Soccer is not as popular in the US as in other parts of the world, but there is still a great deal of anticipation in the US about the upcoming FIFA World Cup that will take place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.

I grew up with playing soccer on the streets, remember being engrossed in the matches in front of the TV at home and collecting decals/transfer pictures and so I am looking forward to taking in the World Cup-atmosphere during my visit to Germany.

One interesting factor for this world cup is that there will be an additional physical challenge for many of the visiting teams, since six of ten venues are over 5000 feet above sea level. Of course I will keep my fingers crossed for the German team and I am also excited to watch Spain, the current European Champion, and Brazil play.

This is the first soccer world cup on the African continent and I hope for South Africa, which has been experiencing violence and ethnic riots in the last couple of years, that the sport, the joy of living and the country’s hospitality will take center stage. Through my foundation projects I already traveled to South Africa a couple of times and I have learned to appreciate the country and people a lot. Also, our oldest foreign foundation project is based in Cape Town.

So I hope for South Africa that the games will proceed smoothly and with a lot of positive energy.

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