Soccer….Family Style

I could barely watch the England vs. Algeria game. I was emotionally exhausted after the US nail biter, and I couldn’t believe the game would end tied. I started talking to a few locals at the bar. I became so engrossed in the conversation that I was a little startled when I heard the whistle blow to end the game. In disbelief, I read the 0-0 score line and it began to dawn on me that nearly impossible had happend! England had allowed Algeria to pass with a tie, leaving the playing field miraculously wide open for the Americans going into game 3. As this revelation spread through the very pro-US crowd, you could feel the energy in the room start to crackle. The energy level was skyrocketing and when the DJ turned off the TV sound and shouted “Are you ready to wave your flag?” the place erupted in an electric snap of excitement. He cranked up the “Waving Flag” song that had become the unofficial anthem of the World Cup and people started dancing on tables and waving flags, scarves, and whatever else they could find to dance along with. Even Prairie had gotten into the atmosphere and started dancing on top of one of the beer kegs.The party continues in South Africa. Next up: Safari!

Otherwise known as, it’s a good thing the kids are back in the US, or I’d be tempted to trade my first born for a wifi hotspot.

I’ve been writing plenty, I swear. But with no internet at our apartment, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until later today or tomorrow for the updates I’ve already written.

I’ve seen it before. In Germany, I got to talk to Germans about how they felt about the World Cup (helps to speak the local language) and many of them commented that it was the first time they had seen Germans show national pride. It was a moment in German history when they could forgive themselves for their past and enjoy being Germans. As someone who had traveled several times to Germany, it was a pleasure to be there for the transformation.

I see the same thing happening in South Africa. White South Africans seem awestruck by the World Cup’s impact on their country. We’ve been told that soccer is typically a black sport, that whites play rugby. Yet they’ve built the stadiums in poorer, black areas and it’s mostly whites that can afford game tickets. It seems to be creating a reckoning for South Africans of both races.

I met Don Currie, owner of Lanseria Lodge on my flight to Cape Town last night, and he echoed many of the sentiments that fans at the games have shared. It seems like people want to let go of the racism of apartheid, but don’t really know the road to get there. There’s a huge gap in class and economics between blacks and whites here, and it seems to restrict progress.

Mr. Currie said he could even see the difference between his 18 year old daughter, who isn’t racist at all, and his older children, who still hold on to some racist tendencies. Mr. Currie himself spoke passionately about the Robben Island Museum that we will visit in 2 days, where Mandela and many others were imprisoned during apartheid. It was clear that the understanding of what his class had done was deeply painful for him.

What I’ve learned so far is that all the people of South Africa are warm and welcoming to their World Cup guests. They are proud of their country and entertaining as hosts. I look forward to learning more about South African culture and history as we continue our journey here.

Thanks to The Onion’s Article about America’s single soccer fan, a few of my friends have started refering to me as “The Insufferable One” (I’m sure it’s in jest…right?) But the other side of that article for all us IOs is that it’s much, much more fun to be around other soccer fans, particularly during the World CUp. It’s why we have watch parties and supporters groups. It’s why we don’t want to stay in the US for a World Cup: in general, Americans still don’t get what a big deal the World Cup is to the rest of the world.

It’s been great taking our flights from Home to Boston to New York to Dubai to Johannesburg. Each step of the got a little more serious about soccer. (It’s an American blog, if you want to call it football, go follow some European). In New York and Boston, there were a few people that got immediately the we were going to the World Cup, but most of them couldn’t hold a conversation on the topic. On the Dubai flight, there were many soccer fans, mostly American, with varying degrees of experience.

Now I’m sitting on the flight into South Africa. Surrounded by American, English, and German soccer fans (and one Algerian). It’s the greatest meetup in the world. Everyone is an insufferable one. It is a huge relief to finally be in the clubhouse, with people who are just as soccer geeky as we are. Can’t wait to get in country!