I don't even like soccer (!) but I love, love, LOVE the vibe in the country at the moment.
The World Cup is uniting young and old, rich and poor, black and white, fans and non-fans alike.
This morning driving to work, I was sporting my soccer jersey, South African scarf and of course, my car is also "dressed" in mirror socks and has a South African flag.
I was stopped at a red traffic light and a young man walked in front of my car with "purpose".
Normally I'd be ready to react just in case he might have wanted to smash and grab something (the reality of poverty in our country) but... today we smiled at each other and did "thumbs up".
We are united because we love our country!
I LOVE IT.
Then I got to work and they've dressed the building!
We've had flags up since the "100 days to go" event but the lifts (elevators) are decorated, there are soccer ball bean bags everywhere and soccer ball lanterns.
I can't stop smiling.
I LOVE IT!
All so exciting!
ReplyDeleteI'm not a soccer fan either, but that's neat! I'm sure you can't help but to be super excited!
ReplyDeleteI love the fact that it's bringing your country together, and those bean bags are awesome... I wonder if you could snaffle 2 to take home...?
ReplyDeleteEnjoy it!! :)
It's amazing what sports can do, right? It's always so much fun to see how people come together and cheer and rejoice with people that they may never have spoken to otherwise!!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun! Glad you all are enjoying it!!
ReplyDeleteI was trying to figure out whether we'd start watching games on the 10th here because of the time difference, and the way the question popped into my head was "I wonder what time it is at Marcia's?"
ReplyDeleteI love it! I can feel the excitement in those pictures. When my sister was in Brazil last year, they went to a soccer match between two of the country's biggest rivals. It was so intense that the spectators had to cover up their jerseys until they got inside to decrease the amount of fights breaking out between fans. The stadium was sectioned off according to which team you supported, and there were fences separating the different areas. That just amazed me...it makes our football games seem minor in comparison!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the atmosphere, and good luck to your home team!
I love seeing a city / town / country unite! It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it!
ReplyDeleteWe're celebrating the World Cup right here at home this year, but in 2006, we were in NYC for part of it. It was so much fun to walk through the ethnic neighborhoods and watch a couple of games in ethnic bars. The energy was incredible.
Hope you enjoy the games!