Cold Hands, Warm Heart

World Cup Fever is heating up, but boy oh boy, is it cold. Have you seen people on TV in the stands at the games all bundled up for winter? Well, they are not being wimps, it's definitely chilly around here. The night is especially cool as it frequently falls to 0 degrees. I didn't bring proper clothes for this weather! Whoops. Having to stock up on sweaters and buy some boots. Any excuse for more shoes...right?

I went to my first ever World Cup match last night! I saw USA vs. Slovenia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. It was truly spectacular. I have seen quite a few amazing sporting events in my lifetime (Wimbledon, Stanley Cup playoffs, The Olympic Games, PGA Golf, etc.) but yesterday's experience tops the list. The intensity, the level of play, the noise, the large number of spectators, and the stadium itself will not soon be forgotten. I was surprised at how many American fans were in the crowd, and they were quite down on their team in the first half, cursing and yelling. BUT, the second half rally by their team was superb and made for an exciting finish. I am definitely becoming a huge soccer fan. 

Further, I'm observing some interesting day-to-day cultural phenomena here and wanted to capture it in writing. I am noticing these things especially when I walk the streets downtown during my lunch break. I have been venturing out much more, now that I have my bearings downtown. I recently found a pedestrianized street full of market-type goods and cheap shops, which I am loving. On Tuesday while cruising this street, I watched as people walked around with blankets on. Fleece blankets! Forget coats, people just put on blankets and go out. How clever! Why invest in a coat when you can just put on a blanket?

Also, there are many men with old-fashioned cameras asking if I need my photo taken at almost every street corner for a good 3 blocks up the road. I was puzzled by this until I saw that the Dept. of Home Affairs was nearby. Ahhhh, forget passport photo labs, you can just get your photo ID taken on the sidewalk. I watched this happen - these 'photographers' just tape a white sheet onto a building and then snap away.

There is also some very creative entrepreneurship going on in this city. The little tables that are set up everywhere sell quite a diverse range of products such as individual candies. Some people buy a whole bag of wrapped hard candies or mints and then sell each piece separately to make a small profit. You'll find these being sold often with a mixture of nuts and fruit.There are also lots of men walking up and down the middle of road lanes selling newspapers, flags, sunglasses and now, ear plugs. On the way to the stadium yesterday, we did indulge one of these sellers and each got a set of plugs for the game. They came in handy, let me tell you!

What is also striking is how everyone I encounter is very warm and genuinely friendly. I am either: 'madam', 'miss', 'dear', 'darling' or 'my love'. My name is often pronounced Biryani, like the Indian dish. It could be worse. I like Indian food. :)

Work again has been a bit slow this week due to World Cup mania, but hopefully the initial hype has died down and people can get back to business. I am entering my sixth week of being here...time if flying by!!! Lots to be done still in terms of my own learning objectives, but I won't panic yet!

Lots of love,

Brianna

The World Cup. And The World.

Hello all,

I think I totally underestimated the impact the World Cup would have on this country. And on me! I’m overwhelmed by the magnitude the event. It's everywhere I look! At work, the media, the streets, the shops, etc. I have seen visitors from all over the globe as well, right on my doorstep. This whole week has been a green and yellow blur. All I can hear is the vuvuzela amidst the backdrop of the city. (When helicopters and jets aren’t flying overhead or sirens are wailing….security is at an ALL TIME high.)

(FYI: Vuvuzela definition: A vuvuzela or a stadium horn is a blowing horn approximately 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length. It is commonly blown by fans at football matches in South Africa. The instrument requires some lip and lung strength to blow.)

I’m actually relieved that the big event is now underway, as perhaps things can go back to normal...nothing was in order...from about Wednesday onwards. Everyone was in high spirits and not focused on their regular day-to-day routines. And who can blame them? The World Cup has never happened in Africa and people here LOVE their soccer. It's an important time in South African history and I'm so lucky to witness it.

Wednesday at noon there was a scheduled ‘Vuvuzela Moment’. Everyone in the whole of South Africa was instructed to blow their vuvuzela for 5 minutes at noon. Well, 5 minutes in Pretoria turned into 2 hours and a large parade. Pretorius Street, where my office is located, came to a stand still and people funneled through to Church Square which is in the centre of the city. Here is a picture from that very square at about 12:30 in the afternoon.



Nuts.
Thursday night I went to the Opening Celebration Concert in Johannesburg. It was at Orlando Stadium (the same place I saw the rugby a few weeks back). It was an absolute blast! Two of my favourite things…no wait three….were all significant factors of the night: Sport, Music and Charity. Not only were there amazing artists in attendance (Amadou & Mariam, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Shakira, etc.) but the vibe was amazingly cohesive and beautiful. The World Cup is truly bringing all sorts of people together in a historically divided nation. Some of my favourite parts of the night were:
-Random clumps of people breaking out into choreographed routines.
-Flags and patriotism, regardless of skin colour.
-A DJ in between sets played anti-apartheid songs and ALL audience members singing along. I was with some coloured people who grew up here during the last 20 years, and they cried with emotion.
-When the Black Eyed Peas busted into “Tonight’s gonna be a good night”…and I got my groove on.

Then my phone was stolen from my coat pocket in mass exodus from the stadium…I didn’t even notice until a bit later. Oh well. TIA. (This is also case and point as to why I bought the cheapest phone available when I got here.)

Friday I didn't go to work. Nor did anyone else. I sorted out a new phone and watched the opening game....South Africa against Mexico. The whole nation exploded when Bafana scored the first goal of the tournament. The storyline could not have been contrived any better than that!!

Today was host city Pretoria's first game and the stadium is just minutes away from my house. Here is a picture of just how close it is from the rooftop:



Other than the big WC, not much else to report. Like I said, one big blur. Although, I have begun to feel more grounded and like I belong at work, as many co-workers continue to stop in the hallway and poke their head into my office to say hi, welcoming me to the department and country. I am joyous when this occurs. The human spirit is wonderful and when we connect across borders, it makes me smile inside. We shall see what this week brings....will ANYONE be at work tomorrow??! :)

Hugs,
Brianna

PS-The 'space between' theme was in my face again this week...on a brown sugar packet no less. The quote written on the back of it was: "Don't be afraid of the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so". ~Belva Davis