Africa

Do you have memories of dancing as a child? In your yard? To music in your living room when no one was watching? When you hear music, are you affected by the rhythm you hear? Do you start to tap your foot or bob your head in time to the music?
Do you think of Africa as a country or a continent? What images come to mind when you hear the word Africa ?

I decided to include the original question to make the subject of the blog make sense to anyone reading this from outside the class.

I only have two distinct memories of dancing as a child; the first, when I was very young. When a pretty ad or picture in a magazine article caught my eye, I would put it in a blue Crown Royal bag my Grandfather had given me. I had quite a collection that I would periodically spread out on my bead and admire – sort of a changing collage. I remember once hanging that bag from my wrist and spinning and singing in our dining room – the table was gone for some reason so I had space I didn’t usually have. The bag was flying out around me. As I twirled, I raised and lowered my arm to make it fly like one of those carnival rides. I was a pretty reserved child, so this type of movement was very unusual.
The second distinct memory comes much later – maybe around 8th grade. I was at a Lebanese social event. Now, I readily admit I have no rhythm. I can’t dance my way out of a paper bag, but at least I can move in a reasonable facsimile of dancing. A distant cousin asked me to dance. Once on the dance floor, he leaned over and began pumping his arms and sort of frenetically running in place. I remember thinking – “well, at least I don’t dance like that.”
Other than those two specific memories, all other memories of dancing as a child sort of run together – weddings, school dances, cotillions, etc.
Oh, I just thought of another specific memory. When I was in grade school, Mom enrolled me in ballet classes for a couple of years. I was a bumblebee one year for the recital. The next year, I don’t remember the costume, but my class danced to the theme from Hawaii Five-O.
When I hear music, I do actually tap my foot or bob my head, but I seriously doubt it’s in time to the music. :>

I suppose I think of Africa as a continent with stable areas and less than stable areas, but with a great diversity in cultures, terrain and climate. I love Ethiopian and Moroccan cuisine, in particular. I work about 50% of the time in San Francisco and there’s an Ethiopian restaurant that I really enjoy. There's also a Moroccan restaurant near the office, but their meal is more of a feast and you have to plan ahead to be hungry. I once participated in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony. If you are interested, details can be found here - http://www.epicurean.com/articles/ethiopian-coffee-ceremony.html. There is also a wonderful video on YouTube showing the process of washing, grinding, roasting, preparing and finally serving the coffee. http://www.epicurean.com/articles/ethiopian-coffee-ceremony.html

I most definitely plan to go on safari one day. To see African wildlife up close is a dream I’ve long held. I wish I could take a month or more to explore Africa. With so much diversity, a week or two seems insignificant.
When I think of Africa, I see images of beautifully crafted baskets, women and children with baskets full of the day’s shopping or jugs of water on their heads, zebras, lions and giraffes, and, of course, Mount Kilimanjaro. I won't be climbing it, but I would like to see it one day.