For WORLD CUP! Yes yes, I am like a child who has discovered ice cream and sprinkles after 4 years of absence. I mean, you can have a bowl of ice cream with rainbow sprinkles any time, but they never taste as good as they do when it’s the World Cup! I played soccer for at least 12 years growing up and it’s in my blood. It’s the only sport I can watch on TV, besides college football, and be totally engrossed in. Yes, I’m like a man on football sundays…don’t talk to me until after the game is over! No pee breaks either.
I wager to say I may be the luckiest PCV in Malawi right now, being that I can watch any or all of the World Cup games, even at their schedule times. Funny to think only a few weeks ago I was nervous about not being able to see any matches. Quite frankly, I didn’t know if anyone in the village had electricity or a TV/satellite set up to catch the games! Ha, how silly of me to put it past a soccer loving continent of the world.
I found through the grapevine that games could be watched at abambo Chamama’s, normally used to show infamous kungfu movies. So I decided to head to town to watch my first FIFA 2010 World Cup game, Ghana vs. Serbia. Locking Peter in the house, I threw my chitenje bag around my back and off I marched to town. I walk faster than most people in the village but still get stopped to ask where I’m going. I felt pressed for time so in passing I sputtered out, “Zikomo, zikomo! Ndikupita ku msika, Ndikufuna kuona mpira!” (“Thanks, thanks! I am going to the market. I am wanting to watch football!”)
I pass by the lovely fabric shop where I stopped in a few days ago to buy a few meters of chitenje fabric to begin a quilt. People were gathered around the structure blasting the game and my heart began to race. Being the only white person in the village I get stared at a lot...but this time even more stares, being that I was walking towards a building I’d never been in before. A man asks me in Chichewa if I wanted to watch the game. I laugh and shake my head yes. “Pitani” (“you should go”) he says and I proceed into the unknowing black hole.
I see all eyes turn to me even though I try my best to not attract attention. Ha, right...nice try. My efforts are lost as the owner ushers me to a wooden bench that is the first row, with Iwe’s (children) sitting there. I feel somehow like I was at the kids table at a wedding, awkwardly out of place but without much of a choice. Yeah, so much for sliding under the radar. I sit down and slouch, assuming I’m blocking someone’s view behind me. All of the sudden I feel a tap on my back and it’s my neighbor, Blessings, and I’m so relieved to see her. A sigh of relief that I know someone in this dark room!
I settle in as best I can on a hard bench, and peer up at the TV screen. For a moment I can’t figure out if I’m more excited to see the World Cup or to be watching a television. I can’t remember how long it had been. Anyways, being in Africa causes most of the Malawians in the room to root for Ghana. I’ll be honest and say I don't care who wins, I'm just thrilled to be watching it! The owner collects 10 kwacha from me for viewing (since I showed up half way through the game...was busy working my quilt).
A note to those of you at home who are watching the games and see the African fans all dressed up, colorful, and happy. Of course the fans are thrilled to be there, but I will tell you from my experience thus far in Malawi, the energy of those fans is embodied in all Africans. They are such a happy people, always with smiles on their faces and harmony in their voices. When easily reminded of this, I smile to know that I’m so lucky to be able to have this experience, with PC in general, but most importantly with such fantastic people and during an exciting World Cup time.
While I shifted in my seat every few minutes, I sneak peeks at the Malawians sitting around me. For a minute I take all of this in. Here I am, in Bwanje, Malawi, watching the World Cup in a hand built, mud brick, wood door, tin roof shack on a 16” screen, and I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t help but think of the movie Cool Runnings when the Jamaicans are watching their beloved bobsled team compete at the 1988 Winter Olympics. There is no place in the world I’d rather be, honestly, because who can say they’ve watched the game like I have?
I’m thankful for the english announcers, as I can more readily follow the game and the players. I forget, though, that most people in the room probably can’t follow the announcers speed and for that time I feel like an outsider. Language is one thing that separates me, obviously. I laugh at little things the announcers say and people turn to see what I find so funny. I continue looking at the screen pretending not to notice :p
Ghana scores and the room goes wild! In the dark I peer around and witness the adults and children cheering loudly in excitement that their favored team has scored! The elation in the room matches the Africans shown on the television screen in actual attendance. I smile widely and sink on the wood bench like a child being bashful of everyone singing “Happy Birthday!” and for lack of a better description I think “How cool that I’m here!” :)
At the conclusion of the game, when it is obvious that Ghana has won, the owner opens the wood doors and the crowd floods out. I stick around for a few minutes to listen to the post game chatter and then lift my sore rump off the wood bench and find my way outside into the dark. It’s about 6pm and the sun has set, the moon and stars have come out and I soak it all in with a huge grin on my face. My 5 minute walk to my house is filled with excitement and quiet elation of being able to watch my beloved sport in such a worldwide watched tournament. Can't wait for the next game!
First square of the quilt I'm making
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