Amakhosi (Tribal leaders regarded collectively)

This blog post may be long overdue, but the time has come to make one of the most important decisions I may have to make during my time here in South Africa… It’s time to pick a soccer team.

Much like big sports teams at home, age-old rivalries are alive and well here in Johannesburg. In the South African league, known as the Premier Soccer League (PSL), sixteen teams compete for the league title every year. Two of these teams, the Orlando Pirates and the Kaizer Chiefs (also known as Amakhosi), are fortunate enough to call Soweto their hometown. The Sun Downs, which are also somewhat part of the rivalry, are based out of Pretoria and also pose a threat for the top spot in the league. It’s hard to say whether this rivalry tops that of the Red Sox vs. Yankees, but from what I can tell, it’s pretty serious. And there’s no doubt that the passion that fans have for these teams is insurmountable.

Naturally, when making any important decision, a pros and cons list is necessary. Here are a few that I’ve come up with so far:

1.     I’ve had a chance to go to 2 Chiefs games and they were both awesome.

2.     They’re sponsored by Nike (As is Grassroot Soccer)

3.     They randomly practice at the Nike Center in Soweto

a.     I’ve even gotten pictures with a couple players!

 

Annie (staff member at GRS) was especially excited to meet one of her favorite players.

Kaizer Chiefs official SUV parked outside the Nike Center.

4.     They are at the top of the table right now in the PSL

5.     Some of South Africa’s biggest players lead this team (like midfielder Siphiwe Thsabalala and goal keeper Itumeleng Khune)

6.     They play at FNB Stadium, also known as Soccer City

Here are some of the perks to being a Pirates fan:

1.     They’ve won the league 2 years running

2.     They have really nice-looking Jerseys

3.     They started up as a team that grew organically out of Soweto

As I mentioned before, I’ve had a chance to see the Chiefs play twice already and both times exceeded my expectations. The first game I went to was the home opener of the season: Chiefs against the Sun Downs. My roommates/fellow interns Matthew and Karl and I couldn’t wait to see a live professional game here in Soweto. We were also excited to go see a game at Soccer City, which was only about 15 minutes from our house at the time, because the stadium holds a lot of value within South African culture and history. Not only is it the largest stadium in Africa, but it was also the first stadium to host a World Cup Tournament match in Africa. It was the venue of the 2010 World Cup final and closing ceremony and was the site where Bafana Bafana claimed the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Furthermore, it is the place where Nelson Mandela was welcomed back into Soweto after his release from prison in 1990. Needless to say, the stadium holds a lot of significance around here.

Anyway, we got to the game and simply soaked it all in. By the end of the first half, the score was 0-0, but the Chiefs took the lead with two goals in the second half. Chiefs ultimately won the game 2-1, with an unfortunate own-goal committed by the goal keeper. After that game, I was impressed, but still not fully convinced that my loyalty should lie with the Chiefs.

The pre-game ceremony at Soccer City

Matt and Karl at Soccer City

Matt and I with some Chiefs fans

Karl and I at Soccer City before the Chiefs vs. Sun Downs game

We were also somewhat amused by the choice of snacks that some of the fans had at the game. Back home in the states a lot of people are used to the usual cracker jacks, hot dogs and pretzels (you know, those delicious artery-clogging foods), but this particular fan decided it was best to watch his cholesterol at the Chiefs game and chose to nibble on half a head of cabbage throughout the game.

Fan cheering with his head of cabbage in hand.

Now that was just the first game that we attended. The second Kaizer Chiefs game that I went to had a much more unexpected and thrilling ending. About a month ago some of our fellow GRS interns from Kimberly, Cape Town and Lesotho came for a house-warming visit and for the Chiefs vs. Black Leopards game. After arriving 20 minutes late to the game and missing 2 goals, we finally settled into some seats about 20 rows back from the field. Not long after we found our seats, we noticed the temperature drop about ten degrees. About a minute later, as if almost on queue, there was a mass exodus of people who got up out of their seats and started heading towards the stairs. It seemed like everyone else was in on some covert premonition that none of us interns knew about but we sat there for a couple more minutes while we watched everyone flood the aisles.  Then all of a sudden I felt a couple of drops, and I think most of us were expecting a quick rain shower that would eventually pass and allow us to retake our seats… but there was much more than that on the way.

We quickly followed suit and rushed up the stairs to the overhang with the rest of the lively Chiefs fans. Soon after reaching the top of the staircase, hail just came shattering down and everyone simply stood and watched in disbelief. (Just as a reminder, it’s supposed to be spring time in South Africa right now.) Anyway, once the game stopped, a few bold souls had the brilliant idea of rushing the field and dancing in the hail. At first we were a little hesitant to join in on this madness, but all of us interns just couldn’t resist… so we ran down to jump over the barricade and onto the field. Under the bright lights of Soccer City, we ran and danced and jumped in pure elation. It was one of those times where you just want to live in the moment and take in all of your surroundings… being in South Africa, spending time with good friends and running around on a World Cup Championship Field. Definitely an unforgettable experience.

After countless minutes of the stadium’s announcer begging everyone to get off the field, we all reluctantly made our way back up to the overhang. But the fun didn’t end there. We spent the next hour or so singing, dancing and taking pictures with Chiefs fans around the stadium. Even though the game had stopped and it was clear that it wouldn’t resume that night, very few fans dared to leave the stadium. Most people stuck around to continue the spontaneous celebration until the stadium’s security finally kicked all of us out.

GRS Interns with random Kaizer Chiefs fans on the field at Soccer City.

Unfortunately, in the midst of all of this excitement, a few of us had a couple things stolen from us while at the stadium. Karl and Xhanti (one of our friends from Soweto) both had their wallets stolen, and my camera that I had in my pocket was stolen as well. Despite these unfortunate incidents, the overall experience that night was incredible.

Although I still haven’t had a chance to make it to a Pirates game, I think the decision pretty much made itself.

The Final Decision: Kaizer Chiefs it is!

Gatvol (Fed up or had enough)

Check out Grassroot Soccer's latest video about the fight against HIV in Africa!

P.S. More updates to come soon...

Kota (No literal translation in English... But it's basically a hefty chunk of food regardless of the language)

As one of the first things I had a chance to experience upon my arrival in South Africa, the word “kota” has a special meaning for this week. It is one of the first of many uniquely South African foods that will probably become a staple in my diet, and it led me to an interesting situation last week. But first, I’ll explain all that I know about kota at this point (because I’m still not entirely sure of what it consists of). From what I can tell, the main ingredients of Kota include potato, arhcar, fries, polony and a huge chunk of bread. Some of the added ingredients that I’ve had with it are eggs, cheese, a hot dog (also called a Vienna) and special. You might be wondering what I mean by ‘special,’ right? To be honest, I wish I knew. Despite multiple attempts to find out, no one is able to describe it… but that’s what they list as an ingredient.

Last week, while going to get kota for lunch with a few GRS coaches I ended up giving an impromptu Spanish lesson. This may seem silly, especially since I’m not even fluent in Spanish, but I figured I might as well roll with it since I can at least carry a conversation in Spanish. As I stood at the Kota stand with one of the other GRS coaches, named Brown, still dazed and confused by what the cook behind the counter was saying to me, I felt like it was about time to get some guidance on how to speak Zulu. I asked the coach if she could teach me a little Zulu, and there began my first language lesson in Zulu. All the other customers surrounding us seemed both intrigued and mildly amused by what was taking place at this kota stand. At one point I asked how many languages Brown knew, and she responded by rattling off about 6 different languages. She informed me that most people are able to speak multiple languages and the reason being that there are so many different ethnic backgrounds all living in close contact throughout Johannesburg that most people end up picking up at least a few from a very young age. Needless to say I was impressed.  

In return, she asked me if I spoke any other languages and although I couldn’t compete with her 6 other languages, I mentioned that I could speak a little Spanish. Back at home this doesn’t seem like anything too special since it’s so common for people to know a little Spanish, but Brown was excited to learn this language that very few people in this area have even heard before. So, we begin with the basics: “Hi” – “Hola” and “How are you?” – “Cómo estás,” and so on. The next thing I know, I have two or three other guys listening in and asking how to say certain things in Spanish.

People often say that the best way to learn about a culture is by eating the food. Yet at this particular instance, I basically got a two for one special – a little bit of culture and the language just by going to get some Kota. I was both pleased and surprised by how easy it was to break down cultural barriers and how often people are willing to learn and be open to learning about other people and cultures. Maybe the people I happened to be talking to were more open than others because they rarely met anyone from the United States or because they never met anyone who could speak Spanish, but those few interactions alone left me in a good state of mind as we got back into the car to return to the Nike Center that day. I was bid adieu with an enthusiastic “Adios Amigos” from one of the people waiting for kota, and regardless of whether or not they remember a single word that I said in Spanish, that cross-cultural interaction alone was enough of a reward.

Nike Training Center in Soweto (Location of GRS offices)

Also, we moved! This is the old intern house that we lived in for the first 2 weeks in SA. Pics of the new spot coming soon...

More stories on the way!

Peace

Also, if you want to check out more about Grassroot Soccer and the work they do around the world, check out: www.GrassrootSoccer.org.

Sawubona! (Good Morning/Hello!)

After four long days in the woods of New Hampshire and a couple days of travel, I’ve finally arrived in South Africa! The journey to Johannesburg was certainly a long one, but there’s much more in store this coming year that will make it complete!

As a quick introduction, I first want to explain the purpose of this blog. This year I will be working with an incredible organization called Grassroot Soccer (GRS) in Johannesburg, South Africa. I will be documenting not only the work that I will be doing with GRS, but also my travels around the continent as well as the exciting and unforeseen experiences that lie ahead. I will begin every blog with a word, saying or phrase in one of the indigenous languages in South Africa like Zulu, which is one of the most popular indigenous languages spoken in Johannesburg, that will express an overall theme for that particular blog post. My goal is to have at least one blog post every couple of weeks, so hopefully it will stay updated!

To give a little background on the Grassroot Soccer organization, it was founded in 2002 by Tommy Clark, a Dartmouth College alum (woot woot!) doctor, soccer player, innovator, and friend. After playing for a professional soccer team in Zimbabwe, Tommy learned first hand the effect that AIDS has on many communities in sub-Saharan Africa and was so moved by the people and friends that he met there, that he was inspired to establish Grassroot Soccer, Inc. I had the privilege of meeting Tommy this past week at orientation, and simply hearing his story and speaking with him was enough to reassure me that this internship in South Africa is exactly what I want to do. 

Although it may seem like an outlandish concept, Grassroot Soccer uses the power of soccer to unite and mobilize communities to combat the spread of HIV. 33 million people are infected with HIV worldwide, and while it is definitely an issue within communities in the U.S., the magnitude of the disease is even greater in Africa. 67% of people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa. In order to get to the root of the problem, Grassroot Soccer implements various “Skillz” curricula in schools for different age groups, including a specific curriculum for girls. By coupling the game of soccer with education about the transmission and spread of HIV, students are able to fuel their interest for the beautiful game while learning important life skills that lead to healthy lifestyles and choices. Not only does GRS develop a curriculum that uses various analogies and metaphors that relate soccer to life, it trains and empowers coaches who are role models and soccer players within the community so that they can teach the curriculum to the students, thus making it a more sustainable program.

Furthermore, Grassroot Soccer prides itself on having a great deal of evidence that shows the progress that participants of GRS programs have made over time. The only way that GRS can continue to grow and improve the quality of its work is by understanding how well it is doing and what can be done better. That’s where I come in. I will be a Monitoring and Evaluation intern at GRS’s site in Soweto, one of South Africa’s most famous townships. It is best known for being home to some of South Africa’s most prominent global leaders like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu as well as its anti-apartheid uprising. I will be supporting the Monitoring and Evaluation team by working on a variety of projects including focus groups, interviews, data collection and analysis as well as maintenance of the Skillz curriculum database.

Prior to take off this past Sunday, all twenty-two Grassroot Soccer interns participated in orientation, which was held at Harris Cabin for the first two nights and Pierce’s Inn for the last two nights. Orientation involved four full days of training, learning, playing and getting to know each other. As much fun as all this sounds, I have to admit it was exhausting. But I loved every minute of it. We started off at Pierce’s Inn in Etna, New Hampshire where all of us were able to meet and greet one another, most of us for the first time. Then we made the trek even further into the woods where we hiked up to Harris Cabin to spend the next couple of days. Wednesday night was fairly relaxed because we spent most of the time getting acquainted with one another. It was also our first real opportunity to get a taste of what the GRS organization is really like… an enthusiastic, driven and fun group that is dedicated to improving the lives of others. 

Thursday was filled with a variety of games, activities and a hike up Moose Mountain. When we came back to Pierce’s Inn on Friday morning we had more formal training with powerpoint presentations which were interspersed with various “energizers” that kept us alert and engaged throughout the day. Saturday was another full day of training plus some soccer in the rain, and then we finally wrapped things up on Sunday morning before heading back to Boston. Thankfully, I got a chance to go home for a few hours before heading to Logan and to say my final good-byes. The good news is that the four days we spent with no cell phone service or internet access in the middle of New Hampshire really gave us a chance to focus on our future endeavor and get fired up for everything that lies ahead.

As Michelle Obama so aptly put it, “Soccer is the hook.” Soccer is the universal language that inevitably links diverse communities across the globe. Soccer represents the similarities we have with one another because it puts us all on the same playing field and encourages us to use our skills to reach our ultimate goals. Soccer has the power to bring people together, to have a positive influence on people in order to build up and empower communities. By harnessing the power of soccer, there is real potential to change the direction of this epidemic. As I prepare to begin my year-long internship with Grassroot Soccer, I look forward to this opportunity to be a part of the collective effort to fight HIV across the globe.

Here we go....