A Y O B A ! ! ! ! !

Jess writes:

…we’re currently listening to the South Africa v. France game on our little travel radio... and so far Bafana Bafana is leading… 2 – 0!! Can’t believe it!! Can they actually win this one…

As most of you are well aware, the 2010 World Cup is in full-swing here in South Africa!! While Adam and I have been somewhat “distracted” by other recent happenings (see the previous post), we are thoroughly enjoying football fever! In fact, in our current situation, we are reveling in an unexpected Peace Corps-imposed vacation, and have been able to experience World Cup in some unique ways: indulging in the gloriousness of Hatfield Square in Pretoria, watching matches with international crowds at guesthouses and backpackers, listening to games “old school” on our travel radio, and planning for some upcoming travels to other local hubs for not only leisure, but of course, more World Cup shenanigans!!

But perhaps I should start at the beginning…

South Africa is hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with games being held across the entire country – Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, Nelspruit, Rustenburg, Polokwane, and Bloemfontein (Adam and I head to Nelspruit tomorrow for two matches: Australia v. Serbia on June 23rd and North Korea v. Cote d’Ivoire on June 25th! So excited!!!)

Most important to note here is that this is the first World Cup to ever be held on the continent of Africa, so South Africa is brimming with pride to be the first African hosts. In fact, this South African pride could be felt in every city, every township, and every village since the day we arrived in this country, over four months ago. And for over four months, the South African television stations, radio stations, and news sources have been filled with calls to action, imploring every South African to do their part for World Cup. Thus, everywhere we turn there have been illuminated countdowns, green and yellow banners for Bafana Bafana, billboards about safety and security, welcoming shouts from every passing coombie, blaring vuvuzellas, articles about the intangible “Ayoba” spirit, and this growing sense of pride… that South Africans get to welcome the world to “The Continent”.

Needless to say, we could post about every remembered World Cup detail here, but I’m sure you would all tire of my long-winded way with words… ha!! So instead, I’ve included some cool World Cup stuff below that we thought may help to illuminate the World Cup experience for our blog followers (also, be sure to check out our 2010 World Cup album on Facebook, which we will continue to add photos to as World Cup continues!). But for now, hopefully there’s something here that will tickle your football fancy!!

Check it Out:

• A football-dedicated blog, authored by a family friend, with some super interesting insights into the FIFA extravaganza that is “World Cup” (thanks Traci!): http://theunlikelyfan.blogspot.com/
  


• The heartbreaking story the South African Vuvuzela Philharmonic, portrayed by the oh-so-incredulous The Onion, in a truly one-of-a-kind World Cup article (so great!!!): http://www.theonion.com/articles/south-african-vuvuzela-philharmonic-angered-by-soc%2C17625/
  


• An incredibly-written NY Times column that a fellow PCV found about South Africa’s past and its “audible” future (a more serious perspective than the previous): http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/opinion/18iht-edcohen.html?hp
  


• Coming Soon: A local article, written by Matt Baker (a friend of Adam’s), for the La Salle News Tribune. He includes quotes from us about World Cup Fever, here in South Africa, from an American perspective (Yay! We’re famous!). As soon as we get a hard copy, we'll include it in it's entirety on the blog.

It would be impossible to describe all the happenings of World Cup since the start and I’m certain that every volunteer, every South African in fact, will experience World Cup in a different way. And in the coming weeks, I’m sure Adam and I will do our best to describe our own piece of this experience in words worthy of depicting such an historical event… and thus, I am certain we will fail to capture all that is World Cup South Africa. Nevertheless, we will try.

In that vein, I wanted to include here something that was shared with us very recently. Last week, while staying at the guesthouse in Pretoria, we spoke late into the night with one of the owners about the impact that World Cup may have on South Africa. Mr. Ndivhuwo Mabaya is a Vendan chief, relocated to Pretoria for business, with deep roots to South Africa’s history and great hopes for its future. After thinking hard about our night’s discussions, he said:

“If this World Cup is to have a legacy, it will not be the stadiums, or the stores or the jobs… It will be what we have learned. If we could use even a small part of the energy and effort we put into preparing for this event into our country’s education system, its healthcare, or its issues with poverty, we could get things done here.”

After some more thought, he added:

“If we can have a World Cup, we can be a great country.”

As World Cup continues, and as Adam and I blog about the fun, the fanfare, and our own impressions, I hope that the quote above stays with you all as it has with me. It seems to embody what this World Cup has meant to this African nation.

Until the next post… Go USA! Go Bafana Bafana! AYOBA!!!!