fanfare

boo-ooh-waaap-waaaap-waaaaaaaap-wap-wap-wap

screams. cheers. people getting abuse for standing in the way of the screen.

queues for beer, so long that soon it's time for kick-off, so no beer.

over 20 000 people sit, on fold-out chairs or cross-legged on the fine grass of the enclosed cricket field.

babies in beanies, flags, makarapas and of course, vuvuzelas.

friday afternoon at the supersport park fan fest, in centurion. the first bafana bafana game and the feeling of patriotism is contagious.

jz does his inspirational speech, and despite my inherent cynicism i feel moved.

people run, screaming in swarms to the screen when the first goal is scored. vuvuzelas chopping the air in a rhythmic beat, like colourful plastic axes.

it's really here, the world cup that everyone has been going on about/moaning about for years.

i remember when the blue fnb sponsored clock outside anton van wouw primary school on lynwood road said something like 400 days until kick off.

it almost felt like it was never actually going to happen. even though we knew that we'd endured the roadworks outside our house for a good reason.

more people, more traffic, more interest.

all in the name of 22 guys chasing a white ball around a field.

i had so much fun on friday, that we went to another fan fest on saturday. in rustenburg. a 2 hour drive from the city, near to the infamous sun/sin city, and the location of the royal bafokeng stadium.

it wasn't a local game, so it wasn't as packed, which was better. it meant we didn't have to queue to get our hands on cheap burgers, or a full polystyrene box spread of pap, wors, coleslaw, spinach and orange pampoen (pumpkin).

we had so much fun eating, and dancing to "tamatie sauce" with the ladies working in the food tents that we didn't even get to watching the second half of the usa vs. england game.

we had fun chanting "usa! usa!usa!" during the first half though, inspired partly by the american flag coloured cookout cap i was wearing, a souvenir from a time spent eating cheap deep fried cornbread (hush puppies) from a drive-thru takeout in north carolina.

honestly, i thought england would have given the usa a solid beating, but in the spirit of the first african world cup and "ke nako", things do change.

even if the usa goal wasn't spectacular, and did just slip through the english goalie's hands.

if i wasn't so preoccupied with food, beer and trying to kick a ball into an inflatable goal post, i might have noticed some other attempts at goal after that.

but i didn't.

it was more fun for me to just be a part of the experience. after all, the games are only 90 minutes long, but their effects last so much longer.

the general feeling of camaraderie, the willingness of anyone to help out with directions, the undercover cop on the street so overly concerned with our safety.

the thousands of plastic flags, the realization that even though fifa is a huge corporation bent on getting their money's worth, that there are social benefits to hosting a world scale event.

a german lady recently told me that the world cup in germany was the first time the country had stood proudly united, after decades of war, guilt, divisions and shame.

i think for south africa, it's very much the same.