Mia presents her case

... with her foot.

Next time, America

We had some friends over to watch the U.S. take on Ghana today. While the game didn't turn out as we had hoped, several other things went right:

1. Chad creeped everyone out. Sometimes you can be a little too patriotic, Previch.


2. Bryan made Mia wonder what the heck he was doing. Even a 9-month-old baby can see this is strange.


3. Their powers combined: the reason we lost the game.

Changes at work

When I left work for vacation, a lot was still up in the air after the layoffs. I wasn't sure what I would find when I got back. We're all taking on more, of course, and I left before all the dust had settled. So this is what has changed:

The metro columnist positions are gone now, so that leaves Bryan Painter and me as state columnists. My column has changed from running four days a week in the metro section to running twice a week statewide. I'll be doing a lot more regular reporting, mostly trying to help out with the metro sections as much as possible.

I am really excited about this change in my job. It opens up the whole state as subject matter instead of just the metro. This will be fun finding new places to write about. I can write more columns than two per week if I want; it's really up to me. I feel like I have a blank slate and can choose my work. I am really grateful for these changes.

Using her noodle

Mia tried noodles for the first time tonight. The first few times she'd just let the noodles hang out like walrus tusks. She would suck them up into her mouth and then spit them out once she'd had all the sauce. So I guess in the end she didn't actually try noodles so much as she tried alfredo sauce, which she likes.

Dada!

Mia said dada! And she said it at Leigh! OK, so maybe afterward she also said dadadadadada, but to us, it was her first word. Hooray!

Kittles!

We finally, finally, finally got to meet Kit Laird! And when we found her, it was just as we suspected: she was adorable. Kit's mama, Lindsay, took some cute pictures of Mia and one of the two of them. Mia was keenly interested in Kit (and her toys). We think she was trying to hug Kit, but she might have been trying to pry information out of the precious Kit. What information? How does Kit have so much beautiful hair when she's only two months old?!? It was jealousy.

Airport, Take 2

So there was an epic failure last night with lots of crying. I forgot my purse in the truck as Carin dropped us off at the airport. Why was this so vital? Our passports were in there. The only things we couldn't travel without - I left them inside my purse in the back seat. Fiasco.

Thankfully it wasn't too expensive, and we have another day here in Joburg. We'll get back to Oklahoma City on Monday morning and hopefully be back to work Monday afternoon.

We decided to spend our extra day shopping at a flea market and going to Milky Lane, an ice cream / pancake chain. Leigh and Mia had it out at the restaurant:

Our last day

Today we'll do some last-minute shopping and try to get all of our stuff packed. Our flight leaves at 7:30 tonight, so we need to be there at 5:30 or so. The last day is always the worst. We'll be home Sunday and back to work Monday.

USA! USA! USA!

I wrote a story for the paper tonight after the game, so I figured I'd just post that here:

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - American fans screamed and hugged each other like we were at a family reunion. Maurice Edu knocked a game-winning third goal into the net with only minutes to go as the United States looked poised to defeat Slovenia in its second game of the World Cup.

Or not.

Elation turned to heartbreak.

The referee called off the go-ahead goal, and now instead of being united by joy, U.S. fans were united by anger.

I left the stadium feeling a little cheated. The United States was robbed of a win, and all that remained was the mushy indifference of a draw. I traveled around the globe for this? A draw?

It was the greatest game I've ever been to.

My husband and I traveled to South Africa to visit family and attend the World Cup. It's the first time the international soccer tournament has been hosted on African soil, and it's a great source of pride for South Africans and the rest of the continent.

The nation is overrun with visitors from around the globe. Even travelers at the airport break into spontaneous cheering and chanting. Street vendors dodge in and out of traffic, hocking flags and silly hats to World Cup fans.

The sound of vuvuzelas never stops. The plastic horns are commonplace at South African soccer matches, and visitors snatch them up with delight. The horns can be heard everywhere - the mall, in morning traffic, outside of bars. And, of course, they blare continuously during games - for bad calls, for good calls, for goals, for misses, for fouls. The only time they're quiet is during national anthems.

We parked in the official lot about a mile and a half from the stadium. A police officer asked if we had paid for the parking yet. We hadn't; we thought it was free. She asked us for the South African equivalent of about $7. I'm pretty sure this was a bribe. Nevertheless, $7 isn't too bad for parking at any sports event.

We walked through the neighborhoods around Ellis Park, the stadium where the United States took on Slovenia on Friday night. The smell of charcoal hung in the air.Residents charred boerewors sausages on home grills to sell to fans. A young Muslim girl offered sweet koeksister rolls and other halaal-prepared foods to passersby. Women in frilly aprons grilled whole chickens. Supporters of a daycare sold soda and liquor in miniature bottles as a fundraiser.

Entrepreneurs made money by painting faces or selling vuvuzelas or cheap scarves. They drew customer's attention by chanting USA over and over. Nearly all of the fans streaming to the stadium were U.S. supporters. But that would be expected. Slovenia has a population of only about 2 million; Oklahoma has about 3.7 million.

A group of young children held up a sign: USE ROCK. They giggled and waved at us and the rest of the fans who walked down their street. "You're right!" one U.S. supporter said to them. "The USA does rock. Do you guys want some chewing gum?" Then I understood their sign.

We arrived at the stadium in time to see the teams walk out of the tunnel and stand for the national anthem. I sang loudly. American flags waved throughout the stadium, and the crowd erupted after the song.

The first half of the game was terrible for the American side; Slovenia was ahead 2-0 at the half. The outlook seemed bleak, and I'd resigned myself to an upset.

But when the Yanks returned to the pitch, Landon Donovan scored in the 48th minute.

I've seen plenty of football and basketball games. I've seen soccer before. But nothing can compare to a World Cup goal. When Donovan scored, my husband and I cheered and hugged. We started hugging strangers. Everyone around us jumped and waved their flags and blew their vuvuzelas.

Patriotism welled up inside me. I felt the urge to sing "God Bless America" or vote or put patriotic bumper stickers on my car. I actually almost cried, and I'm not even a soccer expert.

The second goal, scored by Michael Bradley in the 82nd minute, was nothing less than thrilling. The game was tied and every possession after drew cheers and moans. The couple from Texas sitting in front of us grabbed their red, white and blue top hats out of fear. The father and son from Tennessee next to them never sat down. With this momentum, a win seemed within reach.

When Edu tapped the third goal in, the whole experience became surreal. The American fans hugged everyone within reach, like living in Oklahoma and Tennessee made us next-door neighbors. We were witness to a spectacular comeback, and this was the place to celebrate. But the fans weren't finished cheering when reality rippled through the stands.

The goal didn't count.

Our euphoria fizzled. There was lots of swearing.

The call was unfortunate - at the time it seemed tragic - but that's what happens in sports. Calls go for your team and against it. The whole mess wouldn't have been an issue if the U.S. team participated in the first half, instead of just waiting for Slovenia to roll over. I was a little angry with the team. I felt let down.

But to be honest, the game and the score was only a part of the experience. We saw a high-scoring game. We saw an amazing comeback. We sat five rows up from the field, close enough to see how truly humongous Jozy Altidore actually is. I felt proud of my country, proud of where I'm from. I met people from across America.

Seeing a World Cup goal will be something I never forget. I'll take a draw.

Goodbye to Alfie

Today was a sad day because we said goodbye to Alfie. He went to Cape Town this evening for a 21st birthday party for Jason, Leigh's younger brother. It was kind of awkward timing that our trip ends two days after Alfie had to leave. It was really sad saying goodbye because we know it will be a while before we will see him again.

We spent most of today hanging out again. The past few days have been absolutely lovely - very relaxing, very peaceful. There should be some time in every vacation for stillness. It's fabulous.

Bradley turned 3 today. We gave him a toy fire truck. We'd looked for a soccer ball but couldn't find one we liked. Bradley was very excited about the fire truck, though. He even has shared it with Mia!

We drove Alfie to the airport after he left work early. We saw lots of grass fires along the way. Apparently they're really common in this part of SA in the winter. After seeing how dangerous Oklahoma grass fires are, it's a little disconcerting to me that nobody seems to be in a rush to put out the fires here. But there isn't wind and I think maybe the grass is really different. The fires don't spread quickly and just kind of put themselves out. We saw one that was within yards of a township but everybody seemed to be OK. We saw another that was sending dark pillars of smoke into the sky right behind a shopping mall. I was the only one concerned.

When we arrived at the Lanseria Airport we tried to pull up to the front so Alfie, Mia and I could get out at the front door. But the road was blocked. Police officers told us that we couldn't drive up close because Robert Mugabe - Robert Mugabe! - was at the airport. Lanseria is the really small airport in Joburg, so there was actually a chance we could have seen the notorious Zimbabwean president. We didn't. Not sure if that was good or bad.

We saw the German team bus on our way out. That brings our total to five team buses now - Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea and South Africa. Tomorrow is the US game!

We spent the night in with Carin, talking and watching soccer. I'm glad she got off work early enough for us to see her.

One day, two tragedies

Today was another quiet day, except for the kidnapping.

Alfie and Carin had the day off for a public holiday, so we went to Sandton for lunch. It was very nice until the hostess at the restaurant kidnapped Mia. While we were sitting down, this lady went on and on about how adorable Mia is. Mia got a little fussy (because of a wet diaper) and the hostess immediately showed up. She said Mia needed some bread to chew on (which does not resolve a wet diaper). She snatched Mia out of my arms and took her to the back of the restaurant. Two issues:

1. Can babies chew on bread? Alfie said to trust the hostess because she was an old Italian lady. She'd probably raised kids and grandkids, so just trust her.

2. Leigh and I have discovered that if someone tries to steal Mia, we'll be of no use.

Thankfully, Mia was returned, happily chewing on a piece of ciabatta. This was all well and good until the bread got soggy and Mia dribbled bits onto my lap and the floor. Thanks, hostess lady. ha

We stopped by the FIFA offices to check on the status of our France/Mexico tickets. They'd sold, which was kind of a relief. The game is three hours away, and I don't think Leigh is up for more driving. He's driving thousands of miles this trip. I'm hoping that a real fan of one of those teams got our tickets.

We shopped a bit and then spent the evening at home with Alfie and Carin. It was nice to hang out with them all day.



We had supper at home and watched Bafana Bafana take on Uruguay. It was a tragic 3-0 loss. We're hoping for a win against France and some mathematical magic to lift SA out of group play. Only two days until we see the US!

A two-handed wave and other achievements

We kind of took a vacation from our vacation today. It seems like we've been traveling and touring nonstop, so we decided the rest of our trip would truly be time off. We watched soccer, listened to music and spent time together as a family. I made ham potato soup for supper. It was absolutely awesome.

Mia has really grown so much since we've been here. It's kind of weird to think that because it's only been 3 1/2 weeks, but she really has changed a lot. Some new things:

* After learning to wave shortly before we left, she's now into waving with both hands. She wants to say hi AND hello. She also uses the two-handed wave for other purposes, such as communicating excitement, frustration and exhaustion.

* Mia has found her tongue. It makes regular appearances on purpose now, particularly out of the right side of her mouth. Leigh always teases me for sticking my tongue out while concentrating. Apparently this is genetic.

* Mia is an expert raspberry blower. She's discovered if she puts her lips together and blows, her lips vibrate and make a fun sound. She'll go for several minutes at a time, and somehow her entire face is covered in spit at the end. It's so hilarious.

* Things don't just disappear. Mia has figured this out, and it's been pretty frustrating for her. For example, she wants to grab the lids of her baby food jars, so Leigh and I have to swipe them before she creates an even bigger mess. She's figured out that the lids don't just vanish for no reason, and she usually expresses this frustration.

* Mia can stand for a second or two at a time. She'll topple over right away, but she is really excited to stand up again. It's so fun to watch her!

* Now that she can pull herself up at will, Mia prefers to eat standing. When she has a bottle, she looks like a cow. When she eats solid foods from a spoon, she looks like a mess. Dinner has become target practice. She can't hold herself completely still, so a lot more food ends up on her face, her bib and the floor than in her mouth. I'm looking forward to using her highchair at home. I can strap her into that.

The Mandelas' new decor

For Tanya's last day in South Africa, we decided to visit Soweto, one of the most historically significant cities in the country.

We visited Vilakazi Street, which was neat to be on since we started the Vilakazi Foundation. Things have changed quite a bit. New sidewalks and paint have improved the location, and more vendors were around.

We toured Nelson Mandela's house. Leigh and I went there in 2007, but we returned so Tanya could see it. It was completely changed. Our tour guide explained that renovation began in 2008 to accommodate all the visitors expected for the World Cup. It was quite a lot busier than when we went three years ago. Most of the furniture had been removed from the tiny home to open up the space for more tourists. Photos were now allowed. The price went up. But the tour was much better. We learned a lot even though we'd been once.

We grabbed a beer at a restaurant down the street. We visited "The Koppie," a lookout hill nearby Mandela's house, and got a lovely view of Soweto.





On the way to the car I made two recordings: one of a boy singing the SA national anthem and another of four younger boys singing one of the traditional protest songs.

We wanted to go to Wandie's for lunch but the address we had was incorrect. We asked a group of police officers how to get there. "That guy right there will take you there," one officer said. He was referring to a police truck. Yes, we had our very own police escort.



I think this might have been the highlight of Leigh's life. The officers drove us across Soweto to the neighborhood where Wandie's was. We all felt like kind of a big deal. We debated whether it was appropriate to tip police officers or if that would be a crime. The officers pointed out Wandie's and made sure we saw it. Then they drove on. No tip necessary. Just being super nice.

We were greeted in front of Wandie's by a couple of street performers who could do such fantastic things as lick their elbows. And eat their feet:



Wandie's is a restaurant with traditional SA food. In a word: delicious. We had two kinds of potatoes, beans and chickpeas, beef, chicken, rice, greens, salad, bread and desert. My god. Yes. We also made friends with a couple of guys from Angola eating next to us. It was fantastic.

We stopped by the house before taking Tanya to the airport. Alfie reminded Tanya of her promise to fire the "pellet gun" that I like to refer to as the sniper rifle. No hadidas - SA birds about the size of geese but with short necks - were around, so Alfie had to settle for target shooting. He set up a dog bowl on the grill. Tanya hit it in one shot.

Then came the peer pressure. I caved and said I would shoot the gun, though I refused to aim at anything with a mother. I struck the dog bowl, and just as I turned around Carin walked in the door. "Caught in the act!" Alfie shouted. Carin looked at me like I had betrayed reason. I tried to explain that we were shooting at targets but it was of no consolation. I'd now switched sides from responsibility (Carin and me) to mayhem (Alfie and Leigh). Of course Alfie, Leigh and Tanya thought this was hilarious.

It was time to take Tanya to the airport, and we made a quick stop at a music store to get CDs we couldn't find at home. We followed the GPS to the airport, but it took us straight through downtown at rush hour. Leigh was a little worried Tanya might miss her flight, but we arrived in plenty of time. And we had the great opportunity to view downtown Joburg at sunset. It was actually quite beautiful.

We said goodbye to Tanya and returned home. We all fell asleep watching soccer. Fantastic.

I'm not an Algeria fan

It finally arrived - our first World Cup game! YES! We drove about three hours northwest of Joburg to Polokwane, a city that has been officially identified as the geographic middle of nowhere, like Woodward or Krebs. It is in the Limpopo province, which is known for the famous Baobab trees. I was hoping to spot one, but we didn't this time.

Tanya, Leigh and I went to watch Slovenia take on Algeria. We opted to cheer for Slovenia for two key reasons:

1. Slovenia was the underdog.

2. Algeria probably would have lots more fans, especially considering South African fans are supporting all African nations in general.

Once we arrived in Polokwane we stopped at a Pep (kind of like Dollar General) and Checkers (kind of like Walmart) to buy supplies for our Slovenia-supporting shirts. We'd looked all over for the past few days for Slovenia stuff, but oddly enough, there was none to be found. We got white shirts and painted SLOVENIA! on them. Tanya was SLO, Leigh was VEN and I was IA! We made lots of jokes about Tanya being slo/w. After putting on these shirts, we had to stay in order for the rest of the day.

We drove around Polokwane, which didn't take that long, and found the stadium. Police blocked off streets within a pretty large radius around the stadium, so we decided to do the park-and-ride to avoid walking so far.

We parked at the equivalent of the city fairgrounds and got into line for the buses. The line was probably half a mile long and snaked through the rows and rows of cars parked on the grass. Though the line moved quickly, it was pretty clear that we weren't going to get to the game on time. After finally hopping a ride on a bus, we made the quick trip to the stadium. But we were all confused when the bus stopped about a half-mile from the stadium. Wasn't the point of the park-and-ride to AVOID walking? We hiked up the hill to the stadium, and by that time the game was well into the first half. We passed through three security checkpoints.

Then a television reporter stopped us after spotting our shirts. We cheered for Slovenia in front of the camera. She asked us to predict the score. Tanya guessed 2-1, Slovenia. Leigh and I copied her. Then I shouted, "Slovenia's No. 1!" It was pretty cool, even though we probably couldn't find Slovenia on a map.

By this time my leg was really tired out and my knee was bothering me. My physical therapist told me that often the mind tells the body to slow down to prevent injury. You aren't actually tired - your mind just wants you to think that so you stop using your injured limb. My ACL rarely hurts, but I was getting to the end of my walking capacity. I don't think this was a mind game situation.

We found an attendant and asked for an elevator. We rode to the top of the stadium, where our seats were. We bought beer, water and a hot dog and headed around.

Turns out, you can't walk all the way around the top of the stadium. You have to go up a specific elevator (or walkway) to the correct area. The attendant pointed us to the wrong elevator. We had to walk back across the area, go down and walk around to the other side of the stadium. We found the right elevator and waited patiently. A couple of media folks saw that we weren't officials of any sort told us the elevator was only for officials. Tanya stared at them, pointed to my giant leg brace and asked, "Is this OK for you?" The cameraman turned red and said, "Of course it is." Tanya is never afraid to point out the obvious.

We finally got to our right area but our section was no where to be seen. This is when I swore. We decided we'd just sit in open seats, regardless of where the hell we were. We walked into a random section and discovered it was actually ours. All the signs were labeled incorrectly. It was a miracle of God!

The second miracle of God? Halftime had just ended and the score was 0-0. We missed nothing!

Within minutes Slovenia scored! We jumped up, screaming, like we were actually from Slovenia. We couldn't help ourselves! It was so awesome! Other Slovenia fans in the sections near us waved and laughed at our shirts.

The game was absolutely awesome! It was really exciting to see it in real life. Our seats were great. Even though most spectators were dressed in South Africa green and gold, everyone was cheering and going nuts the whole time. The fans were bonkers. One Algeria fan climbed up on top of one of the light towers to wave his flag. Police officers in riot gear convinced him to come down. As he climbed down we realized that there was absolutely nothing behind him. One wrong move and he'd fall all the way to the ground. It was super scary! But he made it down safely and then started giving the police guff. Wrong move, buddy. They pummeled him and then arrested him. Yikes!

The final whistle blew without another goal, so Slovenia won 1-0. The Algeria and South Africa fans left the stadium and we drifted among the big blocks of Slovenia fans. We took photos with them and cheered with them. One of their chants ends with "Hey! Hey! Hey!" So we'd wait for them to say it all and then we'd yell the last three words with them. Everyone knew we weren't Slovenian, but they didn't care. We left the stands and the party continued outside. Tons of people took photos of us with our homemade shirts.

The whole thing was so great! What an experience! I can't even imagine what the U.S. game will be like on Friday.

We hiked back to the buses, rode back to the truck and headed out. The sunset outside Polokwane was absolutely beautiful - one of the best sights of this trip so far.

On the way back to Joburg, we stopped for fuel at a rest stop. (On an unrelated side note, South African rest stops aren't like American ones. They are huge and absolutely beautiful. The restaurants are awesome. The bathrooms are immaculate and usually involve marble counter tops.)

We passed up the first rest stop because it was absolutely packed. Apparently everyone at the game lived in Joburg, not Polokwane. So we drove back to the city at the same rate as everyone else. We had to stop at the second place because we were nearly out of gas. Leigh had to wait in line behind probably 10 other drives just at that one pump.

Tanya and I went inside to buy burgers at Wimpy (the SA version of McDonald's). In the to go area, metal railings allowed for a huge line to form. It was us, a family of locals, another guy from SA and a million Algeria fans.

Oh, Algeria. I'm so glad I didn't cheer for you.

It turns out that Algerians aren't big fans of the following:

1. Manners.

2. Standing in an orderly line.

3. Waiting patiently.

4. Using inside voices.

They do, however, enjoy the following:

1. Cutting.

2. Cutting overtly.

3. Shouting.

I excused all of this - it was a bunch of guys, their team just lost, it was late. But I was finally done in when one Algerian woman cut in front of me, Tanya and a SA guy. She just walked right in front of us like we hadn't been waiting in line together in that order for the past 20 minutes. It was insane. Who does that? Thank god for Tanya. She saw that I was about to lose it. She let me leave and she finished waiting in line. This was safest for all involved.

It took about an hour for Leigh to get through the gas line and for us to get through the burger line. We got the hell out of dodge and headed back to Joburg.

Mia stayed home with Sonja and Bradley, and I was ready to see her by the time we got home shortly before 10 p.m. I was so excited that she was still awake. Sonja looked pretty tired, but I was grateful to get a chance to hold Mia before she fell asleep.

The best way to eat pancakes

South Africans know how to do lots of things well, but they really know how to do pancakes right.
Syrup? Nah. It's all about ice cream. Alfie, Carin, Tanya, Gianna, Leigh, Mia and I went for pancakes at Hartebeerspoort Dam. I got the same as last time - caramel banana - because it is incomparably delicious. Tanya and Gianna dug the South African way of eating pancakes. But seriously, can you go wrong?

Afterward we roamed the flea market. Tanya negotiated like a champ; Gianna felt a little guilty. I totally understand; I felt guilty when I first started bargaining, too. But then when I realized that the price for Americans is probably double what it is for locals, I felt a lot less guilty about negotiating. We got lots of good stuff for Vilakazi and I made a fantastic purchase for our house. I bought a wood carving of three warthogs. It's absolutely beautiful! And I negotiated from R1,500 down to R500. I think I'm getting better at bargaining. :)

We stopped off to pick up some snacks at a grocery store, and Leigh caught Mia on video learning this nifty trick:



We dropped off Gianna at the airport, which was a total bummer. I wish she could have stayed longer, but I'm so glad we got to meet her and that she came.

We decided that after the madness of Friday that it would be best to watch the U.S. take on England at home. We ordered pizza and stayed in. It was fantastically calm. The U.S. scored one goal, and of course it was when I went to the bathroom. The game was a draw but it was still really exciting.

Feel it! It is here!

Today's Leigh's birthday and in keeping with Jacobs family tradition, Alfie served Leigh breakfast in bed. I also got to enjoy the fruits of that labor, even though it wasn't my birthday. Hooray!

Aside from Leigh turning 29, it's World Cup time.

The city has gone insane. Today is the day.

The vuvuzelas are playing nonstop. We heard them when we woke up with Mia this morning about 7. People are congregating on corners and blowing the horns as loudly as possible. Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the mall today to have breakfast and visit some of the local shops. The mall - the mall! - was too loud for a baby. Everyone was shopping at Big Blue, one of the best shops around, and I decided to take Mia out into the mall so she could crawl around on the floor. I left the store and the sound of vuvuzelas was too loud for her. Since when is a mall too loud on a Friday morning for a baby? Crazy.

We met Alfie at home and headed out to watch South Africa take on Mexico somewhere out in public. Leigh and I asked Sonja to babysit in case it would be too loud for Mia. Thankfully we left her home because everywhere - everywhere! - we went was too loud for a small child. We settled on a seafood restaurant in a large shopping center in Joburg. The vuvuzelas didn't stop in the hours before the game and during the entire match.

Watching Bafana Bafana play in the opening match made me realize why Americans don't do soccer. It's 45 minutes of concentration before halftime. Other sports have, like, 10 seconds of focus before a break. It was so intense! Everyone in every restaurant cheered the whole time. It was unlike any watch party I've ever been to. It was exhausting and awesome. South Africa drew with Mexico, 1-1. I can't wait to go to the games in person. It's going to be nuts.

We went out to dinner for Leigh's birthday at a fancy-pants Italian restaurant inside Monte Casino, a massive, Vegas-style casino in Joburg. The food was absolutely outstanding. I ate every single bite of my chicken and pasta and made a move on my creme brulee. I was too full, though, and Carin told me, "It's OK to give up, Carrie." I did. For those of you who know how much I love sweets, you understand how truly full I was if I couldn't finish desert.

While eating at this restaurant, the vuvuzelas didn't stop. Everyone walking around the casino played them continuously. I have a feeling that we'll be hearing vuvuzelas until we get on the plane.

After that Tanya, Gianna, Leigh and I went for a drink in Melville, which is kind of like a big Paseo district in Joburg. The streets were packed with the young and trendy. The district is full of hip bars, fancy bakeries, hole-in-the-wall dives and local shops. It's the cool place to be, especially on weekends. Leigh was so pumped to go out here for his birthday.

We went to a great club called Six and met four college girls who taught us how to dance. Well, to be honest, they danced, we mimicked them and they laughed at how white we are. Leigh just drank his beer and watched us make fools of ourselves. We had such a great time! We also learned that, in addition to the thumbs-up sign, spirit fingers are universal. A couple of guys from Durban hit on us and bought us drinks, which was nice. No need to worry: I mentioned that I was married about a thousand times. We also met Roy, a Duke college student from North Carolina, who was traveling alone. What a great age - when you're old enough to do stupid stuff and not old enough to know it's stupid.

After Six we moved on to a bar called Ratz. We met some cool folks from Texas. As the bar closed down Gianna and I left to find a cab while Leigh and Tanya paid our tab. We found a cab about a block down and turned to make our way back to the bar. Then we saw a fight - so scary. One guy slammed another into a parked car, and the injured guy's friend smashed a beer bottle over the attacker's head. It was pretty scary. The two friends tried to get away and the attacker pulled a 2-by-4 out of a trash barrel, snapped it in half and charged. He smashed the other guy silly while the friend could only watch. Within moments a private security force, carrying guns longer than Mia, pulled up. The police arrived shortly after.

The fight only lasted a few minutes, but it seemed like forever. Gianna and I stood frozen, trapped on the corner. The fight was between us and the bar where Leigh and Tanya were. We couldn't decide whether to stay or try to slip past the chaos and back into the bar. We decided to stay put. A local guy standing next to us told us it was just drunk idiots acting stupid. Melville was packed with locals and foreign visitors, and I think he was trying to tell us that drunk people are stupid everywhere - not just South Africa. It was sort of comforting. He was right. I've seen bar fights in the United States. I guess it just was more frightening because we were so far from home.

The police were still sorting things out when Tanya spotted a cab - someone took the one we originally found! - and we left Melville. I was so bummed that Tanya and Gianna had that experience in Melville. It's really a fantastic place. But stupid drunk people tend to ruin things worldwide. It's as universal as the thumbs-up sign and spirit fingers.

Kudus and concerts

For the second time on our trip, we drove within reach of some of the largest animals in Africa.

Leigh, Mia, Tanya, Gianna and I went to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve outside of Joburg today for a drive-through. Leigh and I went there in 2007, and it's a small, private reserve with kudus, boks, water buffalo, warthogs, cheetahs, rhinos, lions and lots of other animals. We took plenty of photos, but I have to say, it was a whole different vibe from Pilansberg. Animals on the reserve are managed; it's not the open wild. It was cool, but it wasn't the same thrill. Then again, there really aren't any places like it in the U.S. Any rhino up close is a cool rhino - unless it's angry.

We wrapped up our day safari and headed to Soweto for the official opening ceremony concert. It was the best organized concert I've ever been to. We saw dozens of bands and the music never paused. Something was happening on one of the three stages up front the entire night. We saw the Kn'aan, Black Eyed Peas, Blackjacks, Big Nuz, The Parlatones, Freshly Ground, John Legend, GoldFish, Alicia Keyes, Leera and a bunch of uber-famous South Africans. We rocked the hell out.





And just FYI: Shakira is a lip-syncer. Yeah. That's pretty sad when you're set is only three songs long. Lame, Shakira.

And the coolest part: we saw Desmond Tutu! Yes - in real life. He came out and spoke and even danced a little. It was so neat seeing a peace prize winner in real life. It was definitely a moment I will never forget.

We parked on one side of the city and rode buses to the stadium. It was awesome because our cars where safe and we got to the stadium in just a few minutes. The process was absolutely efficient.

But getting back was a different story. A bunch of people parked in front of the buses outside of the stadium, so there was no way for those buses to go forward and leave. They were trapped. Therefore, we were trapped. We waited and waited and waited. Occasionally we saw buses that were already full of concert-goers pass by. Then the masses started walking away from the stadium and into Soweto. We waited some more and decided to go ahead and walk with the crowds. We asked security guards and police along the way where we were supposed to go and what was happening. No one knew. We just kept walking further into Soweto. One empty bus pulled to a stop near us and it was mobbed. People sprinted and pushed each other to board. This wasn't a good situation. We kept walking, blocks and blocks and blocks.

Eventually we arrived at a gas station that appeared to be an impromptu loading zone. As fans walked away from the stadium, buses were filling up further and further away from the official loading site. So this gas station had become the new loading zone. We finally got onto a double-decker bus. Hooray! When the driver pulled away, everyone clapped. It was about 12:30 a.m. - an hour and a half after we first left the stadium.

It was officially the first day of the World Cup AND Leigh's birthday! I made an announcement that Leigh had turned 29 and asked everyone to sing him happy birthday. They did! It was awesome! Leigh got pats on the back and loads of embarrassment. Excellent!

How South Africans parade

Today we went to a parade for Bafana Bafana. This was my first time to go to a South African parade.

The parade started an hour late, lasted about two minutes and was so loud I think people in Botswana heard. Oh, cultural differences.

We picked up our friends Tanya and Gianna at the airport today. It was pretty cool because we arrived on the right day this time. The airport is the loudest, craziest airport I've ever been to. I think everyone from Argentina and Mexico is now in South Africa. Everybody. They're all here. And they brought fancy drums and hats. We saw Germans in Leiderhosen. We saw Italians, Chileans and lots and lots of Brazilians. The energy in this city is awesome. I can't wait for the World Cup to actually start.

We drove from the airport to Sandton, where we picked up our FIFA tickets. The parade was set to start at noon, and of course, the soccer team only left their hotel to start the parade at 1 p.m. The crowd didn't mind one bit - all the more time to dance and play vuvuzelas. When the parade actually started I took Mia a block away and stood behind a wall. It was far too loud for babies.

We left the parade and came home for a braai. It was South African through and through - tons of meat. Alfie grilled up ribs, chicken and two kinds of sausage. Carin stepped in and intervened with potatoes and a lovely salad, making sure that the Americans had something green on their plates.

Later the loudness continues when Mia discovered her diaper. Of course, she's been wearing diapers for the past eight months, but tonight she discovered that she's wearing one while I was putting her pajamas on. She'd look down, notice her diaper, tug on it and then squeal with joy. She was quite excited and shared the good news with everyone.



Tanya and Gianna were pretty tired from their travels, so we stayed home and visited. It was a quiet ending to the loudest day of our vacation so far.

Aiport, Take 1

We left Cape Town today at 6 a.m. and landed at Joburg at 8 a.m. All three of us slept the whole time, so the flight was a cinch. But then the real rush was on. We caught a cab back to Leigh's parents' house, picked up the truck and rushed to the other airport in Joburg to pick up Tanya and her friend, Gianna.

We arrived about 9:30 a.m., which was about two hours after their flights arrived. They knew we'd be late because it was the earliest we could arrive. But when we got there we couldn't find them anywhere. We looked all over the international arrivals area and cased the shops, banks and restaurants. Nothing. Great, we though. Our friends have been in Joburg for two hours and we've already lost them. We searched for two hours and couldn't find them. We finally gave up and asked for them to be paged. Turns out, airports don't page people. Fantastic. We decided that Leigh would go to the Internet cafe and email Tanya, letting her know where to meet us. Leigh came back shaking his head.

Turns out, Tanya and Gianna LEAVE on Tuesday. They don't ARRIVE on Tuesday. haha Oh well. We had a good practice run. Tomorrow, when our friends actually arrive, we will be absolutely prepared.

We decided to pick up our tickets for the World Cup games since we then had the day free. We stood in line at the FIFA office in Sandton and then met with a ticket official. We returned our tickets to the France/Mexico game. Hopefully someone who is a true fan of one of those teams will go. If the tickets don't sell, we can pick them up at the FIFA office and use them ourselves. Kudos to FIFA for having such a good return policy.

We got our tickets for the US/Slovenia and Algeria/Slovenia games. It's actually real! Time for the WORLD CUP! YES!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out. After a really busy vacation so far, it was nice to kind of be still for a day. Tomorrow we'll have airport, take 2.

The last day in CT

Everyone felt good this morning - hooray! - so we hit the road for lots of awesomeness. Mia feels worlds better after starting her antibiotics, and all of us were really relieved that she is herself again.

Penguins. We went to one of the coolest places on earth: Boulders National Park. We got to see all the African penguins running around, smacking each other, braying like donkeys and being adorable. It was so fun!

Ma and Pa. I interviewed Ma and Pa for our grandparents project. It was kind of a tough interview, but I'm really glad we did it.

Dinner. We had supper with Jason's mother, Lizal, and spent a little more time with Jason before we headed out for the night.

I'm so glad Mia felt better today so she could spend her last day in Cape Town smiling and laughing with Jade and Jason. It was so great. :)



Back to Joburg in the morning!

Down with the sickness

Last night was fantastically silly. Leigh, Jason, Jade and I went out to Long Street in Cape Town. (It's like Dickson Street in Fayetteville times 10.) I've decided The Waiting Room is the best bar ever. It was so much fun!

But today hasn't been too hot for Mia and me.

Mia: She's been throwing up for a few days but appeared to be feeling herself. This morning, that was not the case. She slept until 11 a.m. She woke up here and there but barely could keep her eyes open. I emailed Nancy a few days ago for advice about her throwing up. She said if Mia didn't have a fever and wasn't listless, it probably was something that would pass. But this morning she was hard to keep awake and had a mild fever. We decided to take her to the doctor.

We went to a clinic that was open on the weekends. This is what everybody does pretty much instead of going to the emergency room. The receptionist reminded us it would cost extra because it was a weekend, but that was OK. We saw the doctor immediately. He was dressed in a plaid shirt, jeans and sneakers. He was funny and thorough. He suspected a urinary tract infection and a test confirmed it.

We had no insurance. It was Sunday. The final cost? A little more than $60. That's it.

I don't know much about health care, but I'd like to sign up for whatever plan South Africa has.

Me: I've been throwing up all day. I have no idea what's up but it has been absolutely awful. Toward the end of the night I finally kept down some tea, so that was nice. Yikes!

We sort of spent the day hanging out and resting at Jade's apartment. Leigh went out and had supper with a childhood friend - Duncan - and his girlfriend. They had a great time, and I'm really glad he went.

A day of eating and not

All we did today was eat. Seriously. Eating. All day.

This morning Jade took us to Old Biscuit Mill, which is quite possibly the greatest food spot on the entire planet. Every Saturday morning this fantastic food market opens in Cape Town. It was everything - Chinese, Greek, French, Italian, South African, American, Arabic. It was incredible. There was wine, beer, pastries and fresh fish, herbs and flowers. The place was packed full of hippies and hipsters. It was absolutely fantastic. We shared our food - a French pizza (super thin and super delicious), a Greek gyro, a chicken sandwich and the best apple pastry ever. And then of course we had to shop a bit. We mostly bought things for Mia but also got a couple things for ourselves. It was the best way to spend a Saturday morning/afternoon ever.

Afterward we went and picked up Leigh's brother, Jason, and drove to the big Jacobs braai. And what else would you do at a braai (a South African cookout) but eat. We started with dessert, which I didn't argue about. Then I learned that we had dessert first so we could clear some of the food off the huge table to make room for even more food. So then we had dinner, followed by dessert. Yes. That's my kind of dinner.

Mia got a chance to meet lots of her extended family. Mia took to Alfie's mother, Mama. She also got to meet some of Alfie's siblings - Brenda, Shirley, Roy, Desmond and Angela - and all of their families. It was, in a word, loud. It was like a Coppernoll get-together but larger and therefore louder.

Mia wasn't feeling the best so it took time for her to warm up to everybody. She didn't even really take to Jason right away. She has been throwing up nearly everything she's taken in, even water. She kept a bit down this evening, so we're hoping this is the upswing.

Tipsy for $4

So I accidentally got tipsy today before lunch.

We visited the oldest wine farm in South Africa and went to a wine tasting, which cost R28 - about $4. I admit it - I got a little tipsy. It was an accident. The wine was OK, but I have to say that I enjoyed the wines at our Vilakazi tasting better than these. (The Vilakazi wines were super good!) Leigh, Jade and I all tasted the most expensive wine on the list just because it was the most expensive. We agreed it wasn't the best. Or maybe we aren't the best wine tasters.

Afterward we went to Hout Bay and ate more seafood. The area is beautiful. Pastel houses dot the mountain sides. Boats fill the harbor. The setting sun painted the cliffs pink. It was like a living postcard. This is the place to have seafood, so we've been having as much as we can. It was a nice early birthday celebration with Leigh, Jade, Jill, Mia and me. It was fantastic until the very last moment - when Mia threw up all over Leigh and me. It was so sad. She felt so sick, but she's such a good sport. She just smiled and carried on the rest of the night like she was fine. What a sport, as always!

Tomorrow is the big Jacobs braai where Mia will get to meet everyone for the first time. It should be fun!

Hello Cape Town!

We arrived this morning in Cape Town after another easy flight with Mia. We flew on a local carrier - Kalulu - and I have to say, this is the most impressive airline I've been on. We arrived 25 minutes early and our luggage was on the belt before we even got there.

We visited the Mother City in 2007 but didn't have much time to walk around the city, so we spent lots of time doing that today. It was so fun, and it was great to see Cape Town in detail. We visited Green Market Square and the beautiful downtown gardens. The city is full of fashionable shops and fashionable people. It's a place for the weird and wonderful and young. And of course we couldn't pass up a chance for seafood on the Water Front.

It was the first time for Mia to meet Jade, and it was love at first sight. Mia only spent a few minutes warming up before Auntie Jade won her over. It was so awesome that they finally met. Oma Jill is here in Cape Town, and she was happy to see Mia after a long, long, long two week separation. It's a battle to see who will cuddle Mia more - her grandmother or auntie. The two of them bought her an outfit to keep her warm during the winter here. It's a little grey bear suit thing, like the outfit Max wears in "Where the Wild Things Are" except grey. It might be the funniest thing ever. What's cuter than a cute baby? A cute baby that looks like a koala.

Mia also had the chance to meet Jill's parents, Ma and Pa. Pa is about to turn 90 and Ma is in her late 80s. It was really special for them to meet Mia. Until Ma called her a twit. Mia wasn't warming up so quickly and Ma didn't care for that at all. (These are the same grandparents who called me chubby when we met in 2007. haha Great.) Jill tried to convince me twit was a term of endearment, but I don't buy it as a difference in cultural interpretation. But I guess when you're that age you can say whatever you want.

Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori

All the hard work of our friends and volunteers paid off today with a parade of children wearing tiny rain boots. 

We took our donations up to Ikhaya Labantwana Montessori today. (Check out what they wrote on their blog about us!) We took a ton of stuff to them. It was a long journey: 20 hours of flying, 13 hours of driving and then a final hike up the hill from our hostel to the school. Let me just say that the most daunting part was the hill. It was like climbing Mount Everest. We carried all the stuff plus Mia. It was a couple hundred yards and took a couple hundred hours. When we walked through the gate it was so exciting.

All the little ones were running around outside after having finished their snacks. They were screaming, rolling and playing all over the place. Oh, recess. It's universal. Dawn, the teacher, greeted us and we moved everything into the school, which is a rondavel built out of mud bricks and a reed roof. It looks small outside but it's a wonder inside. Everything is immaculately clean and organized, and Dawn has worked very hard to create/find/buy all kinds of learning tools. It's really impressive. 

We discussed our donation with Dawn. The toothbrushes, toothpaste and vitamins would be kept at the school so they wouldn't be lost or taken by someone else. The students would brush their teeth and take their vitamins at school and would take vitamins home for the weekends. The school would keep the books, puzzle and a soccer ball. Each child would receive a pair of rain boots and extras would be saved for children in the future. 

The students came indoors and it was activity time. Each of them had to pick something to do and work on it for a bit. There were only nine students at school that day - the others were sick, unfortunately. But for that many 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds in one hut, the class was surprisingly calm. They all picked up activities, which were carefully separated onto trays, and went to work. They did all the regular things you'd imagine would be going on at a preschool, like practicing numbers. But they also did real-life practical skills, like using a spoon to move seeds from one bowl to another. It was so neat to watch tiny hands practice using a spoon or a sponge or a rolling pin for play-dough. They painted and counted and organized blocks. They were content and diligent. It was a sight to see. 

Dawn worked with one little girl who was working with a stack of numbered squares. She'd ask the girl to find the eight, and the girl would point to the eight, with a wide smile and wide eyes. She was so proud to pick out the number on her own. Dawn asked her to find seven. The children sitting closest stopped their activities, held up seven fingers and smiled like they'd won the lotto. "There are seven!" they sang. Dawn explained that they have a song about the days of the week and it's one of the kids' favorites. She had to calm everybody down with the promise that they'd get to sing the song at the end of the afternoon. I couldn't wait to hear it! 

After they finished activity time, it was circle time. They walked around the room on a piece of tape in the shape of a circle. Everyone quieted down and prepared for the end of the day. Dawn told them to stop and they could sit where they stood. She told one little girl not to push another. "But she's too close," the girl explained. "Then say, 'Could you move, please? You're in my bubble,'" Dawn said. The tiny girl faced her friend: "Could you move, please? You're in my bubble." The children sat and talked about what day, month and year it was. Then they sang the days of the week song. Actually, it was more of shouting than singing. It was clearly the children's favorite; they were awfully excited. 

After some more songs and a book, it was time to hand out the rain boots. Each child could have a pair to keep. Dawn asked us if we'd like to shake the children's hands or give them hugs or do something else. We said we could hand the boots out however she liked. "I've never done anything like this before," Dawn said. "Neither have we," we said. So we decided that each child could get a pair of boots and would give me a hug - something that not all children get as often as they should. 

One at a time the children came up to me as a sit in one of the child-sized chairs in the hut. I handed over a pair of black rain boots to stoic little faces. Some hugged me, others shied away. A couple shook my hand. It was pretty formal but still really nice. They were so sweet. After they got their boots, the children took them to Dawn, who wrote their names on the inside. I looked over at her table and the children were ecstatic. When they picked up the boots from me, they didn't really smile. They whispered thank you. But when they were around an adult they knew, they were beside themselves with joy. It was awesome. 

After Dawn wrote their names on the shoes, they all rushed back to the circle and put their boots on. They giggled and talked in Xhosa with distinctive clicks. 

It was the end of their school day, and Dawn gave them directions on how to leave the hut. Today they'd tiptoe up to the doorway and then sprint out onto the grounds. This was immensely fun, and they were already smiling because of their shoes. As soon as they hit the doorway they screamed and ran wild. As the last of the children ran out of the school, they all began to stomp in their new boots. Stomping is especially fun in boots. Then they all got into a parade and stomped around one of the garden beds. They swung their arms and smiled. It was absolutely wonderful. 

While hiking up that hill, I was wondering if this even mattered. We came from so far just to deliver some rain boots. Was this worth the million-mile journey? Yes. Absolutely. No one else was going to give these kids boots, and they needed them. It was the best feeling in the world. 

Thank you so much to our friends, family, donors and especially our board - Traci Dodderer Bentley, Chad Previch, Michael Kimball, Susanne soon-to-be Kimball and Ryan Reaves. Everyone's generosity and hard work paid off in ways we can't understand. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A day of firsts

Mia had so many firsts today:

* Trip to the beach. She celebrated by crawling all over the place and eating sand.

* Dip in the ocean. She celebrated by looking suspiciously at the waves.

* Visit to Coffee Bay. The hippies are everywhere, and I'm pretty sure everyone has held Mia.

* Camping trip. She's be wrapped up like a little enchilada and sleep between us tonight. Hopefully it won't get too cold. So far she's been a champ about it - just like everything else.

I also had a couple firsts:

* First drug offer. I'm probably the only person I know who hasn't been offered drugs before, but I remembered what I learned in second grade: just say no. Thanks, Ronald Reagan.

* First time to feel old. All the hippies, stoners and backpackers went to the bar after supper. Leigh and I are taking Mia to bed.

We met Dawn, the preschool teacher we've been coordinating with for Vilakazi. Tomorrow morning we'll go to the school after breakfast and take the children the supplies. One change of plans: the sports equipment will go to an American guy (or maybe he's Welsh?) who is organizing athletic leagues throughout the area. It's something that's needed for sure! Hopefully this equipment that basically has fallen out of the sky will be helpful to him. We're really looking forward to the morning!