First two days in South Africa!

Here is the updated photo album!

Well, we hit the ground running so I was not able to write as much as I would have liked in the first 48 hours. I'll try to write a long entry here (sorry if you don't want to read, you won't make it to the end) while my pictures are loading (which will probably tell a better story when I post them anyway). Anyhow, everything at JFK airport was a breeze. Fr. Scott and I said Mass in the hotel room in the early morning, then made it through security so easily, and through the Emirates check-in line so easily, that we were able to go to the Catholic Chapel at JFK and spend some time in prayer before our flight. I had just been to confession at the priest retreat, so I was good to go! The international terminal used by Emirates at JFK wasn't too happening, so there wasn't much to do before leaving, but everything happened smoothly and we were up in the air and off for the 12.5 hour flight to Dubai. We met a few great people on the plane, plenty of American fans who found like we did that this flight was the cheapest way to go to Johannesburg near where the US would start playing in the World Cup. I only slept for an hour on the flight, but filled the time well with reading and watching Avatar, Invictus and Up in the Air (I would rate the three in that order, though I watch fewer movies than anyone I know and am not a good critic). There were also some shows previewing the World Cup, some meals to eat (which were fantastic, if cramped) and plenty of prayers to be said, since we were 'losing time' going to Dubai. I would say the flight went quickly and was as painless as it could be. Surprisingly, when we got to Dubai we did not pull into a gate, but were sent out into the 96 degree heat to wait for buses to take us for a long bus ride to the terminal. Then we had a quick walk through the incredible Dubai airport to our flight to Johannesbug. We did not have time to really soak in the Dubai airport which is a crosspoint for people throughout the world. We did have time to freshen up, brush our teeth and get ready for the 8 hour flight to Johannesburg. This flight too went quickly, was painless, and had good food. I know I watched a movie or two when I wasn't praying, but can't remember what they were. Thankfully, I was able to sleep for at least an hour on this flight, which made me just fresh enough to enjoy the excitement waiting on the ground in South Africa.

We flew through passport control in South Africa, waited 15 minutes to get our bags, got in the line which said 'nothing to declare' which meant really 'no customs check' and walked right out into the concourse no more than 30 minutes after our flight touched down! Awesome! Great start to the trip. Daniel Andrew, our host, met us at the airport. We were easy to spot since we traveled in clerics, and we went right upstairs to print our tickets. Again - no line and everything worked well - and we were the proud owners of tickets to the World Cup! All three US games!! And what is more? Right when we were ready to leave the airport South Africa scored the first goal of the World Cup! We learned right away how deafening vuvuzelas - the intolerable plastic trumpets that blast your ear drums right out - can be as the sound bounced around the concourse and the South Africans ran and yelled and danced like crazy! Welcome to the World Cup! I was glad actually that the Mexicans scored a late goal to get the draw. I wasn't ready to root for South Africa over our neighbor Mexico just yet.

At 5:30pm it was already dusk in Jberg, since it is winter here. It took 45 minutes to get to the Andrews house, which is fanstastic and in a safe area. Sydney, the daughter of Daniel and Denise, gave up her bedroom so Fr. Scott and I could both have a private room and bath. We said Mass for the family, had some great squash soup, and then watched some soccer together to get in the World Cup mood!

Saturday was USA vs. England day!!!!! We were pumped, even as we overslept and almost were late to our morning Mass at a local parish. Our driver for the week, Wilson, dropped us off only one minute before the 8am Mass, but the Irish priest who had been in South Africa for 45 years since his ordination, was very kind and waited a bit so we could concelebrate. It was good to pray with the Lord for an hour after Mass, and of course, there were plenty of devout women in the parish who asked for the blessing of the newly ordained priest, Fr. Scott. I tried not to be jealous as I continued my prayers dutifully. The parish, Resurrection in Bryanston, was built in 1998 and had a number of devout faithful there for Mass, who stayed and prayed all kinds of devotions and special intentions after Mass. After Mass it was out to Saturday brunch to discuss plans with the Andrews, hit the ATM, enjoy the gorgeous weather (even in the winter the sun is warm in the afternoons and makes you feel great, kind of like a Colorado summer here in Jberg), and sink in some of the Jberg atmosphere and to get our bearings!

By 1pm we were ready for the drive to Rustenberg to see the US play England at 8:30pm. We left plenty early so as to leave nothing to chance. Other than having our US flag ripped off our car by some English fans, and some traffic delays which afforded the US fans and English fans an early opportunity for taunting along the highway, the drive was beautiful and the weather perfect. We arrived at the park and ride area around 3:30pm, said our prayers, and said goodbye to Wilson until late that night. By 4:15 we were outside the stadium, feeling good that we had made it all this way for the game, and because most of the food and beverages available were inside a security area that did not open until 5:30pm, we just got in line for security and made friends with US fans from all over the world! Yes, we even made a few friends with the English, who are 96% great, but boy do those 4% with the lack of manners and unconscionable language get on your nerves!

The security was a joke, unfortunately, especially since the game had been seriously threatened. The metal scanners weren't working, and when they did work, they were ignored. Then the ticket scanners, only about 10% of them were working, so thankfully we were at the beginning of the line. I'm sure had the stadium been much bigger, or fans arrived late (almost everyone was there by 5pm) that there would have been a riot. But anyhow, everyone seemed fine at this point. It had the feel of KU vs. MU in 2007 at Armageddon at Arrowhead, except for a smaller stadium and a billion more people watching this game USA vs. England.

We watched the end of a world cup match outdoors with other fans, then bypassed the overpriced souvenir stands and went inside the stadium, where the only choice in food was either a lamb dog or a beef dog. Fr. Scott had both but couldn't tell the difference, if that tells you anything. Mine was cold and tasteless, but at least I had some energy for cheering. Budweister and Coca-cola took care of the rest. The three hours before the game were spent making friends in the stands, walking around admiring the amazing costumes by fans from the United States, and getting a feel for the opposing fans. There were tons of English, but we were very well represented. We saw everything from Elvis costumes, to Uncle Sam costumes, to revolutionary war costumes, to Davy Crockett. It was a wild and fun mix of US fans, all of whom thought we were going to do well!

The stadium itself left much to be desired. They could never get the scoreboards to work, so there was no game information, not even a clock and no video replays or highlights. The nice thing was that there were also no commercials! The pitch looked great, and our seats were high in the middle section but near midfield and we were greatly pleased with them! The stadium was small and in a difficult to reach location, and we thought this odd given the hype surrounding this game, but maybe we overestimated our own importance. At any rate, here we were, in the countryside of South Africa, ready to watch our national team take on England! It was an incredible feeling to be there.

Those of you who watched on tv probably saw the action better than we did. Of course when you are at the stadium you can see the overall flow of the game so well, since your eyes are not limited to a camera's view, but you don't get any of the replays that you desperately want after the big moments pass so quickly. And you get none of the closeups and facial expressions that ESPNHD provides. Suffice it to say, England seemed to have the better chances overall, but we clearly had the best goalie in Tim Howard and our guys deserved a draw. That first goal we let in was so simple and easy for England. I was so afraid that we were going to lose 1-0, and that would have broken our hearts after having come so far, but we kept cheering and hoping, and when Dempsey's goal trickled through we were leaping and hugging every USA fan we could find, and throwing a few cheers toward the English fans as well. As you know, England came out with everything in the second half, and had great chances, but we survived and the result was just what we needed. If we can beat Slovenia which beat Algeria, we'll be on our way to the round of 16 - go USA!

After the match, the English players walked with heads down straight to their locker room, and their fans left disappointed. We continued to celebrate a bit with the USA players who came over to see us and thank us, and then something I suspected indeed happened. There was no parking near the stadium, and the buses that had brought everyone in bit by bit had were not nearly enough to handle the traffic after the game. And with the stadium being in the middle of nowhere, no one had anything to do or anywhere to go except to complain and riot about the lack of buses. When we saw fences being pulled down and things turning potentially ugly, Fr. Scott and I decided to walk in the direction where we thought the buses were going, thinking the shuttle lots couldn't be that far. Well, in reality, they were at least 10K, maybe more, from the stadium, so while we started our walk accompanied by hundreds of USA and English fans also fleeing the chaos, and with hopes of getting home before 4am (it was already 11pm), after 7K or so there were just a few fans still walking. Most had given up and turned back around to join the chaos. There were no police or volunteers helping on this road, probably because we weren't supposed to be walking it, but eventually, we came across a man who had been robbed and had made it to a couple of traffic cops down the way, and the cops called a taxi for this poor man and we jumped in with him. I think the guys was going to be ok - he didn't really know what happened except that the robbery was by fellow fans, not by anybody local. We made it the rest of the 5K to the park and ride lot, where Wilson was able to meet us, and we hit the road by midnight back to Joberg, and arrived at the Andrews by 2am. We heard at Church this morning that most fans who had waited for the buses didn't make it home until 4am. So we did well, but I feel badly for the World Cup organizers and the people of Rustenberg, who messed up this situation badly. There was plenty of nearby parking along the roads and such - this sytem of park and ride just didn't work out. But I think most everyone made it home safely, and we live with our team to fight another day.

Today Sunday we designated our rest day. We made the 10am Mass at Bryanston, and were cheered by the people during the Mass who were also cheering for the USA (absolutely everyone had watched the match the night before), and then we enjoyed coffee with the folks on a beautiful morning. Then we headed with the Andrews to the outdoor market in Rosedale, and enjoyed the sights, sounds and smells and tastes there, before heading back to relax and watch more World Cup games. We had oxtail for dinner (yum!) and oreo cookies for dessert, since the Americans here can't get them.

Tomorrow we are meeting with Msgr. Gabuza who is the administrator of the Pretoria diocese nearby, who is going to show us some of the parishes and work being done in the settlements which Joberg is unforunately known for. Many of these settlements linger on from apartheid days. Fr. Scott and I are eager to learn as much as we can about how things were and are and will be, and to see if the light and truth of the Gospel can be brought to bear on any situation we come into contact with.

We are having some problems with our car so all other plans are up in the air right now. Stay tuned! And thanks for reading (if anyone got this far!).