In South Africa

Being home again is a wonderful familiar. There is so much density here. So much stuff going on. In this small country, just bigger than the state of Texas, it bursts with so many species; plants, animals and people. I was able to attend the quarter final game in Johannesburg. The stadium was amazingly shinny. The vuvuzela (trumpet like things) resounded everywhere. So much fun was the walk to the gates, with the smell of the food, the chicken in the weber braai's and the borewors, with white pap (maize) and tomato sauce filling the cold air.

The streets are filled with flags, and cars drive past with flags flying like antennas attached to their sides. I think seeing the SA Flag everywhere, creates a sense of pride and belonging like I have come to experience amongst the American people. When I first arrived in Seattle, it was strange for me to see the USA flag flown outside so many houses. But now I understand and feel what that does. Seeing the flag of your country repeatedly, is like a constant check-in reminder of feeling belonging, then pride and hopefully turning into contribution.

My time here in South Africa is almost up, and I feel mixed emotions. Hard to return and hard to stay. Perhaps like the scene from the old film "My stepmother's an alien"...
But the challenge for the World Champs in New Zealand is the focus. And although my family and past lies here in Pretoria, now called Tshwane, something momentous awaits in Seattle. And I'm excited to ride that wave.