Swing Dance Party!

So yesterday we did indeed host a swing dance party. Well, there was only about an hour total of dancing, but the party lasted for several hours. Two fellow PCTs, a married couple who are also living in the neighborhood for the time, came by, and many of my host family's friends and family.

We started with a full lunch for everyone--fish, saltfish, breadfruit, black beans, rice w/ vegetables, avocado, fried magombo (a lot like plantain), shredded carrot, sliced tomato. It was all very good. To drink of course we had the rum punch (recipe below!) and some grapefruit/lime/sour orange juice made from fresh fruit.

After lunch I taught a short lesson for 8 people (there were more than that many there, but they didn't want to dance). Most people picked it up really quickly, including my point person's young daughter! Not many people danced after the lesson, though. Fay was a very good follow for me to work with to demonstrate the steps and some turns. After the lesson, for the most part, the only dancing was a few of us just moving around by ourselves. Everyone was impressed (and surprised, those that didn't know I like to dance) by my moves. I'll see if I can get a video up later.

After a while I switched the music from a swing playlist I made to a band my brother plays with, The Neoprimitive. Everyone liked that music, too, and the different kinds of dances you can do to it.

After the party my host parents and another couple took me to a (free) "country and western" dance so I could see what it was like, since I had mentioned it before. Well: the music is very loud. There weren't many people there since it was early on a Sunday night. There's pretty much only one kind of step that people do to the music (box step), and no turns or anything. And the songs all sound the same--old country music. After an hour we left. It was pretty boring, to be honest. I don't think I could do more than an hour and half unless I were with friends at such a dance.

All in all yesterday was very busy, so I was very tired by the end and still am today! Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment, then I'll go to my school internship like most Tuesdays during training.