal in the first 5 minutes and we just never really got it together.  There was one goal that we should have got, but didn’t (I think…I don’t know, maybe I’m thinking of the England vs. Germany game).  We did get a really tight penalty kick from Landon Donovan.  It was beautiful…all the way over to one side and bounced off the pole into the goal.  Nice one.  But otherwise it was clear that the USA was not going to win.  And we didn’t.  I guess now I’m happy because I don’t have to be torn from supporting an African team…I can root for Ghana with a clear conscience now.  But I am sad to see the USA go home.  I have really enjoyed watching the games and supporting my country’s team.  Good times, good times.  Thanks guys! 

Another important moment from tonight is that I was shown how to blow a vuvuzela so that you get another tone out of it.  Like a high pitched one.  To make this noise you press your lips together into a very thin line and blow.  It’s much harder than the normal way you blow, but it is possible to get 2 tones from a vuvuzela.  Coolness.  Or rather…Ayobaness! 

The braai was really fun.  I got to see some of my brothers that I haven’t seen in awhile.  Just like most other university situations…when your friends graduate they scatter to the wind.  So I haven’t seen my bros in awhile and it’s not cool.  Also Zadok, a Ugandan by way of the UK and Namibia and probably some other places, always had a good mix of people around.  We can escape this racially/nationally/tribally demarcated group situation that is ever present in South Africa.  Zadok’s party was a lot more like being at home…peeps of all flavors just chilling and having fun.  Thanks, Z! 

(Me and Bento, my brother from another Mozambiquan mother) 

I got home around midnight and Sunnyside was jumping.  Now that Ghana is the only team left to represent the 50 odd countries of Africa, you must understand that all support from the continent is going to be funneled into Ghana.  It’s just the way it works.  So all the Bafana Bafana, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Algeria fans are going to be rooting for Ghana.  Sunnyside was on fire, but not literally.  When I sat outside before bed I could hear drums and singing.  I am guessing this went on all through the night.  Helen said that just after the game there was A LOT of noise in Sunnyside for Ghana’s win.             

Sunday brought Germany vs. England and Argentina vs. Mexico.  I don’t really have an allegiance for any of the teams except I felt like I had to root for Mexico since most of my town is Mexican people.  The Germany vs. England game was really talked about because there is some rivalry that exists between the two teams and people were worried there was going to be violence and all that jazz.  Honestly I think the UK media machine is crazy and probably added a lot of hype to the whole situation, but what do I know.  The game was interesting.  England was totally robbed of a goal because the refs weren’t doing their job.  The ball hit the top bar of the goal and bounced almost a meter inside of the box and then sort of out, where the goalie got it.  It was pretty obvious it was a goal, but the line refs didn’t see it and the main ref didn’t see it…so there was no goal.  It was really really fucked up.  It pretty much ruined the momentum of the game for England and Germany thrashed them 4-1.  Sorry limeys…

The Argentina vs. Mexico game was also tainted by blind refs.  Argentina scored a goal in which the scoring player was WAY offsides…so the goal shouldn’t have counted.  But again, because of really crap ref-ing…the goal stood.  It’s decisions like this that can really ruin the momentum for one team or the other and it’s not fair.  Also the Mexicans were ready to fight after that bad call.  At half time there was some scuffling going on as the players left the field, but I don’t think it ever actually came to blows.  Argentina ended up destroying Mexico and going on to the next round. 

(A sign up in the Square that says: What's up Brasil?  Are you nervous?  Diego (the coach of Argentina) we will see you in El Obelisk (where the Argentinians celebrate soccer success))

I just want to say a word about the coach of Argentina’s team, Diego Maradona.  He is a really interesting figure in this World Cup.  Controversial and the name on people’s tongue.  I guess he used to play in Argentina and won a World Cup with them in Mexico in the 80s (I think).  There is all sorts of talk about how if his team wins this Cup then it will prove that Maradona was the greatest footballer of all time and blah blah blah.  I’m pretty sure that title will always stay with Pele, but commentators need to say crap all the time so…  Personally I think that Maradona is such an old man hottie.  I don’t know why cos he looks like a bad car salesman in his sleek silver sharkskin suit, long dark hair, and intense facial hair.  I would not buy a car from that man…but he is kind of cute in an old rogue sort of way ;)  I actually want to read up on Wikipedia about him cos it seems like he has had kind of a fascinating bad boy life. 

I guess today is Brasil and some other teams…like I said…such a blur now.  And it’s funny cos now the games playing are the good ones!  Wake up Lynsee! 

      

Day 13-14: America, F**K yeah!

Well, well, well, will you looky here…the USA has a spot in the last 16 of the World Cup.  The USA and England will move through, with the USA at the top of the group.  Hooooo boy!  Now that’s some real nice work you boys done J 

On Wednesday the group consisting of the USA, England, Algeria, and Slovenia played their last games.  The games that separated the winners from the losers, the men from the boys.  The games ran simultaneously at 4pm and I headed off to the Square to cheer on the boys from home.  I was still kiiinda feeling like death in the morning but something about the games and atmosphere really got into me and I began to feel absolutely fine as the day wore on…hooray!  My earth-shattering cough even reduced from death shake to slight pulmonary whisper…tight! 

(Fans on the way to Loftus Stadium in Pretoria)

(Me and drunk Asian Elvis...lol)

(Captain America and Cap'n America, one of my nicknames here)

(How adorable is this fan?)

I rode my bike out to the Square, taking the route that passes by the stadium in Pretoria (and my neighborhood) where the USA would play Algeria.  There was a massive flood of fans in the streets representing either the USA or Algeria, with a few SA and other fans sprinkled in for good measure.  In many ways I often struggle to find a way to describe the culture of the USA.  Sometimes I don’t feel that we have a national dress style or food or song or anything really that defines us.  But seeing all these fans in the streets and on TV really changed that for me.  I saw people dressed like the Statue of Liberty, Elvis, various USA-themed superheroes (most notably Captain America), Revolutionary war figures, as well as a guy dressed in what could best be described as Steve Urkel meets a star-spangled cloth factory.  Well done to the USA fans for making me wake up and see that we do indeed have some things, besides ignorance and loudness, that can leave an American legacy on the world stage.  Of course I saw tons of flags and people painted up in the red, white, and blue…but it was these USA “characters” that really made me smile J J  I chose blue jeans, a red shirt, a white undershirt, and braided pigtails with red/white/blue threads woven into the mix to show my pride.  Also had a few clutch pins added to my hat: “Yes you can” pin from the Obama inauguration and a “Dig for Victory” red pin from the WW2 Victory Garden effort.  Nice.  I also made another flag (this time w/better stars) and wrote “U-S-A!” and “Get ‘er done!” on the back of this flag.  I wanted to put the most American phrase I could think of and frankly there ain’t nothing more American than “Get ‘er done!”  For better or worse.  That phrase had mixed reviews with the American fans with one guy even scolding me for representing one of the most embarrassing aspects of USA culture.  F you dude…it’s America whether you like it or not!!!!   

On the way to the Square it was interesting to see Hatfield on a game day.  Most notably that all of a sudden a million ladies selling souvenirs now lined the streets.  Also all the streets in Hatfield were closed off to cars (but not bikes…ha ha) and being heavily patrolled by the police.  It’s a faaaaaaan’s world! 

(Vendors spring up where opportunity knocks, Burnett St Hatfield)

I arrived at the Square just in time for the opening chit chat, only to find out that they were not playing the USA game on the big screen outside.  LAME!!  So I had to go inside one of the bars to watch on a smaller TV.  I was really annoyed cos it’s nice to be outside for the games.  There is the sun to keep you warm (crucial in SA winter) and plenty of space to jump around, blow my vuvuzela, and scream at the top of my lungs.  Watching inside meant I was cold and had to tone down my fanfare a bit…not cool.  I did get to sit on some very nice couches though.  Other American fans were also driven inside so I had a few people to watch with, including a guy born and raised in Kenosha, WI.  Wow.  Small world J 

USA won the game 1-0 over Algeria.  Algeria just never really brought the noise.  They had very few attempts at the goal and many of their players received yellow cards.  In the end of the game (in extra time) the Algerian captain got a red card over an argument that he wasn’t even really a part of…kind of messed up.  Red card means ejection from the game and a loss of a player on the field.  So now the team must play with 10 players for the rest of the game, not 11.  Yellow card is sort of like a very stern warning, but if you get 2 yellow cards in one game it is like getting a red card and you get ejected.  2 yellow cards in 2 games means you are not allowed to play in the next game and in some leagues there are other penalties that go along with 2 yellow cards in 2 games. 

I am pretty sure that many USA fans got some ulcers during the game.  We only scored in the 92^nd minute of the game…just in the knick!  Soccer games last 90 minutes (2 45-minute halves) but there is always some time added on at the end of each half for times the game was stopped: injuries, ref calls like yellow cards, goal celebrations, etc.  I think there was 4 minutes added on to the end of this game and in that time we scored the only goal of the game.  Brilliant.  We had a million chances at the goal and frankly should have been awarded 2 goals.  One of the goals was denied because the ref said our player was offsides…which on the instant replay, was not the case at all.  Soccer does not use instant replay in any of their decisions.  It is pretty much the only major sport that doesn’t use the technology available to make better decisions.  FIFA just refuses to use it.  Lame. 

I really like the USA’s goal celebration.  It’s not as cool as the SA dance, but it is reminiscent of childhood playground dogpiles…and for that…I dig.  When the USA scores, all the players jump on top of one another and make a pile, similar to what you see in American football games.  The dogpile I guess it is called.  I know we used to play some game like that when I was in elementary school. 

I could now face my Algerian friends and dish out a little good-natured sports trash talk in the meantime.  Hoo-ray!  Sadly, though, most of the Algerians were not present in the flood of USA fans to be found in the Square.  It was probably a combination of things:  their loss, the entrance fee for the Square (R20 = $US3), many of the Algerian fans are Muslim and don’t drink so all the rowdy drinking in the Square kind of puts them off, and I heard that some of the fans were leaving that night to go back to Algeria.  It was a real shame cos the Algerians SO bring the party!  I hope the USA fans didn’t put them off.  Ross attended the game and said that American fans are kind of rude and taunting of the other team.  That’s not nice!  And the Algerians are cool…they don’t deserve to be assaulted with rude sports trash talk.  The Algerians have a cheer that goes “1-2-3! Viva l’Algerie!”  When I was walking the streets after the game, if an Algerian fan stopped me with shouts of “USA!” then I would stop and say “1-2-3! Viva les Etats Unis” (viva the United States).  It was good-natured and the guys would laugh because they were expecting me to say their cheer.  So it’s okay to tease the other fans as long as you aren’t rude and mean.  That’s just not cool.  So I was sad to not see so many Algerians in the Square.  Also I was looking for a particular Algerian in the crowd…Said, the guy I spent the previous night talking with at News Café.  I was really looking forward to some more laughs and conversation with him.  I even left the Square to search the other places where the Algerians were to be found in the hopes of finding him…but no luck.  C’est dommage!  He ended up finding me though…more on that in a bit.          

I have never seen so many Americans in Pretoria.  There usually are not many Americans to be found in Pretoria despite the fact that the Peace Corps in South Africa is centered in Pretoria and the American Embassy is also here.  I actually like being a lone American here.  I don’t often enjoy meeting Americans here.  I don’t know why exactly, but usually I don’t have much to talk to them about.  Frankly, many Americans are hard to stomach and when you meet one overseas they are either really cool or really really not cool.  The later being the one I usually try to avoid at all costs.  The “ignorant American” we all despise being grouped with.  American fans, despite soccer apparently not being big in the USA, bought the most World Cup tickets of any country in the world.  Very paradoxical if you ask me.  But, since the USA game was in Pretoria…tonight the Square was little USA.  It was actually kind of rad. 

(Ummm...wow)

Wow…seeing so many Americans around was kind of a culture shock for me.  A taste of what is waiting for me at home.  The dress, the attitude, the accents…get ready Lynsee…more to come in about 2 weeks!  Home again, home again, jiggety jig.  J  Some of the culture shock items for me were the abundance of tight pants and obvious hipster steez, college sweatshirts from around the country, hockey jerseys (what?), and of course, plenty of hugely ridiculous facial hair.  I don’t know what it is about the resurgence of inappropriate facial hair reviving the flavor of the 1970s…but ridiculous facial hair is alive and well in the USA.  I saw all permutations of it in the Square on game night: molester moustaches, full on mountain man beards, and everything in between.  I think the best truly USA moment I witnessed, and actively participated in, was some guys that turned a vuvuzela into a beer bong.  Leave it to an American to turn the most South African soccer item into a tool of college drinking debauchery…well done guys.     

I spent a good deal of the night sharing beer and pizza with some American fans I watched the game with earlier.  I was trying to avoid drinking because I was hoping to see Said.  He doesn’t drink or smoke and I didn’t want to be a vessel of sin around him...if you can believe that of me.  J  But after awhile I was losing hope that I’d meet up with him again so when beers were offered by my new American friends I decided to join them in a bit of revelry.  Plus I could not say no to a beer bong vuvuzela!  The Americans I chilled with (from watching the game) were really nice people and I enjoyed their company.  It’s nice to hear the things people have been doing since they arrived in the USA.  It sounds like people are having a good time and enjoying SA.  I am concerned that people aren’t eating enough cool SA food though!  There were too many people that didn’t know biltong for my tastes!  It’s also nice to be able to share my “SA expertise,” acquired through a few years of having my feet on the ground in SA.  I spent a lot of time trying to coach the Americans (and others) on how to blow a vuvuzela with enough acoustic force to shake the walls.  Many of the vuvuzelas people had were not that nice though.  You actually get a few different styles of vuvuzela with the difference being in the mouthpiece.  The true vuvuzela has a mouthpiece that is slightly fluted, has a bit of a lip on the outside, and is continuous with the rest of the horn.  There is nothing inside and you have to purse your lips and puff your cheeks to properly blow it.  You don’t need to blow loud to make a loud noise…it’s all in the technique and I still contend that in order to be a vuvu master you need to make your lips swell (I call it breaking your lips) one time.  After the initial lip breakage…you will be a master.  There are some other variations of the horn that I have seen with a separate piece of plastic acting as a mouthpiece.  This separate mouthpiece vuvu usually has a more fluted opening and no outside lip.  There are some other versions of the vuvu that are continuous but also share this more fluted opening…it is this fluted edge that makes these particular vuvus hard to blow.  Even I struggle with those ones.  In the end, folks were getting some more earth-shattering noises out and I felt proud to be of assistance!  Keep practicing, folks! 

(The vuvuzela meets Animal House)

Side note on the vuvu:  there is now a soccer ball button near the volume control on some youtube videos that you can press that adds continuous vuvuzela noise as long as the button is engaged.  HILARIOUS!  I watched the Weezer video of the unofficial USA soccer song with some vuvu noise on it…good times.  Actually, you must check out this video.  It’s quite nice.  Weezer’s “Represent” song on youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7nCt6vWOxQ

As the night wore on I moved from group to group since I was solo that night.  Saw my friend from university days past, Zack, again and chilled with him a bit.  The Americans I watched the game with left midway through the Ghana vs. Germany game.  Met a guy from Evanston, IL (identified by his Cubbie jersey).  Talked about how bicycles rule with a bike messenger from NYC.  Gave him a bit of “what’s up on the SA daily cycling scene.”  Bonged a beer through a vuvuzela.  Talked to a girl with the Peace Corps who is volunteering in the middle of nowhere in the Northern Cape, a place I haven’t been yet.  Halfheartedly watched the Ghana vs. Germany game while wholeheartedly cheering for Africa’s last hope, Ghana.  I’m pretty sure Ghana lost, but they are still in.  The USA will play Ghana in our next game in the final 16. 

But you know what…there was sorrow in my heart even though I was mingling and enjoying myself.  I really wanted to see Said again because I knew he was leaving soon.  Spending time with him has been the best part of the World Cup chop suey so far.  Good conversation, good laughs, a bit of teasing, and I can’t lie…he is quite cute.  You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need.  This is important when travelling because sometimes you meet the most amazing people, but only for a short time.  It’s important to grab onto them with both hands while respecting that sometimes the best thing about the situation is that it has an expiration date.  Being greedy and forcing more encounters can often lead to sadness…you must respect the flow of the universe.  There is a great Janis Joplin song where she talks over it.  In that song she says something about having a cat for only one day.  She says you can enjoy that 1 day or mourn over the 364 days you don’t have that cat.  I always think of this in my life…especially when you have these fleeting joys brought on by a bunch of transient moments and people mixing in the same time and place.  I enjoyed and celebrate the moments we spent together.  Was trying not to force more meetings TOO much (I am very guilty of this most times because I don’t want to miss out from lack of engagement on my part)…but I still wanted more! 

(Can't we all just get along?  Me and Said showing that the winners and the losers can still be friends)

But then my moment came…while talking to someone in the Square I felt some hands from behind over my eyes.  I knew instantly who it was, but my suspicion was confirmed when I heard “good game…you deserved to win” whispered in my ear.  Yay!  Said!  We left the madness of the Square’s interior and retired to a quiet corner to have some more nice conversation.  It got later and later and we didn’t want to part.  We tried to go back to his place for some sleep but got hijacked by some weird rules and nonsense.  Said was staying in one of the university dormitories with the other Algerian fans.  They came as a big group and are all staying, traveling, and playing together.  Normally opposite sex visitors are strictly prohibited from even being on the premises of the respective dormitories, but I figured since this was sort of a hotel situation now that this would be overlooked.  Not the case.  The security guard gave us some hassles and while Said was inside the guard even asked if I was a prostitute.  EXCUSE ME?!?!?!  There is a street in Sunnyside where all the hookers are.  I angrily pointed out that the street we were now occupying was not this prostitute promenade and I was not for sale.  I even threw in a few slang swear words and comebacks for good measure…to let him know I was not playing around.  He also tried to get me to go around the side of the building for “1 round” and attempted to show me the “rubbish he was covering in his trousers.”  Anger, angry, incensed.  I have actually noticed this in the past with other situations I’ve been in here in South Africa.  Black men seem to think that when I hang out with other black people (like when I’m the only white girl for miles at a club) that I am easy.  I have been propositioned, kissed, and touched inappropriately even when someone I was dating was standing nearby.  I am no stranger to slapping a fool in my day.  It took me a long time to figure out what was going on…but now I know and I am not happy about it.  I am not for sale. 

We decided that Said would walk me and my bike back to my place and then he’d go home from there.  I am staying with a family with a baby.  It is okay for me to have people over as long as there is warning.  I respect this.  I don’t want to bring bad vibes to my friends and the baby must be protected at all costs.  We arrived back at my place (which is not too far of a walk from the Square and where Said was staying) maybe around 3am.  It was cold.  I was worried about Said going back alone (even if he used my bicycle) for security purposes and I just didn’t want him to get lost in the cold dark night.  So I broke the rules and we got out of the cold and into Club Duvet.  It was nice to spend more time with Said.  The next day we got some food and we walked to my favorite park and my favorite Pretoria sight, The Union Buildings.  It was good to show Said around.  I really wanted to get us some pap and chicken so Said could taste a bit of South Africa proper but he only eats halal food (kind of like kosher for Muslims).  I am pretty sure that a place where you can also buy a ½ sheep head for a meal is not at the height of halal correctness.  We got fish instead. 

(Said, me, and some adorable passersby with Zakumi, the official World Cup mascot, at the Union Buildings)

Day 13 was long and a bit sleepless, so on day 14 I didn’t watch any soccer at all.  Fine by me…I was enjoying being a tour guide.  I guess this has also been an integral part of the massive influx of tourists for the World Cup.  So I did my part to be true to the World Cup fever.  Said and I split ways later in the evening as he was heading back to Algeria that night.  Too short of a time…but I enjoyed every minute and wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.  1-2-3!  Viva l’Algerie!  Great to meet all of you.  Hands down, even minus my time with Said, the Algerians have been the most awesome fans and people I have met in the madness of the World Cup.  Big ups to you all.  I think I’m going to have to add a trip to Algeria to my list of future adventures. 

Today there are more games.  I may check out the Chile vs. Spain game at the stadium thanks to my friend Surprise…but this might not happen.  Surprise and his friends were in a car crash and I don’t know if he is going to make it back to Pretoria today.  Luckily no one was killed (many people die in car crashes in SA) and I’m glad my friend is okay.  World Cup match be damned…his well being is much more important!  I should also be checking out my friend’s band later tonight…which is going to be ill as hell. 

Come’n atcha later with more on the World Cup tip.  Hugs until then J         

     

Day 12: More Algerian love and Bafana Bafana go out on a high note

I can’t pretend anymore that this is just a little throat irritation…I am full on sick now!  I literally and figuratively have the World Cup fever.  Figuratively…I can’t concentrate on anything but soccer.  I even watched a music video w/Mos Def in it last night and all I could think about was how Mos Def and Onweyu from the USA soccer team had similar facial hair.  I am touched.  Literally…hot and cold flashes that should be reserved for the golden menopausal days (*shiver*) and deep rumbling bronchial heaves that attempt to release the congestion, to no avail.  Cough drops are the new breath mint.  Red syrup chugged down at intervals. 

But there’s no rest for the wicked and we all know that I am no saint.  I got a World Cup to enjoy.  Fever or no! 

Yesterday Bafana Bafana played so I dug out my green and yellow from the closet and headed to Hatfield Square, vuvuzela in hand.  Bafana Bafana had to pull out all the stops and go super crazy on France.  3 options:  lose and go out on a sour note, win and go out on a high note, win with a crap load of goals and move through to the next stage. 

A word here on my opinion of South African sports.  South Africans lose at sports all the time, especially if Australia is even remotely involved.  I don’t know what it is cos they often have good teams and plenty of fan support.  I feel that often times in international matches in various sports that the mood starts out super upbeat: flag-waving, shit-talking, rah-rah-ing.  But something always happens.  Like SA can be annihilating the competition and then it always just falls apart at the end.  I have seen it countless times.  The only exception to this is in rugby as SA currently holds pretty much all the major rugby trophies:  2010 Super 14 championship title (a league played between 14 teams in SA, Australia, New Zealand), World Cup for rugby (won in 2007), and the 2009 Tri-Nations title (played between Australia, New Zealand, and SA).  But otherwise it seems like things always end up going to hell in a handbag for SA sports.  In a way it’s even fitting to the attitude of some of the people here.  Like a national vibe, if you will.  There is a lot of deep-seated pessimism in some communities in SA.  Some people have not yet drunk the rainbow nation koolaid.  This pessimism can be masked at first by team support, but eventually ends up winning out in the end.  Sort of a “look, I told you so” type of thing going on. 

So, in a way it’s fitting to this model that Bafana Bafana did not go through.  I don’t want to be a nay-sayer, but I didn’t think they would make it through to the next round.  Their team isn’t strong enough from what I have seen on the field.  They lost their goalie, Khune, to a red card in the 2^nd match…and he was a pretty amazing goalie in the games I saw.  Siphiwe Tshabalala can’t do everything!  There is just a gel that is missing with the SA team. 

That’s not to say I wasn’t shouting my lungs out for them!  I think the reason they even did as well as they did in their matches has something to do with fan support here.  The fan support has been really crazy.  People you would never think of as soccer fans have been turned.  Everything is Ayoba this and Ayoba that.  (Ayoba is a slang word here that means “cool.”  It was hijacked by a cell phone company here and it is now the World Cup buzz word in SA)  World Cup fever is real in South Africa, especially for South African fans.  My USA soccer fans at home were all predicting a total slaughter by Mexico in the first game SA played, but I had to tell them that they would never predict that if they were on SA soil.  The atmosphere was just too green and gold electric for Bafana to go out like that! 

I’m happy that Bafana Bafana could go out on a nice respectable win.  It sort of pisses on the fire of the pessimists and gives hope and pride to everyone.  People can look back and say “yeah, we did good even if we didn’t go through.”  South Africa has plenty of things to be ashamed of…things that people bring up in their face all the time.  It’s nice that they can now add another thing to the “Proudly South African” pile!  And the boys played hard and well against France.   It was a nice game to watch.  They had a million shots at the goal and thankfully a few got through J  Even Modise couldn’t break the rhythm.  Modise is a star player here in SA for the Orlando Pirates, one of the major pro soccer teams in SA.  He is a cutie and even I can recognize him on the field cos his face is often used in major ad campaigns.  But MAN has he been stinking up the field in this World Cup.  You should have heard all the cursing and shouts of “NOOOOO!”  when he was substituted in during yesterday’s game.  It was kind of bogus, but I understand cos he played a major part in SA drawing, not winning, the first game.            

Yesterday I was supposed to meet one of my new Algerian friends, Said.  Said is the guy I traded flags with when I first mentioned those crazy Algerians.  We have been in contact ever since and since his team came back to Pretoria to play the USA…we decided to meet and cheer for SA together.  I’ll be honest I couldn’t quite remember what he looked like.  I thought I was sure, but then I saw some other Algerians when I got to the Square that I knew I had met.  This made me unsure of whether or not I really did know his face.  I didn’t want to go up to some dudes and get it wrong, so I just sort of chilled out and kept my eye on the people in the Square to see if I could spot who I thought he was.  I figured if too much time passed he might call me and we could get this sorted out. 

In the meantime, as I searched the faces of the people in the Square I met another nice Algerian man, Marwan.  We passed as we were walking and he said to me “Ca va?”  Which means “how are you/how’s it going?” in French.  I didn’t think twice and just started speaking to him in French.  He was amazed I spoke French and even more amazed when I told him I was from the USA.  And this pretty much started a 2 hour conversation in French with a nice older man.  I am amazed I could keep up deep discussion in French for that long (quite proud of myself, actually).  I may have mentioned it before, but I am kind of sick of dogs barking at my tree…meaning jerk ass dudes that got nothing to say to me and just want to jump my bones.  The Algerians have been refreshing in this way.  I can feel that they are attracted to me in some way, but they are very polite and don’t tell me nasty things or try to slickly weasel their way into my heart.  We just talk.  It’s quite cool. 

As the older man and I went to go get something to eat…I saw Said and that’s when I confirmed that I did in fact know his face.  Whew!  What a relief.  Ok, I’ll admit I was relieved cos I had the suspicion that Said was one of the cute Algerians I met and I didn’t want to be wrong.  I was not J  Marwan and I got our food and came back to eat with Said.  There was quite an international posse that kept growing.  We had English, Algerian, Australian, American…then South African, Ugandan…do you want more?!?!?!  World Cup!  Woot!!!! 

In Helen and Ross’s house there is a young lady, Nyulani, that keeps things tidy and helps to take care of Nicholas a few days a week.  I really enjoy the days she comes cos we always have a lot to talk and laugh about.  She was at the house today and gets off at 3pm.  This gets her home by 5:30pm as she lives in one of the townships and travels during rush hour.  Since the Bafana game started at 4pm there was no way she would make it home in time to see the game, I suggested she come join me in the Square.  It’s not far from the house and she could still get a taxi home from there.  So after she knocked off we met in the Square.  It was nice to watch the game with her.  We had lots of laughs and cheers together.  The day before World Cup started, everyone in SA was supposed to blow their vuvuzelas between 12-1pm.  We did this together at home…ending in too many giggles at our totally crap vuvuzela skills.  But now, since we have both had more practice, we were rocking the raucousness on the vuvu.  During some points in the game people kept turning around and looking at me cos I can really blow that thing HARD now.  I can make even the strongest eardrums ring these days. 

Today was also a day of random encounters in the Square.  I saw some of my old TuksFM colleagues as well as a few people I know from around the way.  Saw lots of my new Algerian friends too.  The most random encounter was with a guy that I went to school with back in 2002 in Pietermaritzburg (SA).  He was sitting at the table next to us and I just knew I knew him from somewhere.  His name came to mind and I went up to him asking if he was Zack.  Sure enough…he was.  He was a bit surprised, but then came to see that he remembered me too.  He is now studying at the University of Pretoria and we had a bit of reminiscing and catching up to do about people and places we shared.  It was quite nice.  I can always count on SA for these types of encounters.  SA is very small at the end of the day and I always seem to know a face in the crowd…even if it’s a face I haven’t encountered since my first sojourn to SA in 2002.  Word. 

From today forward there are now 4 games playing per day with 2 games being run simultaneously during each time slot (4pm and 8:30pm).  I don’t know the outcome of the other game played at 4pm and only barely caught the 8:30pm game in between slices of wonderful conversation with Said.  After the Bafana game, Said and I walked Nyulani to the taxi and then met up with my friends Douwe and Edwin.  Douwe is unable to pass a moment without coffee.  If we ever lose him in the crowd we know he can always be found at News Café having a coffee and probably chatting up some young ladies.  This is where Said and I found them.  I was supposed to go back and rejoin Marwan (the older Algerian) but we got lost and stayed with Douwe and Edwin.  I felt bad, but I was getting tired on the French tip.  Speaking another language can be very tiring in the brain.  Je suis desole, Marwan!  J’espere que tu as les bonne temps sans moi! 

For the rest of the evening, Said and I just talked.  Again, the Algerian attention is quite refreshing.  I can tell Said is a bit sweet on me (likewise, you handsome devil) but he has been a pure gentleman.  I am looking forward to spending more time with him.  I’m sorry the USA is going to have to whip his team’s caboose J 

After awhile I had to say goodbye.  It was cold and getting late.  Yawns were starting to escape from both of our mouths.  Plus I was only drinking water at News Café and I felt embarrassed to keep asking the waiter to bring me free water.  Douwe, Edwin, and I do spend plenty of our beer money there so it’s not like I never spend a rand there…but after 3 glasses of water…I felt it was time to stop bothering the waiter.  I said goodbye to Said and hopped on my bike.  It was GREAT to ride home.  It was super cold, but the streets are blocked off between Hatfield Square and my home so I can ride like the devil on a mission without having to worry about cars.  It’s the best!  I got home in under 5 minutes…sweetness. 

The next post you read from me will be laced with U-S-A!  I hope our boys can do well against Algeria.  I want to be the shit talker after the game…not on the receiving end!  Until next time…