We're almost there ... finally

It has been oh ... let me think ... something like
a year since I've talked to the lodge owner about
our Young San Cultural Group going to his lodge
to perform. I mentioned a bit about this being a
possibility in the prior blog post. In fact, if they
go they will be the first San group to have performed
at any of those lodges along the Namibia side
of the Okavango River.

Since posting that article we've been working on
making it come to fruition. The main problem we
had was transportation as the lodge is about 75 km
or 50 miles away.

We've received a promise of being transported by
the village school's assistant principal. He's about the
most reliable person in the joint, so, if it don't go with
him ... then ... it's about impossible to get that sorted.

So that is good, then we have an agreement with the
lodge owner who is noted as a reputable man so the
two biggest issues are ... on paper, solved.

It ought to be pretty interesting and the kids are going
to basically get thrown out of the boat and have to
tread water. Sounds bad, huh? What I mean by that
is it will be the first time for the kids to perform at any
lodge. Plus, the owner wanted them to show up on the
5th of November because he's having a full house and
supposedly they are going to be important guests.

Man, got to admit, I really don't know how the kids are
as far as anxiety about it goes but, I got a little. Well anxiety
seems to be kind of a negative thing, I guess. I really have
concern or more like, I am really hoping that it goes so
well.

Right now the kids are going nuts practicing which is the
goal of it all is to keep them engaged in activity. As it has
been said: " Idle mind is the devil's playground". Really
holds true out here in the bush.

We have to nail down a 45 minute program and the group
has a mixture of traditional songs and some new ones of
their own.

As for my work goal in all this ... it's to really get the group
to get their first plunge into a new world.

The other day I thought back to my time in El Salvador and
how we did the 'plunge' only with girls soccer. In the campo
(word for bush, rural area) it was unheard of. It took 14
months of cajoling, pleading, begging and finally just plain
demanding. But we had one game and we were ... out there ...
pushing the envelope so to speak. But two years later I
received an email from the volunteer that replaced me and
in it was a picture of a girls soccer team with full uniforms.
I felt pretty ok when I saw it.

So, I guess it is getting easier because this time it was only
12 months to get the activity happening. But I do hope that
at least, if they never go again to another lodge to perform,
that they will have had one good experience that they'll
never forget. Or, I'll get an email with a picture of them
tearing it up with the crowd going crazy, can lightning
strike same place twice?

Oops, almost forgot, in my enthusiasm I am leaning towards,
this is all going to work out and we will go. But, through
experience it is better to think of the glass as half empty.
This way if there is a let down, there's not too far to fall.

But, we will get there ... this time ... for sure ... again.