Bruised heels

Strange title, hay?

At the request of Jeannine, it was time for an updated post. The last few days have been a craze, but at least I can now claim "fifteen minutes of fame" status on campus.

I've been attending social events left and right for the last few weeks. Kamlan's birthday was Wednesday, and it was a smash. I've also been out dancing the last two Saturdays until four in the morning. Finally found a place that suits us. Again today I was stuffed to overflowing with bean curry and freshly made roti (thanks Prakesh and Mark!)

But the highlight of the week (and possibly the semester) was last night. I was invited on Wednesday to participate in residence "Culture Night." I later found out that it consisted of a competition between the different residences on campus. I was asked to perform a Zulu song and dance with other members of Tower.

We have been rehearsing since Thursday night, and my feet are really sore from all the dancing. I got Judith to participate also, and we both had small "feature parts" in the performance. It all went off without a hitch last night and WE WON! Big party, and all 3000 or so people in the student union went completely nuts. Apparently there is a videotape, which I will try and track down.

The event itself was amazing, with traditional and modern songs and dances, performers from Lesotho, and even a woman from Iran singing in Farsi. I have a few pictures I'll try to get posted soon.

So, now it seems that everyone I pass says hello. A strange shift from feeling like an outsider looking in. At one point during our rehearsals, I was allowed to participate in a Zulu dance that the women were not allowed to see. It was amazing to be invited in so completely. Definitely one for the travel journal.

Everything else has taken a backseat for the past few days, but I do intend to keep you more updated this week. I'm also working on a response post regarding race in South Africa, and I may even turn some of your ideas into a paper topic, so thanks for that! Hope all is well!

Flown by mariposa at 08:30 PM on September 12, 2004