The 2010 World Cup

Ever since we arrived here back in June of 2009 there has been an ever present awareness and expectancy in anticipation for the 2010 World Cup. From TV commercials and advertisements to posters hanging in various shops to people wearing t-shirts it seems like almost everything is about the World Cup these days. George, the town we live in, is to be the host of the Japanese team. Every Thursday, when the newspaper gets printed, there is a different "Learn Japanese" section where different Japanese words and phrases are provided in order to help make the Japanese feel welcomed. We have noticed within the last two weeks that Japan's national flag has been flying from telephone and light poles all throughout town.

The World Cup starts on June 11th and continues until the middle of July with 64 games being played all throughout the country. South Africa has built multiple new soccer stadiums in various cities in order to host all the games. They say these are state-of-the-art facilities and have been installed with the latest technology. This is the first major international event South Africa has hosted and it shows from the amount of time, money, and resources the country has put into it; it's quite something! They are hoping that the world (especially the deep pockets of the Europeans and Americans) will find South Africa up to par and will be seen as an investment opportunity as well as a place for vacationing and tourism.

To give you an idea of the 2010 World Cup craze, here are two of our favorite commercials that are currently being broadcast on television. They show the real spirit of South Africa and reminds me so much of it's fun loving people.



Coca - Cola



Telkom - the mammoth national Telephone/Internet provider here.