Dancing Queen

After the speeches, it was time for the music and dancing First, there was a children's band, from the Early Childhood Development Project run by Save the Children - really cute! Then the grownups got in on the act, and boy, did they get in on it! There were two different adult bands, one fixed in place, and one roaming. And everybody danced - even me! The dancing involved much intricate stamping of the feet, gyrating of buttocks, and was totally exhausting! Water was thrown down to keep the dust from rising too much, although in the heat it dried out very quickly. Some of the dance involved the use of scarves, and it all seemed quite competitive. Diarah's school principal was quite the accomplished dancer, and looked very spiffy in his cream liken suit. Several of the Save the Children staff, (the two women) really got into the dancing. Towards the end, some of the children were allowed to jon in, including the two Diarahs.

When the dancing wound down, it was time to head to Diarah's family compound for the next phase of the party. Again, we were all seated in the shade of a large tree, and I was re-introduced to her parents, grandparents, and to her friend's parents. Then it was time for the gifts. As I hadn't planned for her friend, I had to split the gifts I'd brought between the two girls, reserving the larger portion for MY Diarah.