From SFO, we hopped a red eye to JFK, arriving around 7:45 am (east coast time), enduring another layover and breakfast before boarding the nearly 15-hour flight to Johannesburg. The plane was full of soccer fans, but many of them boasted allegiances to other countries.
Mexican fans were most prominent, already in full regalia for tomorrow's match against their South African hosts. We heard noisemakers and chants in the airport, dodged poncho-clad hooligans in the streets, and saw one man in full Mexican peasantry, prompting Ben to wonder how the guy will ratchet up his spirit tomorrow.
The citizens of South Africa seem noticeably energized for the event (though our driver joked that the heavy traffic period is daily from 7 am to 7 pm due to road construction. It had a completion date that expired three months back, he noted, then jokingly speculating it wouldn't end until 2017). Others we see proudly wear their men's national team jerseys: flight attendants, restaurant servers, room service workers, and many casual fans. The image of the flag is plastered through freeway interchanges in colored stone, and flags themselves fly from autos whose drivers shape them to fit their rear-view mirrors, hoods, and wheels. The upscale shops at the mall in Melrose Arch all contained soccer clothing regardless of normal merchandise.
What's most striking about the fervent spirit remains who shows it (those of the middle and upper class) and who doesn't (those of an impoverished lower class who instead focus on the opportunity to make money in any number of ways). It goes beyond a simplistic division between social classes, however, as we learned when a well-dressed, well-mannered man helped to load our bags into the tour van at the airport. We believed him to be part of our tour caravan so we held our tip, completely willing to offer it once we arrived at our destination. When we did not pay him for his service, he simply walked off through the garage.
At Melrose Arch we found a nice restaurant called Europa, and all decided we could've easily been dining in San Francisco. The food, people, and atmosphere felt posh, urban, and Western. We three can proudly claim that our first meals in South Africa consisted of two salads and a club sandwich with French fries. At the end of such traveling, however, the comfort Europa and its surroundings provided helped ease our transition into life nearby (and made the end of a tiring day very leisurely). After, we strolled through shops until we found a three-story Woolworth's department store. The first level contained the closest (and likely coolest) miniature grocery store to our apartment, and allowed us to stock up on some basic snacks.
We're lodged at an extended stay-style apartment complex north of Jo'burg. There's a kitchenette, small living room, and two bedrooms. We can hear every phone ring, every conversation in the hall or at the front desk, and might just have the grossest fridge in the city, judging from the responses of the maids. Far be it from me to make any unfair judgments before my first night's sleep. I will therefore proclaim that we are happy to finally be in a room, and be awake at what appears to be an appropriate evening hour for sleep.
Like all the houses on this hill, we're surrounded by high walls and electric wire.
Because of these walls, it's difficult to say how beautiful the houses around us might actually be. They're more like fortified villas. Guards sit at gates around properties that line streets manned by stationed guards at fences. It makes for a safe walk, but we couldn't help but question the lengths at which these people have gone to protect their existence.
The best part of the trip so far? Tournament play begins in less than 24 hours! I have never been so eager to paint my face, wave a flag, and cry out in praise of the Yanks.
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