relatively uneventful, and I didn’t want to write a post unless there was actually
something interesting to talk about. With only 6 days left here, I’m really starting to
wind down in terms of job responsibility (I’m slowly but surely passing on my skills
to a new volunteer from France here), so this last week should be fairly chill.
The new volunteer’s name is Pierre-Alain (like Peter-Allen in English), and he’s very
good with graphic design. I’ve been learning a few tricks in Photoshop from him,
and he’s also managed to design some new t-shirts for Philisa Abafazi.
Speaking of clothing, our official Philisa Abafazi fleece jackets came in! We only had
to pay a small amount of money for them (the organization funded most of the
costs), and they’re very nice - but more importantly, warm!!
We’ve truly hit the middle of South African winter (just as everyone else back home
is hitting the dire straights of summer), and you can feel every bit of it. I close all of
the windows in the house, but with no indoor heating, it still stays hauntingly chilly
inside.
Leo was leaving on Saturday morning, so we all decided to go out Friday night for
“one last night” in Cape Town. We went out to a seafood/sushi restaurant called
Live Bait where I ordered a sushi platter (which made me sorely miss the sushi back
at Duke! It was wayyyy better.). Leo generously bought everyone’s meal (everyone
includes Philly, Derek, Tammy, Sebastian, his girlfriend, me, Keely, Rachel, Ryan, and
himself. WOW.), so it was free! After that, we headed off to Claremont (near
Newlands, which is where the ProjectsAbroad office is) for dancing and socializing.
We stayed out so late that I’m pretty sure I exhausted every dance move in existence
and created about 500 more – it was a really great, really fun night filled with lots of
laughs and good company.
And of course, yesterday was the World Cup final match between Spain and the
Netherlands. I think most of you will agree with me that it was extremely boring for
90% of the match, until we got an excellent goal by Spain which clinched the
championship for them. We didn’t go anywhere special to watch the game; most of
my volunteer friends were sick or tired and watched it at home, so I did the same.
Sebastian has moved out since his girlfriend and family are here for a week, so I
have the house to myself. Leo left on Saturday, and Ryan is on a safari for an entire
week til Sunday (he’ll see me right before I leave that night).. so I really am “all by
myself” (a certain Celine Dion song of the same name comes to mind).
How have I spent that time? Playing Mario, learning differential equations, messing
around in photoshop, and perfecting my schedule for the fall. And let’s not forget
the South African soap operas – these are super important, and my favorite (“League
of Glory”) is close to a finale I think. I also have been watching Survivor (which I
haven’t seen for probably 6 seasons or so) and realize that nothing about the show
has changed at all, other than that they are WAY too nice to the players now – the
rewards they compete for each week are things like fire kits, shelters, and blankets!
What happened to the “roughin’ it” Survivor that made each team compete for the
prize of a single doughnut (OK, maybe this actually never happened.. but you get my
point)? Let’s let the players starve a bit more.
Sorry for the digression, but I felt like it had to be said. Now that the World Cup is
over, it’s probably appropriate to reflect upon the effects it has had on this country
(and maybe others as well). There are of course the obvious effects like unity and
national pride. This has been something truly amazing to experience; I’m not South
African, but being here at this exciting time has made me feel like one of the locals,
cheering on the team until the very last second when Bafana Bafana got eliminated.
As cheesy as it might sound, the fans aren’t just cheering for a soccer team; they’re
expressing the desire to show the world that South Africa is worth something. This
ties directly back to the previously observed themes of self-sufficiency and
independence.
At the same time, the question of whether South Africa should have hosted the
World Cup has still been raised. Undoubtedly, the country has done an excellent job
of hosting the event with few significant security problems; no one can say that
Africa has failed at hosting the world’s largest sporting event. But what of the
economic effects of the Cup? In the four years leading up to the Cup, countless jobs
have been created as the country’s people constructed massive stadiums, tightened
security on the public transportation, and prepared for the arrival of individuals
from all over the world. It is probably safe to say that some (if not most) of these
jobs will be gone once the hype from the Cup dies down. This will make South
Africa’s unemployment problem even worse. And what are they going to do with
these world-class stadiums now? Host some soccer matches hopefully, but will they
really be used to their full potential?
Then again, these questions are probably raised after ANY country hosts the Cup,
not just South Africa. My personal opinion is that the country did an excellent job –
and they made Africa proud. The World Cup has given South Africa the chance to
improve its image all over the world, hopefully attracting investors and workers for
the future. It has brought countless volunteers to the area (tons of the
ProjectsAbroad volunteers are here largely because the Cup was being hosted this
summer) that may come back and help local communities again. Finally, the Cup
has allowed its viewers, attendees and affiliates to participate in a sort of cultural
exchange by meeting and interacting with people of other nationalities. I know I’ve
been part of this by having conversations, arguments, and laughs with volunteers
from around the globe.
Then again, maybe that’s just what travel is all about: going to a different country
gives us the chance to challenge, confirm, or revise our world views by putting
ourselves in new, exciting situations.
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