Go Bokke!

For any one of you who has ever told your mother or spouse or sister that nagging does not work, here is proof that it does. The nagger in this case will remain nameless--we'll just say that she's perfected the art over the last 23 1/2 years. And I can hear her voice in my mind now, so I'll get on with it, as she'd surely be telling me to do. (Anyone who hadn't caught on before will realise that sarcasm goes a long way in my family.)

So what have I been up to in the last almost three weeks since I last posted, you ask? Nothing exciting. I have written three papers, done two interviews, made six lesson plans, and studied non-stop. Right now, I'm working on my thesis--rough draft due Monday. I have 26 of 30 pages, but some serious editing and reworking to do. C'est la vie. I'm sure merely the mention of a thesis bores you, but for those of you who are not yet asleep, the title is "Human Rights Education in Post-Apartheid South Africa: History, Ideology, and Applicability within the United States of America." If you're interested, you may read it, though I may need an American version in order for you to understand all of the apartheid references.

But the really important part of this post comes now: the South Africa Springboks are competing in the Rugby World Cup finals tonight against England! The whole country has been abuzz with patriotism and excitement. Yesterday and today (and hopefully tomorrow, as well) everyone in the country has been asked to wear green, and I would venture to guess that nearly 1/3 of the country actually did wear green yesterday! I wore a new green shirt and giant green hoop earrings to school yesterday (lots of complements from the eighth graders) but was outdone by the other teachers wearing entirely green outfits! Rugby is a serious venture here. I even saw someone on the way to work yesterday with a stuffed springbok (of the formerly live variety) mounted on the grill of their car! Now, that might be going to far, but I'll refrain from judgment for now.

Now, I'm not much for rugby. I often feel as if I might see someone actually die on the field! But it has been absolutely amazing to see the country come together in this way. South Africa is definitely a country divided: along racial lines, along class lines, along crime, etc., etc., etc. But this weekend everyone seems to be cheering for one thing. Even Madiba (Nelson, that is) has sent a good-luck message to the team. Everyone is so proud of the Boks (in Afrikaans, Bokke), and--the newspaper guys even had special "Go Bokke, Go Bokke!" shirts in which to sell their papers today (papers which have the title in green and gold with a springbok leaping through!). So, if you're in the mood at 2:30 Central time, put on a green shirt, find ESPN, and watch the rugby! If you're really dedicated, you could find a recording of Shosholoza, the team's themesong, online. Shosholoza, meaning "the spirit of working together" has become South Africa's clarion call in recent years. Think of me, in a sports bar with all of very intoxicated South Africa having a great time and not writing a thesis for a little while, and throw up a prayer that we might pull it off!

Go Bokke!