First impressions in South Africa

South Africans live, breath and drink soccer.

The atmosphere here in Nelson Mandela Bay is incredible.


South Africa is the host of the World Cup currently taking place, and is the first African country to host the world's biggest sporting event. The team is known as the Bafana Bafana, which is Cosa and is translated as the boys.


They got off to a fitting start in the tournament's first match when they scored the first goal of the competition. South Africa held on for a 1-1 draw.


The South African side is the team the locals are watching either. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I meet somone who has watched every game.


Last night I went to a Fan Park. A local cricket stadium hosted a live viewing party with a jumbo TV screen and stage for a pre-concert.


One of the songs performed before the game was by Jackson 5. South Africa and the rest of the world play a lot of American music at most bars, clubs and convience stores.


The enthusiasim displayed at the stadium was sensational. If the match I attend is half as lively, my life-long dream will become a reality.


The cricket stadium was packed to the upper rafters. I would say around 30,000 South Africans gathered with fellow countrymen to watch their nation play on TV.


This type of Nationalism just doesn't exist in the States for any sporting event because the World Cup is so much bigger and American's fail to reconignize it.


The only event that we can compare it to is the Olympics, but we still don't gather in enormous crowds in public, paint our faces nor spend the entire day in large stadiums celebrating our team.


Another sign of this World Cup fever is foreign exchange students are the only ones currently taking classes. For the rest of the month, which is the middle of the winter term, no South African student will set foot in a classroom.


I will be attending tommorrow's match Germany vs. Serbia and will follow up with a recap and post.

Cheers from Nelson Mandela Bay.