Civilized South Africa!

I tried to restrain myself, but it was only a matter of time before a blog post would feature soccer, though there is something I need to get off my chest. Ok, so it's not entirely about soccer (because my knowledge is limited), but more of South Africa. I'm so glad the Soccer World Cup is taking place right here! I thought it was going to be an embarrassment for our country, because I didn't have faith in our people. I didn't think we'd pull it off, and, instead I thought tourists would be raped, murdered or robbed. I mean, come on, we don't really have a good track record when it comes to crime (and my mirror socks were stolen)! 

Well, I take back every negative thought I had, because we're halfway through and things are running smoothly! Everything is about soccer, whether you like it or not. It is so pleasant to pick up a newspaper and not see 'murder', 'blood' or 'corruption' in the headlines - everything is just about soccer. There is one thing I did see in the newspaper that didn't really come as a shock. A foreigner was quoted as saying "I didn't know South Africa was so civilized". Well duh!

So here is the part I would like to get off my chest (and listen up foreigners!): We are more than just civilized! South Africa is a beautiful country with even more beautiful, talented, PROUD people! There are more to SA than the Big 5, Table Mountain or Nelson Mandela. We use money, that we work for, when we buy things in malls, restaurants or boutiques. We even use a currency called 'rand'. Now I bet you didn't see that one coming, because somewhere you read that we trade with cattle. Just like our water, our milk is safe to drink - and it's delicious! Then let me not go into the wines we make, among other things! We live in houses (the wealthier ones in mansions) and we have things like satellite TV, designer clothes, dishwashers and washing machines. We even have our own actors, models, fashion designers, singers and reality TV shows; homebrewed. Shocked yet? Well, then I probably shouldn't tell you that we have cars parked in our garages, and it's cars like BMW, Mercedes and 4X4's. We don't run around barefeet with our babies tied to our backs. We don't have wild animals parading through our streets. The women are not topless, unless the price is right. And lastly, the majority of us don't live in poverty with AIDS and have our men hunt during the day.

See, we're pretty (and) normal on this side of the world. It might not be Vegas, but we also party and get drunk - some more than others.

Again, I'm so proud the Soccer World Cup is happening right here, because it's a chance to prove ourselves, a chance to finally put South Africa on the map once and for all, and a chance for the world to open its eyes.

J