Rugby

Today I went to a small pub and grill to watch the South Africa vs. Australia rugby match with Duncan and his friend Robin. Apparently this match is a big deal in the Tri-Nations Competition [South Africa vs. Australia vs. New Zealand], and apparently rugby is a big deal in South Africa [although I would argue mostly to white South Africans]. I was excited to watch rugby for the first time.
There is something a little odd about buff men running around in small shorts carrying, throwing, and kicking what looks to me to be an over-inflated football. They pick each other up by their shorts, drop to the ground in fetal positions, hold on to each other with their arms between someone else's legs, smash each others' heads in in what seems to be an organized brawl, and end the game with broken noses, black eyes, busted lips, torn hamstrings, and dislocated shoulders.
Upon first glance, this just looked to me like really confused American football. From what I can see, there are many similarities to American football-- touchdowns, inzones, goal kicks, etc.... but all with very different names. Then, the other part of the game resembles soccer with throw-ins and actually kicking the ball [it always surprised me how infrequently the foot actually touches the ball in a sport called "football"]. And then other elements of the game are so odd and absurd that I cannot see any other sport attempting it.
But there are some elements of rugby that I really admire. One would be when someone with the ball gets tackled to the ground. In football once the ball hits the ground they stop the play, stand up, and then start again [Andrew will probably have to correct me on some part of this]. But, in rugby when someone get tackled to the ground they have to wiggle around until they can get the ball to someone else on their team from under that mess [usually they seem to be in that position that babies fall asleep in when they have their butt in the air, and then they pass the ball through their legs]. I like that. Plus, they are doing all of this without any pads or hard helmets. Perhaps football is actually just a watered-down version of rugby?
I am just going to appease both sides and say that they are just different sports. I have a theory that if you think about any sport too hard, it becomes really odd. Even track and field-- really, running as fast as you can to jump into a sandbox? Spinning around in a circle with a heavy ball on the end of a chain and then tossing it? Running to the point of exhaustion? Really?

Sawubona from South Africa

I made it into South Africa this morning, and boy was it a busy morning. To say the least, it was quite an ordeal, from being stuck overnight in an airport with my luggage to issues with my boarding pass. After 41 grueling hours of travel, I flew in an itty bitty plane to an itty bitty airport in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. When I say itty-bitty... there were only 13 passengers on this flight [the plane holds a maximum of 29], and the airport had one gate. "Baggage claim" was getting your luggage from the airline worker as he got it off the plane.

I wrote an email about it [after I bought few precious moments of internet access] and my roommate Anna, who I think is psychic, summed up my experience perfectly [she just came back from Sweden, so I think she understands]:
"And the not letting you check your bags thing blows, too, cause then you wind up trying to sleep with all of your shit in the not-secure part of the airport, which means you try to sleep like on top of everything because you're worried about people stealing it, but of course you can't really sleep on top of that much shit, so then as soon as you fall asleep you roll off almost immediately and find yourself all the floor tangled up in your stolen and not very warm airline blanket wondering where the fuck your glasses went and realizing that if you crushed them, it will probably be a very very very long time before you can get new ones. And then later you have to pee and finally find a place and wait in line and then try to take all your stuff into the stall with you like you said, and then your period has come and shiiiiiiiiit your tampons are in the very bottom of that suitcase that's kinda keeping the door shut, so you wind up totally unpacking the one bag you'd actually packed well, but the whole time you're trying not to let anything touch the bathroom floor 'cause it's gross... and then the amount of time you have left to get through security is dwindling, so by the time you actually manage to get sat down on that plane, you've sweat through your shirt and are freezing cold, but then the stewardess argues about giving you an extra blanket because you clearly stole the one provided by the last airline. And after countless delays, the plane takes off, and you think, "Thank God, at least I can watch a movie or something." But then all of the movies are about couples in love and every single time there is a kiss your stomach goes all in knots because you're thinking about how long it will be until you can kiss the person you love and it makes you feel a little sick... so you turn off the movies to listen to music. But then the first three songs that come on all remind you of your boyfriend and you find yourself getting all teared up, so you just sit there squished between two strangers who probably don't speak your language somewhere over a country that you know nothing about and you think... what am I doing? "
Anna was pretty spot-on in all of that... and communicated it much better than I could, haha.

So as soon as I got off the itty bitty plane, I met my boss in the itty bitty airport and we loaded my stuff into the jeep. Then, off we go. We were headed to Malala Primary School, where a handover was taking place as the students and faculty thanked the volunteers who had painted their classrooms, giving their school a wonderful makeover. I had just landed, and within the next hour I was totally immersed in the work of Thandanani Children's Foundation [the organization I am working with the next few months]. I had stumbled right into South African culture, and I couldn't be happier.

The room was packed and smelled of fresh paint. Young students clad in green were in the front of the room, singing beautifully. I was impressed that kids so young sang so well. I haven't the slightest idea as to what they were saying, but it sounded amazing!
Soon after a large troop of girls walked in. With bare feet and bare breasts, their clothing consisted of beaded headbands, necklaces, earrings, armbands, skirts, and legbands-- all white with heavy accents of green and orange. They walked in methodically and completely in sync, rhythmically stomping their feet, singing, clapping with small Zulu sticks and shields in hand. They started off slow, and later some members of the choir came back in and their new dance was faster, louder, with legs flying up in the air with high kicks. The older women in the back were inspired to let out cries and cheers to let the girls know they were doing a great job.
This was an amazing first exposure to Zulu culture and to South Africa. What a fantastic first day. I know my work in the upcoming months with Thandanani will be incredibly fulfilling, fun, humbling, and definitely a learning experience. I cannot wait to start.


My boss Duncan is really nice. Being my first night, he took to a dinner gathering with some of his friends. This group included two NGO workers [including Duncan], three private school drama teachers, two psychologists, and a public inner-city school teacher. They all had pretty interesting things to say and it was a very fun and delicious dinner... although I had to do all that I possibly could to keep my eyes open during the meal! I really had not slept since I left the States, and it was a fight to maintain good dinner conversation.
Tomorrow I am going with him and some of his friends to a local pub to watch the almighty Australia vs. South Africa rugby game. I have never seen a rugby game, but it is a big deal to many South Africans so I guess this will be a great learning experience!