wookeys

There is a tavern in Kimberley called Wokeys. And just like every other bar that I’ve been to, at Wokeys there is music, smoke, alcohol, bartenders and regulars. Unlike every other bar I’ve ever gone to however, at Wokeys, Trevor and I are celebrities.

All right, it’s mostly Trevor who is the celebrity, but because I’m associated with him – some people think I’m his girlfriend, others think I’m his wife, and some actually know that we are just friends – I’m a celebrity too. Trevor is a celebrity because a couple of weeks ago he played for the Wokey Social Club soccer team. The Wokey Social Club is a pretty cool thing. It’s a club (like any that you would find a William and Mary) that has a board, has weekly meetings and organizes events for its members. The club is comprised of only men and the only business matters that they concern themselves with are drinking, soccer and pool. Sound similar to a fraternity anyone?

Trevor! And a pretty sweet picture if I may say so myself.

Another sweet action shot. Check out Trevor's ups!

Today I went to one of their events – a soccer match. Trevor was playing and I got to hang out on the sidelines with a bunch of guys. What is really cool about these matches is that everyone knows each other; in this case soccer is not only a competition but it is also an aggrandized social event. On the sidelines there are people drinking, smoking, cheering on the players, talking about their wives/ girlfriends and discussing politics. Just sitting on the sidelines was an event in itself.

Picture of the sidelines.

And as the only white girl there, I got a lot of attention. But from what I could tell, most of it is positive attention. People are curious about why I am there but after talking to them for a bit it seems that they are genuinely happy to have me hanging out with them on the sidelines. It was a cool way to learn a bit more about the community and to further immerse myself in the culture here. 

The team and Wokey Social Club members talking at half time.