We’re down to under two weeks to go at the World Cup. Things have been expectantly busy. Even though today was a “rest day” (no games) we still had plenty to do. I spent the day running around Mandela Square getting interviews. At the convention center, the International Sports Press Association held a shoot out between all the Miss World contestants of the remaining eight teams. That was fun to watch, to say the least.
I’ve extended my stay in South Africa. I changed my plane ticket to return to the States in early August. I’ll be traveling along the southern coast from Durban to Cape Town, then head north to Namibia and Zambia before coming back to Johannesburg via Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Of course I’ll be posting stuff here. In the mean time, check out these cool mic flags:
In more than one sense, it’s been game on non-stop for the past nine days. Not only have their been three games a day, but work has taken me all over the place. From interviewing players, FIFA officials, major international football figures and Steve Nash and Ian Thorpe, to going on a safari, to attending the US-Slovenia game I’ve been keeping busy.
Through it all so far, one song has been stuck in my head. Much like “Beijing Welcomes You” at the Olympics there, “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” by Shakira is omnipresent. The official World Cup song is pretty catchy and it never hurts to go into the big Sony Dome in Mandela Square and watch the music video in 3D. Here’s the 2D version:
But sitting around watching this is boring. Luckily, I’ve been able to leave the compound. Yesterday I went on a safari with Fernando Schwartz, the reporter I’m working with, and some ESPN International VIPs. It was pretty cool. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take a bunch of photos because I was, after all, working, busy shooting the elephants, giraffes, hippos, rhinos and zebras. Not to mention cool birds and a bunch of other African wildlife.
And! I was fortunate enough to go to the US Slovenia game. It was a Ellis Park in Joburg not far from our offices here. We drove through downtown and I saw the MNUheadquarters building straight from the movie. This is one of the highlights of my trip so far.
But really they’re not that bad, except for the fact that the vuvuzelas are constantly being blown by genuinely enthusiastic South African fans. It has come to symbolize support for South African football (soccer) and the opening game tomorrow against Mexico promises to be deafening. Apparently, vuvuzelas are so loud players can’t hear each other on the pitch. So I guess it’s a good thing that South African players don’t communicate much while playing. Home field advantage might really mean something here.
One of the perks of working on-site like this is an abundance of mic flags just lying around. Every ENG already has one, but just in case a rabid ESPN fan should swipe one, the office has several replacements ready.
Speaking of mic flags, I’ve started taking photos of all the random ones I’ve been seeing around Mandela Square. I’m hoping to put together a cool collage or something. If you’re as giddy about mic flags as I am, you can imagine my excitement every time I see a new one.
