As I type this all thoughts of mundane day-to-day life and whining about working stupid hours is being drowned out by Vuvuzelas and foreign anthems. It would seem that there is one perk to working in an office just above Nelson Mandela Square – I couldn't have a better seat to check out the World Cup build-up. The square is buzzing with foreign accents, alive with soccer jerseys from every continent and oozing with patriotism.
Dotted throughout the crowds of soccer mad fans are television cameras and reporters chatting excitedly into microphones. There are news crews from every major broadcaster worldwide zooming in on the excitement, capturing every cheer, every supporter with a soccer ball shaved into their heads and every frequent outbreak of 'Shosholoza!' It is impossible to not feel proudly South African right now.
The Italians are here, the Spaniards are here and the Meh-hee-koh supporters are out in force. Every now and then the crowds rush to a corner of the square where a football 'star' has just made an appearance, flanked by several bodyguards who wouldn't look out of place on Air Force One. There is an excitement in the African air that I've never felt before... and it's intoxicating.
I'm a rugby girl through and through. I've always preferred my games to be 80 minutes long and found 90 minutes unbearable. If you had told me this time last year that I would be driving around in a car with mirror socks (South African flags, of course), paying a stupid amount of money for a Bafana Bafana soccer jersey and an even more stupid amount of money for tickets to go and watch a game live in the heart of Soweto, I would have told you to cut down on the recreational drugs.
I think the fact that not even I managed to escape football fever is testament to the sheer power of it. This is Africa. This is a country where everyday life sometimes feels like an extreme sport and some days you wish you had a European passport. I'll admit that ever since my return from London in '05 I have entertained thoughts of living somewhere fabulously and thoroughly first world like New York. But today I am happy to announce that there is nowhere on the planet I would rather be... the passion, the spirit, the optimism, the energy and the warm welcome to all who arrive simply can't be beaten.
This is Africa – and it rocks!
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