Editor's Note: Anthony Burkhart is a Cocalico High School graduate who attended the World Cup as a fan. Here is the last in his series of stories.

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It's too dangerous. The country is too difficult to navigate. Stadium and public transportation building is behind. So is their technology.

Naysayers lurked around every corner leading up to World Cup, but in the past month South Africa has smashed the stereotype of being a violent country where nothing really works, and being incapable of hosting a global event.

This World Cup saw the third largest attendance in history — 3.1 million spectators — behind just USA 1994 and Germany 2006.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave the host country a nine out of 10 rating as host of the world's greatest tournament.

"Nobody in the world is perfect, but the organization of this first World Cup in Africa and in South Africa was pretty close," Blatter said to a Durban newspaper. "They can be proud of their achievements. They showed they can organize such an event successfully."

Still not convinced South Africa ran a historically great World Cup? The International Olympic Committee has already asked South Africa to put in a formal bid to host future Olympics — solely because of the World Cup.

And for as well as the tournament ran for the first 30 days, Sunday was even better. South Africa capped the World Cup with a cracker of a final, going all out on presentation and entertainment.

The closing ceremony included performances from Shakira and many South African artists in addition to a state-of-the-art lights show. Post-game included a terrific trophy presentation and a spectacular fireworks show over the Soccer City stadium.

In between was a mediocre game in terms of quality of play, at best, but one that wasn't short on excitement.

Dutch fans continually rang out above the vuvuzelas, clearly belting out —accent and all — their country's name: "All-Lund, All-Lund, All-Lund."

The final seemed destined for penalty kicks until one moment of excellence catapulted the Spaniards into the history books, when Andres Iniesta buried a rare chance in front of goal in the 116th minute.

The entire Spanish squad dog-piled in the corner below me, and the Dutch fans sat in shock all around me.

Six minutes later, Spain won the World Cup for the first time in team history and the pageantry that is the post-game activities quickly began.

It was so far away, but seeing the World Cup trophy gleam in person was the moment that did it for me. I knew I was at the World Cup final, but something about seeing that trophy in person flips an emotional switch and completes the dream-come-true night.

Spain collected the trophy, fireworks went off, and the World Cup came to a close all too quickly. I stood in my Section 509 seat and just soaked in the emptying stadium as long as I could. What started out as a dream six years ago finally came to fruition a month ago, but ultimately came to a close Sunday in the chilly Johannesburg night.

Seven games in five stadiums, in four different cities, allowed me to see 18 goals in person at World Cup, 14 of which were at the goal nearest to me. Some are unforgettable, like Landon Donovan lifting a nation against Algeria, or Giovanni van Bronckhorst's wonder strike in the semifinal against Uruguay.

But this trip ended up including so much more than soccer. Two visits to Cape Town, a safari excursion in Pilanesberg, three days at Victoria Falls, and even now there is still more to do after World Cup. What was supposed to be a quick, simple visit to Durban between the final and my departure on the 14th has included surfing in the Indian Ocean and a bungee jump into the Durban stadium from the overhanging arch.

This trip was never, ever dull. And to call it a vacation would be a mistake — it was an adventure. Sleep and relaxing were in short supply this past month. There is too much to do when you're not sure if you'll ever be back again.

The country of South Africa is a wonder, but attending a World Cup is an experience in itself. Going to a World Cup for any length of time is an absolute must for anyone with a passion for soccer. It's truly a month-long party that unites people from all over the globe and from all walks of life, and forges friendships that will last a lifetime. And if even for just a little bit of time, the world's problems are forgotten. That's the power of a simple game. That's the power of World Cup.

So, thank you South Africa. Thank you for proving everyone wrong, even locals who didn't think this country was ready to host this tournament. Thank you for hosting one of the most successful World Cups in history, and letting me be a small part of it.

It was an incredible run, a true trip of a lifetime. I surfed the Indian Ocean, saw animals in the Big Five, witnessed a west-coast sunset and experienced a World Cup final.

I'm not sure if Brazil can do it better in 2014, but after this experience I'm more than willing to find out. It's never too early to start the countdown: 1,427 days.