Proving that mzungus CAN dance

This afternoon, Fernando’s football team threw a party for his departure.  The party was enhanced by the fact that they won a big game yesterday (against an older, supposedly more skilled team also from Kabwana) with a score of 3-1 (well, really 4-1, but evidently arguing with the ref can get a goal reversed…I question whether some money was exchanged).  The party was held at the home of Joel, an 8 y.o. badass who is the lead scorer for the team and is easily smaller than everyone else who plays with or against.  His mother owns a shop in town (where they sell the great sambusa!) and so they have a very nice home: a living room that can seat comfortably 15 or so people, 25 if they’re small (like the team is); a satellite for TV (one of the signs of wealth here), a separate hut for cooking; and very nice decorations.  The party included the numbering of the new jerseys that they received thanks to their donor, Mr. Fernando, the serving and enjoying of maraga na wali (YES!), some Luo dancing by none other than Benatus and Joel’s little brother, and then a cup was sent around for everyone to donate towards their buying of cleats for the whole team.  In the end we raised $15,000Tsh in total; not there yet, but every little bit counts.  Finally, there were speeches by Joel’s mother welcoming us to her home and thanking us for coming; Wiklife, who spoke for the team; a few other teammates; and Fernando.  It was a wonderful party, and I was honored to be included.  I look forward to the next five weeks of hanging out with my TZ friends.  Upon the conclusion of the party, we were all outside hanging out, when Benatus started dancing again.  I couldn’t help but jump in on the action.  Luo dancing is basically “walking it out” done solely on your toes and a little lower than the American version.  Utter shock.  They all went crazy, screaming in Luo, probably saying, “WHAT?! Mzungu can dance?!”  Yes, Mzungu can dance.  I think I earned a little respect there on that patch of dirt.