Who are You and Why are You Entering my Village?

Today, Mom, Pastor, and I went to the International Trade Fair. We actually started out going to a glass blowing place, but Pastor called the Government Representative who is managing the process for our adoption to check in and she told him to bring us to the fair. It was huge. There were tons of people, tons of kids, tons of exhibitors, and absolutely no food. But no matter, I was able to make arrangements with our Representative (who was tending a booth at the fair) to meet Luyanda on Tuesday.

!!!!!!!!!!

I'm trying to "manage" my excitement though. Tuesday is 3 days away and a lot can happen (or not happen) in three days!

And how's this for really fun? We ran into three of the people who were on the tour with us at the Cultural Center yesterday! Who'd a thunk it? You might remember that the tour was interactive. At one point another guest and I were told to act out a scene where a man enters the village and is greeted by a young girl (that was me). I had to greet him on my knees. Albert insisted we actually talk out the scenario. So, I said, "Hey, who are you? Why are you entering my village?" My partner, who I later learned is named Festus and lives in Nigeria, said, "I am just a man looking for an African woman." I said, "Well, I'm not African" in a tone that communicated "so good luck buddy." The whole thing was strange and awkward. And since our tour guide, Albert, didn't provide any parameters for the scene which we were acting out, I didn't know whether this gentleman was playacting or just shooting the breeze to get through the scene as quickly as possible.

After the tour we ran into him at the restaurant and were introduced to his companions, Malima (from Namimsia) and Joseph (from Zambia). I had to ask, "So did you really travel this far to look for a woman?" He laughed and acknowledged that the whole thing was pretty uncomfortable and that he didn't know what Albert had wanted him to say, so he just started saying anything.

So, how fun is it to run into these three at the trade fair? Super fun! Here I am in this country where I don't know anyone, I don't know the language, I don't understand the customs, and I bump into people who actually shared an experience with me. It was a strangely comforting feeling. Our tourmates were on the second level of a staircase and I waved and called out from across the street. After crossing over to join them, I overheard Festus saying to a friend, "It's so funny that I am seeing this woman here. I proposed to her yesterday!" I don't think that "proposed" has quite the same meaning in Africa. *smile*

(In the picture: Me, Malima, Joseph, Mom, Festus, Festus' friend, and Pastor.)

All in all, it was a very nice day. The things that didn't go as expected: no glass factory, no lunch, were more than outweighed by the things that did: setting up a date to meet Luyanda and making new friends (Festus is from Nigeria but lives here).

Another fun part of the day was that there were many government officials from several countries at the fair and we got to see this country's version of Barack and Michelle Obama!

We ended up getting some dinner at a beautiful restaurant. Pastor ordered Buffalo wings in honor of my mother. I told him about my belief that Buffalo Wings that are made outside of Buffalo are never really Buffalo Wings. After he had eaten, he admitted that they weren't so great. He concluded that I must have been right, these were not true Buffalo Wings and therefore did not deserve to have the name. The Pastor renamed them Uffalo Wings.

That cracked me up.