Ghada''s worst and funnest day in Namibia

I mentioned to my boss, (the principal medical officer for Outjo) that I would like to see a Namibian wedding, and he happened to have invitations for 2 the following day, so he promised to take me. As the only doctor working in the public sector in the hospital, he receives a lot of invitations to major events in town, including weddings. The evening started off predictably enough. The first wedding, was very nicely decorated, and was held in the local secondary school. Unfortunately, it was not so well organized and we spent a lot of time waiting for things to start up. All the guests were just waiting around, sitting at tables. It looked a lot like a Canadian wedding actually. Everyone was dressed as well as their circumstances would allow. There was everything from suits and fancy dresses to jeans and t-shirts. After a half-hour, we decided to see if the other wedding was any further along, so we left. The second wedding was held in a primary school and was not so elaborately decorated, but was very well organized. Between speakers, they invited women from the guests to dance. And how elegantly they danced! They stood in a line, sort of like a congo-line, and each woman took a turn being the leader. The women behind her would have to copy her foot movements, and after a couple of minutes, the leader would subtly move to the back of the line and the next woman would lead. Later in the night, we were joined by a colleague from the hospital and her sister. We went for drinks at one of the local lodges. Afterwards, we went to the location. As the only non-black there, I definitely stood out! But, the people I was with made me feel comfortable and we went dancing at the local bar/bottlestore. It was a lot of fun! And so great to be doing something other than working, for a change. The location is never a safe place for me, and certainly not at night (fights break out all the time, and people carry knives and guns), but I felt comfortable enough. Other girls were trying to show me how to dance to the Namibian music (I was hopeless). Unfortunately, the bad part of the night was when I got home. I found the gates locked and the security guard was no where to be found! To make a long story short(er), I ended up having to climb the huge barbed wire fence in my skirt to make it inside the property. It was 2am at this time, and there was nowhere else for me to sleep, so I didn't have much of a choice. A little bloody and tired, but I made it safely inside. I figure this accomplishment/skill could come in useful someday if I ever want to burglarize a building in Namibia :)