Boom Boom Pow

To all the fathers out there, especially my Dad, Happy Father's Day. To my Dad specifically, I won't be able to make it home today but I am there in spirit and you are with me as well. I love you. However, your day with me will not be too exciting as we will be doing laundry at a laundromat, studying up on my HIV/AIDS facts and reviewing some of the soccer curriculum. Tonight, on the other hand, should be more exciting as we head out to Rustenburg to watch the USA men's soccer team take on The Pharoahs of Egypt. Getting tickets to the game was a bit of a joke. First, we went to the Ticketing Centre at the Loftus stadium here in Pretoria to learn that they don't sell tickets. To buy tickets, one would need to go to the Brooklyn Mall, some 3 miles away. After a nice walk there, we were incredulously told it was sold out. An hour later we bought our tickets. I am finding that my Lafayette luck transcends continents.

One quite stark reality of my stay in Pretoria, truly a nice, neighborly city, is the fact that every house has either barbed wire or an electric fence. Walking in these neighborhoods, there is a constant humming and some loud "pops" emanating from the fences. Additionally, most houses have a guard dog as quiet as Scully, and some of the larger homes have armed guards. That popping sound will constantly remind me of my walks through these neighborhoods and of the harsh realities of life here.

Another reality here is that TV is on its way out of my life. Well, TV variety is leaving. For two nights straight, the options of the three channels included rotating still photos from cities around the world, Gospel Time (a talk show about Gospel music) and the making of The Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" video. In an effort to memorize some dance moves to use in our Street Football sessions, we have chosen to focus on Boom Boom Pow. Not sure we are 3008 yet with our moves...but we have lots of swagger. And hopefully the kids will love our self-effacing swagger.

Off to switch the clothes to the dryer,
Christian "not in the basement" Aviza