African Glamor

It has been a bizarre couple of weeks in Africa - i.e. lots of work, a nasty cold, but somehow so many social events I can hardly keep up with all the invites... Here are some "glamor" January-February shots, away from the freezing Northern Hemisphere winter.

Sick and without Identity

Nothing much to report as of late, other than the fact that I've been mostly sick (obviously, since I swam in a cold lake on Sunday and then drove back home with my wet hair in the car 'curent'). Oh well, I now have a very sexy (stuck) voice, but I have no intention of lying low - which is why I am organizing a party this Saturday, to finally put our gorgeous garden to good use (amazingly enough, February has been the sunniest, warmest month I have even seen in Africa, so I know where I'll spend my winters from now on!)

For the rest - many deadlines, little action (as I am not allowed to go see gorillas when I am sniffing), and waiting (im)patiently to get my identity back. My passport has been a no-show for weeks now, and I just hear that it travels (without me) on some buses and couriers back and forth between Rwanda and Congo. Hopefully today it's the end of it all...

Dr. Kim's in Town!

My weekends in Africa can mostly be divided into three categories:
1. Staying in Musanze, working, and for the rest getting bored, so going for a meal or BBQ with other bored mzungus, and meeting all other mzungus from all other NGOs in town;
2. Going to Kigali or Goma and meeting new, exciting people, eating some cool, expensive foods and dancing;
3. Going for road-trips to neighboring countries or regions, and coming back dead-tired.

This weekend was going to be a mix of the first two, so on Friday night, as some of us bored mzungus were taking a pizza at the Volcana lounge meeting all other Musanze mzungus, things all of a sudden became interesting. From the neighboring table, where the American vets of MGVP (Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project) were having dinner, this early 40s, skinny man comes over to us and invites us to a party for Monday night. “Come over and bring all your friends!” I was a bit taken aback, as the guy didn’t introduce himself, so my question, half-amused half-snotty was “And what’s the occasion? January 31/Monday-night party?” No, it wasn’t that. It was “Dr. Kim’s in town party!”, as he ceremoniously declaimed.

Now, to my utter ignorance (and ignorance was NOT bliss in this case), I had no idea who Dr. Kim was, and I had not heard of the infamous “Dr. Kim’s in town parties”. With my new housemate Stacy, who was as stunned as I was by this whole episode, we pursued though to doing some background research. Soon, information was pouring from everywhere: Dr. Kim is MGVP’s biggest donor, and he throws these insane parties every time he comes over from the US; Dr. Kim is also a celebrity pet vet, treating the dogs and cats of Hollywood stars and Paris fashion week icons; lastly (or maybe firstly) Dr. Kim is the heir to Saks Fifth Avenue (which to me rang one bell: they are the only ones carrying Diorissimo Eau de Parfum, so, clearly, he was THE man to know!)

OK, so Monday night was going to be interesting – especially as Tuesday was Hero’s Day in Rwanda, so we were going to sleep in late… In the meantime, I pursued my weekend plans (a visit to Kigali, and a would-be-date with this super hot, rich, smart, had-lived-all-over-the-world guy, but who thought so much of himself that he was a total turn-off in the end). Who cared, though… (well, I did, a little), but Monday was becoming too interesting to dwell on anything else.

Finally, party night was here. Dr. Kim chose Volcana Lounge, and he certainly came prepared. He brought over a cotton-candy machine, his private film crew, a band and dance group, lots of neon-props, and a looooot of booze. It was certainly the most surreal setting I had seen in Musanze. Even more surprising – people were actually mixing and dancing (in this country, parties are of the type where you just sit down, eat brochettes, drink beer, and listen to endless speeches in Kinyarwanda. Unlucky you if you feel like dancing, as no one will start shaking before midnight…)

So there, 8 p.m. on a Monday night, the party of all parties was going strong. And Dr. Kim was certainly on top of it, as this thing completely reflected his flamboyant, larger-than-life character. Apart from thinking of the outrageous amount of money this must have cost, I actually had a GREAT TIME, wrapped in green and pink plastic neon-lights, and hard-kicking left and right guys who thought rubbing against me was acceptable. My salsa shoes from NYC were still doing the trick, so there – the night was just perfect :)

Thanks a lot, Dr. Kim, and I am certainly looking forward to your next time in town!