Now for the adventure

Today my roommate and I decided to spend some time getting a little culture. We headed downtown to the African Community Festival and enjoyed an afternoon of fine singing, dancing, and comedy. It was GRRReat!

The first group we watched was composed of men from Cameroon and Kenya. They played a vast collection of African drums, sang, and danced. My favorite of the performances was when one of the drummers declared, "African man...is a romantic man. We do everything 1oo%." This was followed by a male belly dancer and some pretty hilarious lyrics.

The second group, however, was my downfall. This amazingly talented group of dancers from Nigeria showcased all kinds of great moves. It was so much better than anything on So You Think You Can Dance. But I was sitting on the front row. When one of the guys was in the middle of a solo performance, he pulled me out of the audience to dance with him. Just him, and me. Let me just emphasize that I couldn't have been more conspicuous anyway. I was one of only about 5 white people at the festival. AND, in an effort to stay cool and comfortable, I was dressed in my Batman t-shirt, some athletic shorts, and tennis shoes. Everyone else was either in traditional African garb or a nice skirt. But I was the one on stage.

I figured, shoot, I don't know anyone else here - I might as well go for it! So I danced like crazy to cheers from the audience and sat down with a huge smile on my face. Man, I have GOT to go to Africa.

And so my adventures begin.