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 92nd 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
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