I saw a headline in a community newspaper the other day that read ‘Soccer Eclipse!’ and I didn’t even need to read the rest of the article, because I understood exactly what they meant.
If you’re a South African (I would guess even if you’re a South African living overseas), the last 2 weeks have been about nothing but soccer-soccer-soccer. Food? Only if it’s boerewors rolls or available in front of a large screen TV. Sleep? Only if it doesn’t interfere with any of the matches being played that day. Work? Only juuuust enough to keep employed, while 90% of brain power is on that day’s games.
I kid you not – soccer fever has taken over the whole country. It’s as if a giant soccer ball eclipsed the sun, and everything is being seen through a black and white hexagonal haze.
Not that I’m complaining! Not at all, not in the slightest. The last two weeks – since the World Cup began on the 11th of June 2010 – have been undeniably, non-stop exciting. The goals! The losses! The refs! The players! The fans from all over the world who have descended on our lovely country and found it – surprisingly for some – to be hospitable and friendly.
I think that’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most of all about the last two weeks… The sense of South African pride that has crept into every part of the country. I lived overseas for four years, and came back infected with this pride (sometimes you have to leave to realise just how extraordinary home really is). In general, though, there are an alarming number of naysayers in South Africa, so many who would rather point out our long list of problems than our even longer list of opportunities and quirky eccentricities that make this country one of the most vital and exciting places to live.
So this month – this month of South Africans flying flags from their cars and homes and bodies, has been simply thrilling. South Africans and foreigners alike have joined together for the love of a game – the beautiful game. And we’re only halfway through!
All this soccer madness has most definitely taken its toll on my To Do list, though, which is why I’m quickly typing up this blog before the USA vs Ghana match in an hour and a half (I do love the USA, but I’m rooting for Ghana as the only African country to have made it this far). I’ll be blogging regularly from here on in, about travel and home, beautiful places to stay and beautiful things about staying right here, and all manner of other lovely international snippets. We’ll also be having lots of giveaways, so keep your eyes peeled on this page!
And now? Time to gobble down some food before the soccer begins once again…
Photo: babasteve