MASSAI!!!!

Tonight was incredible—I'm on my safari week with the other volunteers in Malindi tonight, and at the hotel (resort) where we're staying, a group of Massai came to do a dance and sell jewelry for all the mzungus. It was possibly the most incredible show I've ever seen!! Traditional Massai are so beautiful—they wear the red fabric wrapped around themselves, are adorned with TONS of homemade beads, jewelry, and have their ears stretched into huge hoops. Massai are also generally really tall so they stick out in a crowd. There was a dance where they came into the audience to pick people to dance with them, and I was picked!! I DANCED WITH MASSAI!! Then there was a photo opp at the end and I sat in the middle of them for some pictures---the dance was the best part, though. Traditional Massai dance involves a lot of jumping up and down really high and shaking your body like a fish out of water....it looks really weird when its not done right, as you can imagine. But they were all so incredible...and the best part is, that they're REAL people! Just because they're traditional in their dress and language and homes doesn't mean that they're dumb or unsophisticated! They were funny and charming and talkative (most speak Massai, Kiswahili, and English)! I HAVE A MASSAI'S CELL PHONE NUMBER IN MY CELL PHONE!!! It was just really incredible to be talking with and hugging and shaking hands with people who are talked about so widely. IT WAS INCREDIBLE!!!