I'm used to doing it this way.

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Preface: The problem with writing these blogs over a couple of days is that I realize I leave things out. So I want to preface this by saying that the volunteers (amongst others) I've met from South Africa have been so kind and lovely and they are truly interested in making sure I am well taken care of, safe and get to experience the best that Cape Town has to offer. Now please proceed.

First up, the heavy stuff. And then I promise some lighter, self-ridiculing. Let's start with Nelson Mandela. Madiba. I read about him and Winnie when I was in elementary school. He was a fighter. And a survivor. He was the first president to be elected in a fully representative South African democracy. But being here, I’m starting to understand what being a hero is really about. In the US, we have sports heros. Barak Obama may be said to be a hero. Your dad might be your hero. These men do not compare. Nelson Mandela is a true hero. It is evident everywhere - on a personal level, in TV commercials, in bringing the World Cup to South Africa. How people feel about him, what he stands for and represents is something no American can understand. We have no heroes like Madiba. NOBODY has strived to unify people, and won the love of so many like Mandela has (okay, maybe Gandhi and the tragically short-lived Martin Luther King, Jr, but you get my point). Not during my time on this earth. And what’s crazy to me, is that he was only president for one term, four years! He is the antithesis of what Adolph Hitler represents to the Jews. One man, so influential, it is… I don’t know how to describe it. But when I am in the midst of my chaotic, disorganized volunteer shift (really? No pens???), I think about Nelson Mandela and how he inspired a nation to bring this epic event to South Africa, and I too, am inspired. Corny, but true. (P.S. hope you got to see the Nelson Mandela clip during the World Cup celebration tonight.)

Now, that is not to say that it’s all champagne and bubble baths here. As you are all tired of hearing me say about Medellin, I felt something there and connected with that city. It had a grasp on my heart and I felt carefree there. Yesterday, as I sat on the bus to the stadium, I tried hard to figure out what I was feeling about Cape Town. It certainly was not the cliché “tension just below the surface”. Maybe that is the case, but that’s not the vibe I’m getting. It’s definitely not a feeling of joy or happiness, of superiority (ahem, Paris) or superficiality (LA, I’m talking about you). I really couldn’t put my finger on it.

Later that day, at the Accreditation tent, I was in the badge production area. There were some new faces back there. I saw how they were making the badges. The general process is: 1) badge is printed with person’s name and picture, plus codes for what stadiums and zones they have access to; 2) excess paper areas of the badge are ripped off; 3) security stamp in black-light ink applied; 4) laminated; 5) passed forward to badge pick-up area (this is where I spend most of my day. The receiver provides ID and signs off). If you’ll review step 2, rip off excess paper, it’s quite simply really. Fold the badge in half, rip length-wise, then width-wise. Done. Like those sealed checks or PIN codes you receive in the mail. Some people I noticed weren’t folding the badge in half. They ripped one side, turn, then the other side, turn, then lengthwise. One person was even ripping off the tiny corners. Then fold. Too me, this seemed inefficient (yeah, call me crazy!). And of course, me being me, I suggested the faster way to them. One guy, a white South African, I saw continue on the other way. So I said to him, “Doesn’t that way seem more difficult?” To which he replied, “Yeah, but I’m used to doing it this way.” And then it struck me. I think what I’ve been feeling about this city is a general complacency. It’s like that phrase that people are so keen to say, "TIA", This Is Africa. Things aren’t great, but that’s the way it is. What are you going to do about it? Or more appropriately perhaps, “Why should I do anything about it?” This will certainly be an area I explore further during my time here.

Whew, okay, so that was the heavy bit. Let’s remember, I’ve been here less than one week and my perceptions are bound to change. Now on to other things. I’ve been enjoying learning how to get around town. Briefly, there are buses. Those are big regular, school-like buses. There are cabs (not to be confused with taxis, they are different). There are mini-buses here that are three rows of benches that should probably only seat 3 people but ALWAYS have 4 people across (think church van but smaller), plus the front part of the van where the driver and 2 other passengers sit. These are what they call taxis. And they are more-or-less privately run. They’re not supposed to be that safe, either. I wouldn’t take one alone at night. But they are hilarious. Truly, you get 12-16 people jammed into this vehicle with everyone smooshed together, and I don’t know what it is, but 3 out of 4 times, the whole van ends up cracking up about something. For example, there was a guy and a girl sitting behind me. The girl was mostly on the guys lap and I wasn’t sure if they were together, I couldn’t really see., but there were 2 other people in that row. The guy was going on about something. Either I wasn’t listening or it was in a different language (there’s a lot of that here amongst the locals). All of a sudden, the driver turns around and says to the woman, “This is your boyfriend? You are going to marry this guy?” And everyone started cracking up. I don’t know if this is a you-had-to-be-there-moment but can you imagine the audacity of this situation occurring in the US? I can’t.

Now, the driver was a Muslim guy. He had on the apparel. There are tons of Muslims here. It’s way cool. At home I hardly ever see Muslims in full gear. Their style of dress adds a lot of flavor to the scenery and I dig seeing them! Plus, you see the halal/halaal signs everywhere. I saw a building that said Eastern Food Market. Thinking it was a place to buy groceries (I was starving at the time), I went in. Nope. It was a large hall with elaborate decorations that ran the width of the building full of walk-up eastern/Indian food counters. Being cooked by black Africans. It was great! It’s like seeing the latinos make Indian food at home. I got a kick out of it. Also, the McDonalds near where the Accreditation tent, where I use the bathroom because the tent doesn’t have one, is halal. It’s been certified. There is a sticker on the door that tells me so.

Hmm, now that I mention the taxi/mini-bus and the driver, I’ve come to realize I don’t think I’ve seen any other caucasians (white people) on the mini-buses. And this leads me to the part where I say something ridiculous and foolish, and if you feel like slapping me afterwards, write a little post-it note and save it until the next time you see me. So here goes. There are not as many white people here as I expected. Yes, I know I’m in Africa. But what the Europeans did to the people here, you’d think you’d be tripping over white people, and that most of the Africans had been driven from these lands. The whites actually moved whole communities of Africans out of Cape Town (i.e. District 6). I’m so used to seeing “westernized” foreign places where the Europeans have taken over that I simply expected there to be more of them. Maybe it’s where I’m staying or the volunteers I work alongside. I certainly haven’t gone exploring into the nicer parts of town yet. There is even a dark little seed of a thought that wonders if a lot of the South Africans of European descent didn’t hightail it out of here when Mandela became president. But don’t listen to me. I’m just sharing foolish, rambling thoughts with you. I don’t know what I’m talking about. Yet.

So now, to why I’m here - the World Cup. The largest event the world over. It starts in one day. All around Cape Town, you can see workers adding the finishing touches. Or rather, finishing. There are still pedestrian walkways to be finished. Bridges to be painted. Plants to be planted. I don’t honestly believe everything will be done in time. I don’t think overtime is something they do here.

As far as the volunteering goes, I think most of the international volunteers have arrived at this point. I haven’t met too many of them. We’re all sort of getting our grounding. The Organizing Committee has changed a couple of things on us (functional area where one works, meal stipends). All the uniform pieces are not in stock. Communication is poor, in other words, non-existent. I did find out that Cape Town has 1,672 volunteers of which 160 are internationals. There seem to be a handful of Americans around, which is strangely comforting but not so important. My work handing out badges is fine. I get to see a lot of the people coming through (which today were mostly security personal and media). And if I didn’t get my point across yet, it's way disorganized and slightly unbelievable. I’m a long way from Silicon Valley…

Speaking of security, around the stadium it's, well, “loose”, I suppose is a good word. I would expect it to be tighter than passing through a TSA checkpoint. I got searched more thoroughly entering Colombian nightclubs (actually, am I surprised about that? Hmm…). Anyway, after tsk-tsking to myself after a light search upon entering the stadium, it had me wondering what I’m so worried about. Is safety really a concern at the stadium? Or have I been trained as a frequent flyer and American to fear a terrorist attack around every corner? Is that TV film crew really here to film sports or are they determining possible escape routes? Is that guy tying his shoe, or spying on the security guards’ rotation schedule? Where’s Jason Bourne? I don’t know the answer to, “What do I have to fear?” I don’t know if there is any real reason to believe terrorists will attack a stadium. I think I’ve been brainwashed. But I’ll tell you this much, I was supposed to work Friday night. It’s opening day of the World Cup and Cape Town is hosting a match that same night. I am on the schedule to work. Or at least I was. I asked them to take me off. Yes, because I want to watch South Africa play Mexico in the opening match. But also, I think it’s going to be mayhem around the stadium. I think it will be mayhem getting home from the stadium. Especially if Bafana Bafana wins. I just don’t want to be anywhere near the stadium. One woman who I expressed my concerns to said everything was fine when Cape Town hosted the Confederate Cup. Okay, good to know. Still, I’ve seen too much to know it’s not going to be that smooth. At least not by my standards, and in a way in which I will feel secure. And I didn’t come here to fret. So there it is. I requested to be taken off of the schedule for Friday. And Monday as well, when the second Cape Town WC match takes place. Just to make sure they got most of the wrinkles ironed out.

Let’s face it. I’m here to have fun. And I will endeavor to do so until my last minute in South Africa. I would still like to say I played a role in the World Cup, but not at the cost of my happiness. Right now, I’m not sure how to best achieve both. Things aren’t quite settled yet so we’ll see how the next few days play out. I’ll figure it out. Rest assured, my happiness is my number one goal (always has been) and it will prevail!

Pix from my first weekend out (inc. a trip to wine country and outside shots of Green Point Stadium): http://www.flickr.com/photos/69192286@N00/sets/72157624218526432/detail/

Pix from inside Green Point Stadium and shots of where I live and the neighborhood: http://www.flickr.com/photos/69192286@N00/sets/72157624247477486/detail/

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Photos

View from the top seats at Green Point Stadiu,
That's famous Table Mountain in the background there covered in clouds.

Me and Pauline on the bus
Pauline works with me in Accreditation and makes sure I get home safe!

Rainbow over the Castle of Good Hope
The oldest building in South Africa

Prohibited Items - Shields and Spears
Not shown: old South African flag

Comments

[JoAnn]

wow
hmmm...I think this is good...I wanna this think is good your ability to remove yourself from the middle and look down globally at situations, is AWESOME!! be safe - get the best experience - and get your little booty on home!! MWAH MWAH MWAH

[Alicia]

interesting
That you felt complacency was the feeling you felt... I think the story of the man folding papers and doing it the "long" way is also telling, because, I think, it says volumes about the way different cultures view the world. Through the "United States' lens" it's fair to say that timeliness is very important, as is getting a job done quickly and for the least cost..even with sayings like "time is money".....etc However, I think, and you may have seen this as well, in many African and Afro-Caribbean nations, time is not a commodity, and accomplishing tasks quickly and more cost-effectively is not a priority. And no one seems to mind! ;-)