Tanya Keith, owner of Simply for Giggles, recently traveled with her husband, Doug Jotzke, to South Africa to cheer on the U.S. men’s national team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. She answered some questions about her experience while she was in South Africa. For more about her experience, visit her blog at soccerfamilystyle.wordpress.com.

What was it like when the U.S. scored at the end of the match against Algeria?

We were sitting in the front row of the corner section on the end where the goal was scored. There was a momentary wild celebration, with people jumping up and down, tackling each other, high-fiving everyone. Very soon after the goal, Algeria started attacking aggressively, and we all had to calm down because we still had two minutes to play. It was a very tense two minutes, but when the referee blew the final whistle, it was a celebration unlike anything I’ve ever seen. This was my 25th U.S. men’s national team game, and I’ve seen some great games, but I’ve never seen the fans so excited. The fans poured out of the stands onto the track and stood at the security boards cheering and dancing for about a half-hour. Jozy Altidore came over and hugged several of us. It was really a wild night.

What has been the most memorable experience so far?

After the Algeria game, U.S. attacker Jozy Altidore jumped over the ad boards and came right to me and hugged a group of American fans and I was right in the center of it. It’s the closest I’ve come to getting crushed at a game, but I was literally being crushed into Jozy Altidore’s chest, so I figured it was about even.

Who attended the World Cup with you?

I am here with my husband, Doug Jotzke, who has traveled to the last five World Cups with me. Once we got here, we met up with about 15 people that we travel with for soccer games. Our group lives all over the U.S. – Boston, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Texas, and even one guy from Qatar – but we have family-reunion-esque get-togethers at games all over the world.

Who has been running your business since you have been away?

Lots of people thought I was nuts as a business owner to leave the country for three weeks, but what are you working for if you can’t take three weeks every four years to do something you love? I have a well-trained staff, and most of the places we’ve traveled, I’ve been able to have instant access to my e-mail via BlackBerry.

How is the South African culture different from the United States?

In many ways, the cultures are similar. We both struggle with racial issues, although I think the U.S. is further along in race relations than South Africa; they are further than we are in reconciling multiple languages into one country. There are 11 official languages in South Africa, four alone in their national anthem. We have loved the South African sense of humor, and their pace of life is much more laid back than ours. They have a saying: “In the rest of the world, they have watches; in South Africa, we have time.” It’s not a bad way to live. Like most of the world, they somewhat shut down for the World Cup. Kids are off school; there’s a sense that not a lot of work is getting done here during the Cup.

What is your opinon on vuvuzelas?

In South Africa, there is no vuvuzela controversy. They love it, and they are not going to stop playing it. They like a loud stadium, which is great. If supporters are singing, they stop playing the vuvuzelas because they want to hear the singing. I think that they are an integral part of South African culture, and if you look at how they use them in the stadiums, they aren’t a bad thing. There was a quote from (TV soccer analyst) Alexi Lalas when the World Cup was in the U.S. He said something about respecting other people’s cultures because that’s part of the World Cup. He said something like “so what if they’re sacrificing a goat in the stands, it’s the World Cup!” Vuvuzelas are hardly a big deal culturally speaking, and for the record, in five World Cups, I’ve never seen a goat sacrificed by anyone.