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).
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.
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.
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.
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 2nd 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.
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
1 comment:
Lynsee, it was great having you around, thanks for the tips and helping us. We had such a great time with you, cannot wait to hear your news and experiences for the final world cup... keep writing ... Lina
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