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 2nd 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…
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