Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles about impressions of South Africa and the World Cup from contributor and first time visitor to the country, Mark Petterson.

South Africa, Week One. I came here for the soccer, but by the end of the week, I find I’ve been more distracted by the sounds of the place. After 49 hours of travel, the allure of a foreign country seems to diminish by every coach-class sleepless hour. And if I wasn’t feeling very good due to jet lag, the wall of noise that is South Africa didn’t do much to help my headache. Once you get here, you are greeted in the Johannesburg airport terminal by a roar of what sounds like a cross between the humming of bees and an elephant blowing its nose (trunk?). It seems every off-duty (and even on-duty) airport employee has got himself a vuvuzela, the traditional South African horn, and is blowing it till blue in the face at the mob of tourists arriving the game before the World Cup begins. It’s deafening, but also a little bit invigorating.

The psychology of the controversial vuvuzela is strange. Vuvuzezlas are everywhere here. Along with word “Ayoba,” the South African version of “Ole” (which is the South American version of god-knows-what – “Hey!”?), pictures of vuvuzelas are on billboards, posters, restaurant signage, and grafittied walls. And everyone has one. You can’t go to the grocery store without getting blasted in the ear with one of the damn things. It’s a bit confusing why it’s so popular. For one thing, it makes an awful racket. The buzzing you hear in the background of television broadcasts very poorly represents the actual volume and annoying quality of the sound. Secondly, it’s hell to actually blow the thing. I bought one at a the first game, and it’s quite difficult to play. You have to purse your lips like you would playing a trumpet, and then empty your lungs very quickly for even a short, quiet sound. First impression.

Then I step out into the South African winter sun, at a blissful 65 degrees Farenheight, and immediately run into a barrage of locals bundled in parkas and complaining about the winter weather. Some of the more friendly natives even apologize for the frigid temperatures. I usually shiver and say “yeah, it’s really damn cold,” rather than explaining that I come from Kansas and what that means for weather in June. Second impression.

So it was time to figure out how to get to the southwest coast, where our first game was to be held. (Spain v. Switzerland, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.) Renting a car turned out to be the most economical way to get there. Now, as a twenty-something who lives in a Kansas small town, it was a bit intimidating to take the wheel on the right side, drive on the left, and naviagate African traffic. But so far, so good. And as we took the N4 south into KwaZulu-Natal towards Durban, the landscape morphed into something like if Texas and Utah were the same place. Not quite a wasteland, but not much to look at either. It has a sort of arid beauty, but after an hour or so, my two friends and I agreed – it was time to see what was on the radio. This was the lasting impression.

There are only four radio stations down here, on the desolate highway towards Durban. One is some Afrikaan talk show (probably the Glenn Beck of South Africa, although one can hope that this isn’t the case), two are agriculture channels, with updates of wheat prices and the best temperature for pigs, and the final one simply played pop music. It was called East Coast Radio, delightfully proclaiming that “we play the best of the 80′s, 90′s, and this century.” While I couldn’t imagine what “the best of the 80′s” actually described, it soon became apparent that “this century” consisted of a cycle of just three songs.

1. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)

The official song of World Cup 2010, this collaboration between Shakira and South African group Freshlyground is a terrifyingly bubble-gummy exploitation of an old African melody, but it’s also kind of catchy. After hearing it 40 or 50 times, one doesn’t mind it so much. The refrain, “This Time for Africa,” is a sentiment that’s repeated throughout the country in different forms. Almost every advertisement for the tournament makes some sort of mention that this is the first World Cup on African soil. The official slogan, “Ke Nako,” translates “It’s Time.” The agreement seems to be that it’s finally time for Africa to get some respect. We’ve progressed, they claim, so we can handle this. I’m not sure if they’re thinking politically, economically, or what else, but one thing is for sure; they are very proud of hosting this tournament. It’s not just South African pride, either. It’s the entire continent. South Africans flock to games where the likes of Ghana and Cameroon are playing, and the television commentators are highly biased towards any African team. So is it really time for Africa? And what does that even really mean?

Well, I can’t really say. I’m just a tourist. They certainly seem to have pulled it off from an infrastructure standpoint, at least so far. The local police covered for striking security guards, and they finally got the floodlights working at Soccer City. No major incidents, and it’s pretty easy to get around and find places to stay. In the big picture, South Africa is a pretty good example of political progress. It was this country that created Ghandi, Mandela, and Archbishop Tutu. Andthe Rainbow Nation works, for the most part, and since the end of Apartheid and the start of majority rule, there seems to be little tension between ethnicities, at least from what I can see. Whites still seem to enjoy most of the wealth, as business owners and patrons tend to be white, while the employees are usually black. This is disturbing, but probably to be expected, especially when 90% of the population is black. But I’ve not seen or heard much racist talk nor resentment. Jacob Zuma’s government is horribly corrupt, but no one I’ve talked to has complained. Maybe they’re just shining it on while the spotlight is on South Africa, but if so, they’re doing it pretty well.

2. Wavin’ Flag

This song, another unofficial anthem of the tournament, was actually performed by K’Naan, a Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist. It’s big and upbeat, reminiscent of Bob Marley and U2. Most of the lyrics celebrate freedom from oppression, a thinly-veiled reference to colonialism and its disgusting aftermath. But then Coca-Cola picked it up for its South African ad campaign, and tied the song to soccer patriotism. Wave your flag and support your team, especially if your team is Bafana Bafana, the national darlings of South Africa. (Perhaps not anymore, after the 3-oh thrashing they endured at the hands of Uruguay.) South Africans love their team. Most every radio and television personality picks them to win the tournament (look up the odds on THAT one), every restaurant changed servers uniforms to the yellow jersey of the SA national team, and people of every race and color wear hats, jerseys, and scarves proclaiming their love for Bafana Bafana, no matter how bad they may be. I think most people here realize just how bad their team is, but their blind enthusiasm for the team is refreshing. Call it the Invictus effect. Sport does bring people together. Whether that unity can last remains to be seen.

3. Hello Africa

Mostly heard at the end of commercials, this 1991 Dr. Alban composition is supa-annoying, as they say here. “Hello Africa, tell me how you’re doin’” is repeated over and over until you start losing your mind and talk back to the song.

I’m doing quite well, thanks for asking. Every local I’ve talked to for more than five minutes inevitably tells me to “tell your friends to come to South Africa. Tell them that it’s not like the media says, all crime and poverty. Tell them it is a beautiful place, with friendly people and lots of things to do.”

Granted, this sounds a lot like generic patriotic schilling, with little attention to the real problems of South Africa and the neccesity for continuing progress. But, besides the lingering issues of class and race disparity, I do mostly agree with the sentiment of these happy locals. It IS a beautiful country, with much to offer. I would heartily recommend a vacation here, if you can handle the price tag (cheaper during the winter sans the World Cup) and jet lag. I’ve not been surprised by the safety and friendliness of the people here, as I generally give foreign places the benefit of the doubt before visiting. But I do think it is a viable alternative to Europe for culture, Hawaii for tropical beauty, and Asia for ethnic diversity. Go there if you can. Spend a few days in Jo’Burg, then high-tail it to Durban, or Cape Town. Head to the museums, take a tour of Robben Island, then spend a few days at the beach. And talk to the locals. As with any destination, some will be willing to chat, some will not. Just don’t dismiss South Africa as a country, even if Bafana Bafana are one of the worst teams ever in a World Cup. Who knows, maybe France will end up quitting the tournament and send Bafana Bafana through to the second round.