GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAL(S)!

Ok, this post might be very (extra) football focused becauuuuse last night I went to my first World Cup game EVER! And it was for my favorite team (Netherlands) vs. Cameroon! Even though NL was at the top of their group and qualified for the Round of 16 (and Cameroon was technically already out), it was still an amazing game and each side put up a good fight. Final score: 2-1 (Netherlands).

Now a little bit about my first game experience:

Met with Sean, Tim, and (tall) Nadia at my place and we walked down to the fanfest. SO. MUCH. ORANGE. I swear, like 95% of the clothing I saw around me was orange. I think all of the Netherlands came to see this game. Total awesomeness. Fan walked our way to the stadium, where we were sitting in different sections. First half I watched in my seat (really good seat!), but met up in a different area for the 2^nd half so we could all sit together. The stadium is beautiful. Vuvuzelas were blowing everywhere (I’m used to them now. It’s just background noise, plus it added to the excitement in the air). I was a little surprised, the field itself looked smaller than I thought it would be… I think TV’s are good about dramatizing that. It was an exciting game to watch, proven by me spilling beer all over my neighbor to my left during the first half when I jumped out of my seat (sorry!). So yah, total bliss.

On Tuesday was the SA vs. France game. It came down to something like… if Uruguay beat Mexico by 2 points, then we would have to beat France by 2 points in order to proceed. And if Mexico beat Uruguay, we’d have to beat France by 5 points. Uruguay beat Mexico 1-0, and SA beat France 2-1, so pretty good game and at least SA went out with a bang.

Wednesday was the US vs. Algeria game, which had my heart racing for a good 4 hours after the game. Went to the Waiting Room, where I met up with Eric, Maika, and co. and the entire bar was filled with Americans once again (partially due to it being hard to find a bar which was showing the US game, and not the England game which was playing at the same time). That 1 goal that did it all… wow. Too much excitement. So yay, we qualify for the Round of 16.

After the game, we got food at the Eastern Food Bazaar. First of all, thank you, Max, for showing me the most amazing place where I couldn’t find a better way to spend R36 (~$5). The food was above delicious… I couldn’t put my naan and fork down long enough for me to breathe while downing my food. It’s this giant long hall with counter after counter of delicious food. The process is, you scan for what you like, go to the register, pay, and take the receipt back to where you saw the food. Voila. Did I mention it was cheap? A definite must-go for anyone visiting Cape Town… I’m sure I’ll be back plenty more times.

Yesterday I went to the Company’s Garden for a bit and read (it was another beautiful blue skied day). I’ve been borrowing Helena’s books and just finished reading Touch My Blood by Fred Khumalo, which is an autobiography about this now-journalist growing up in the townships during Apartheid and using education as his way out. I’m now reading Blood Orange by Troy Blacklaws, which is a half fictional, half non-fictional memoir about a white boy also growing up during Apartheid. Khumalo’s story is brutal and honest about the hardships he’s gone through – it really depicts the harsh reality of township life and how Apartheid had a domino effect on various black groups turning on each other. I’m not that far into Blacklaws yet, but already it’s conveying the unjustness of Apartheid and how the white community was affected as well. I’d recommend either of these books if you want some insight into the recent history of South Africa, and even the effects it has on today.

Work’s been going a lot better. Tuesday, I met with the supplier for the drip irrigation system (Spilhaus), showed him the garden layouts, and he e-mailed me a quote for the supplies needed this morning! I’ve been reaching out to a bunch of organizations who might know more about greenhouses than I do, and so I’m meeting IASA (Intensive Agriculture South Africa) at Stellenbosch University today that is involved in the production of vegetable crops and has a bunch of greenhouses I can look at. I’m going to pick their brain on which types are best under what conditions and costs. In my down time, I’ve been transcribing the Mamas’ testimonials (which is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. A lot of stop-rewind-replay-“what?”-rewind-replay’s.) Their stories are heartbreaking and it’s hard not to cry at work while doing the transcribing. Let’s not come off as a total baby at work plzkthx.

Brazil vs. Portugal game later today at 4… ;)