Fancy Pants

Last week was the UNEP-SEED Symposium on the Green Economy. I would explain all the abbreviations, but it won’t mean anything anyway. Basically a bunch of people were getting together to discuss their efforts towards a green economy, maintaining the rain forest, and other like actions. Cool for them. I really wanted to attend, but I got snuffed and told to go babysit high schoolers instead. Oh the joys of being an intern.

I did, however; get invited to the awards and ceremonies dinner. AND I was treated like a big shot. They had all these beautiful fruit cocktails out that I was turning down, turns out my boss lady also doesn’t drink. I won brownie points. So during the cocktail part of the party I mingled with some people from the United Nations Development Programme (please don’t mock the spelling, I do it because I have to) they told me that I should get a masters in NGO management and community development. We’ll see where I end up on that front. One member of this group was a man from Kenya named Kibee. He was telling me all about how he was leaving for DC in the morning, would be in London in two weeks time, and Spain by September. He also told me that he wants to marry someone just like me so that she won’t mind joining him on all his travels. I haven’t decided if that was a compliment or not, and if I should be flattered or not.

So everyone was mingling and cocktailing and whatever else when suddenly we all heard this loud shout. Then a bunch of half naked African men started shouting/singing/dancing their way through the crowd. We all followed them into the main dinner hall. They made a tunnel for us to walk through and then followed us in to do a complete stomp presentation. I was won over. I love traditional dancing and song. They were amazing. My camera was dead so I’m trying to track down the photo and video footage, wish me luck.

Anyway, the night progressed. I listened to a German man and a Chinese man attempt to give speeches in English, which was entertaining. Then I acted like a proper glutton at the buffet table. Though I was nothing compared to one of the winners from Germany who ate three full plates. But can you blame us? Half of the things offered we had never even tried before, and everything was divine. I mean seriously, the recipes here are perfectly to my liking: lots of fruit, lots of pork, lots of bbq sauce. I was in heaven. Then there was the dessert table. Malva pudding, if you ever have a chance to eat some GO FOR IT! Then there were some other treats and their main ingredient was sweetened condensed milk. That stuff is the nectar of the gods, I promise you.

There really is no point to telling you this, other than it was an exciting night for me. It was my first night out in South Africa. It was also my first time being treated like a professional and colleague in the international development arena. It was nice. Good incentive to graduate, grow up, and get my named printed on business cards.

I was able to track down a couple pictures from the evening, still waiting on the dancing pictures though. Enjoy.