Soccer Tournament

This past weekend there was a soccer tournament that Matt helped organize.  It was more successful and entertaining than we could have imagined.  As some of you may not know, soccer is the only sport for many South Africans.  Rugby and cricket are popular among the white population, but in our corner of the country soccer is the be-all and end-all of sports.  Young boys are kicking balls, rocks, rolled-up plastic bags (basically anything) from the time they can walk.  In short, soccer is kind of a big deal here.

Ten teams entered the tournament, and with the nominal entrance fees and some donations we were able to buy medals for 1^st and 2^nd places, refreshments, and we had a little money left over for prizes.  We were also fortunate to borrow a sound system from the church (if you play House music, they will come). 

              

The highlight of the tournament came during the second game.  Our boys at the primary school formed a team.  Prior to the tournament, everyone hoped to play them in the first round.  When we asked people whether our boys had a chance, everyone laughed.  Before their match (against a team of high schoolers and men in their early 20s) they appeared out of place.  The other team was going through organized warm-up drills.  The boys milled around joking with each other.  The men all wore cleats.  The boys were barefoot. 

But after the first ten minutes something strange happened.  Everyone in the crowd of about 200 collectively realized that the men had not yet scored and if the boys managed to remain tied at the end of the game, they would have a chance in the shoot-out.  Halftime came and the game was still a scoreless tie.  During the 2^nd half everyone was on their feet cheering loudly for the boys.  Then with about 10 minutes left, it happened.  They boys scored.  50 people rushed the field.  Then 5 minutes later it happened again.  This time 100 people rushed the field to celebrate the boys’ 2-0 lead.  The boy who had scored both goals was hoisted onto people’s shoulders.  Some of the men on the other team lied down on the ground looked ashamed and dejected.  One of the primary school teachers collapsed on the ground to mock them.  The game ended a few minutes later and people rushed the field again. 

Even though the boys had only made it to the next round, they had instantaneously become the true champions of the tournament.  Nobody cared when they were blown out in their next match because that one victory had ensured success for the entire tournament.  And no subsequent games would match the drama until the end of the championship itself (which remarkably went to 14 rounds in the shoot-out).  Mthoko, the 13 year-old who scored both of the boys’ goals, was awarded a medal for Young Player of the Tournament.  He proudly wore it to school on Monday and when we told him (for the 20^th time) that we were so proud of him, he guaranteed 1^st place next time.  Sizobona.  We will see.

As for everything else, life is still good here.  The school term ends next week and the children are now writing exams, so things are pretty slow.  Sara’s parents arrive next Tuesday, and we are eagerly looking forward to sharing our site with them and then travelling for a couple weeks.  This weekend we will be in Pretoria and we will definitely be posting pictures from the tournament on facebook.

I Know You Are But What Am I?

                If you read our “recent” post, then you know how things were going 6 weeks ago.  Now let’s get caught up to speed.  We are now at the beginning of one of the coldest months of the year, but so far so good because it hasn’t been too bad yet.  We were recently talking about the fact that this time last year we had already been emotionally crushed by winter.  But every day that we wake up to see the sun, we know it is one less day of brutal coldness.

                As for the month of May, we have nothing exceptional to report.  Things are still going well at the primary school.  We received a couple boxes of donated books, and one of Sara’s 6^th graders has taken on the role of librarian with adorable enthusiasm.  At the high school, Matt has started a history club that is slowly growing in popularity, but with the second term ending soon he won’t have any more meetings until mid-July.

                Next week there will be a big community soccer tournament that we are helping organize.  If things go well, and it’s looking like they will, we should have some good photos to share online. 

                Our home has cemented its reputation among local kids as the place to be.  We recently had 15 kids hanging out after school.  It’s amusing to see what the kids perceive as “luxuries” in our home.  At various times, we have found kids mesmerized by Matt’s razor, a 2” by 3” camping mirror, Sara’s cheap Target wristwatch, and running water in our bathtub.  Not to mention our ipods, camera and laptop, all of which carry hypnotic powers.  As for our laptop, you wouldn’t believe which movie provides the most entertainment and garners the most requests . . . . Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.  It’s disturbing how well we can now quote the movie from memory.

                Well that pretty much captures what’s going on these days in our world.  Sara’s parents arrive in two weeks, and we’re very excited to both share our experience with them and then to go on vacation. 

                We should probably promise to be better about blogging in the future, but we hate breaking promises so we don’t want to set ourselves up for failure.  Hope all is well, but it’s time I stop handwriting this blog post – Pee-Wee is about to find out there’s no basement in the Alamo. . . .