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I may be in Africa but I'm only a .... away

There are many ways to get in contact with me while I am in Africa. Please remember that there may be some delays in my response time. Click bold text for links to additional information.

Permanent Address:
Heather Khan
1761 Hornblend Street
San Diego, CA 92109

Temporary Address:
Heather Khan
American Embassy
Unit 2220, Box 196
DPO, AE 09828-0196

Mobile Number: US Phone 619-405-0448
(voice or text messages only)
Kinshasa Phone 011 243 81 700 6176
(calls or text messages only - no voice messages)

Email address: heatheraz97@hotmail.com

Skype: heather.michelle.khan

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Dancing to the African Beat

This has been a very eventful weekend! On Friday night, we rested in the evening to be ready for our 22:30 trek out to two local clubs. The first was owned by a Greek gentlemen who apparently is very well known in motor cross. Anyway - the club was very lounge like complete with beats from right there in the ole US of A. After a beverage we journeyed off to a club for dancing to a jazz band who played latin and african beats! It was fantastic!

Today though not so great since I went to bed after 2am and was up at 8 to get ready for my cooking lesson. No I wasn't the student. I was teaching my "domestique" how to make empanadas. Bummer - I couldn't bake them since my oven is on the fritz. Then, I had to nap nap nap...as we journeyed out for dinner and then off to my first local concert.

Dad would be very jealous -- masala dosa at a decent Indian food restaurant, pleasant evening for outdoor seating.

Now it gets interesting at the concert. The concert was at The Grand Hotel, which is the Ritz of Kinshasa. Well suffice it to say that fashion was the hot priority at this concert. We had from ball gowns to gangster throwdown and pure African style of locally made suits with a designer label sewn on the sleeve. The concert was not what I was expecting. Everyone was sitting and with the upscale dress, I felt very out of place. But then mayhem hit and we got to the african way.

Koffi started to sing a popular song and the oversold concert masses converged on the dance floor which was a makeshift wood platform placed over the swimming pool at the hotel. Problem - the influx of people caused the floor to collapse tossing a good portion of the well dress peeps straight into the pool.

It was classic!

1 comment:

  1. Dear Heather, I do believe you are quite insane for actually volunteering for such a post.......and yet....... how very exciting! I picture you dancing much the same way you celebrated when the the UofA Beachcats beat the ASU alum at bowling in San Diego, "Calm , organized, accountant Heather sheds her outer skin to EMBRACE LIFE and EXPRESS ABSOLUTE JOY!"

    Or as the French have coined the phrase, (as translated by Wikipedia,) you have: Joie de vivre (French pronunciation: [ʒwa də vivʁ], joy of living) is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. Joie de vivre

    "can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy of life, a Weltanschauung. Robert's Dictionnaire says joie is sentiment exaltant ressenti par toute la conscience, that is, involves one's whole being."

    My friend, you seem to have it in abundance. Even your bad news posts lack negativity.

    Thank you for sharing such an unusual adventure.

    Diane Ellis

    ReplyDelete