zebras 4 life

I went to my first ever national soccer game in Africa this past weekend. Well, actually, my first ever national soccer game, period. After defeating Namibia on Saturday, the Zebras (Botswana's team) went on to play Angola on Sunday. Angola and Botswana were pretty well matched, and so it wasn't until the end-of-the-game very nerve-wracking penalty kicks ('till that point no one had scored), that Botswana managed to pull off a win!
It was very exciting, and despite despite soccer fans' reputation around the world for drunken rowdyness, it was a whole lot of good-spirited fun. Guys came around selling peanuts, ice cream and sweets (just like ball games in the States!), everyone--and I mean EVERYONE--was dressed up in Botswana's baby blue and white colors (a few even sporting zebra paper mache heads), and my section of the stadium especially led the crowd in various cheers and songs. And man can Batswana SING!! They really put us to shame, the way everyone in the audience could burst into beautifully cadenced song, practically moving the stadium, in harmony and everything. It was quite something to be in the middle of. And once I caught the words of what they were singing (well my friend Thata had to tell me actually), I tried singing along too, much to my neighbors' amusement. But the whole event was really really fun, and a great way to experience some local culture in the quirky little city of Gaborone (which, by the way, also happens to be the current filming location of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency forthcoming movie!!). Now I head to Moshupa, to be immersed in village life for my last 3 weeks before I head back to the States...