A Social Life Reminder

Yesterday was fabulous. I woke up early to some kids blowing vuvuzelas while I swear circling my house, okay not the best wake up call. Then the guy came to put on my burglar bars. Again, not the greatest. But at noon, I left him working and headed out to the school. Pudulogo Primary School was having visitors for a netball and soccer tournament.

In true South African fashion, the event did not start at the scheduled 9am. Just  before 12, the first teams played. The boys C team played soccer on the field while the girls B team played netball on the netball court. When I arrived, both games were just finishing. As the teams finished, everyone met in the center of the school buildings to regroup, celebrate or reflect, and switch uniforms. Then the boys B team headed out for their soccer game and the girls A team headed over for their netball game.

I started with the netball game. The court is set up in the grass
(not always but at the school it is). It has a basketball hoop
without the backboard on each end and has circles on the court (1 in the middle for the tip off, 1 half circle under the hoop, and 2 quarter circles for each side about half way between the end and half court). The girls line up, one from each team in every circle, 7 girls on a team. Then the game begins. When the whistle blows, the girls in the quarter circles quickly move to where they can receive the ball. 1 girl in the center circle has the ball, the other team's girl is arms length away trying to block the first pass. The girls then pass the ball to each other in attempt to score. When a girl has the ball, she cannot move her feet and must pass the ball to her teammates. To score, a girl must make a basket with the ball. It seemed simple enough for me to follow. It was quick paced as the girls don't move with the ball, just pass it whenever they have possession. However, lots of things were being called, which I didn't really follow, and the game was constantly being stopped. The team's fans sit/stand on the end line under the hoop they will score on. The ball is shaped like a volleyball, with the strips of material creating that unique pattern, but is textured like a basketball having the grippy bumps and texture.

After the 20 min half, I moved over to the soccer field where the boys were playing. This game only differs from the US because the players don't wear shin guards and only a select few wore shoes. The boys played barefoot and the lines on the field were a bit sketchy but functional. I enjoyed watching them for a bit as well. Any time a team scores, in soccer or netball, their fans go wild making lots of noise and running out onto the field and back. Some even had vuvuzelas that they were blowing. This is a South African spirit noise maker. It's about a foot long, plastic horn that is used by fans to cheer for their team. It's a bit overwhelming at the
professional games.

When the games were finished, the boys A team played their soccer match. When that final game was finished, the teachers gathered in one of the classrooms for a feast. The teachers at my school, since they were hosting, put together a traditional South African braai and spent all day preparing food. They cooked beef, chicken, and boerwors (traditional sausage) on a grill. They made the hugest pot of pap I have ever seen (traditional boiled cornmeal). They cooked traditional gravy (kind of like salsa that they eat with the pap).  They also made several salads; carrot and green bean, tomato and pepper, lettuce and onion, and pepper and baked bean based. This meal is served on a plate and eaten with fingers only. To finish the meal, a glass of juice is provided. It was so much fun. Before the visitors left, we gathered to say goodbye. All the teachers gathered in the room where they ate and there was music (Culture Spears, a very popular music group from Botswana), dancing, hugs all around, and then the visiting teachers left for their buses. All of the students left and the teachers and I began to clean up. Washing dishes took the most time and effort. I never want to work in food business without an awesome dishwasher like the one I've used in the kitchen at Onaway. Talk about a lot of work!

Finally the day ended around 6pm as the sun had gone down and the teachers who were left walked home. One by one they dropped off and I finished my journey alone. All in all, it was a great day. It reminded me how important friends and social get togethers are. I really miss having a normal social life.