Rock Star

The title is in reference to an incredibly sweet email from someone I met only on several occasions, but was always encouraging and friendly. I hope she doesn't mind my broadcasting this to the world - well, let's be honest - my mom and sister and maybe two other people in this universe - but I had to share. Maybe it will help my mom sleep better at night:

s! you are so sweet to invite me and i'd be there in two seconds, but
alas i'm going out of town this weekend to visit family and must miss
your fabulous send-off. really i'm just so excited for you! a very long
brunch will be in order once you're back so you can tell me all the
stories (and i can have travelled vicariously!)

have a very safe trip and don't forget to take it easy. once you're
there you'll get treated like a rock star so live it up :)

c

Interesting, because it's true, I remember meeting a few of the delegates from Africa a few weeks ago at the UN Conference on Small arms and they treated me with such care and respect; I was pretty blown away. Not to generalize or anything, but I did get the sense that the standards for hospitality in African cultures are quite different than what one might be used to in the West. For those who hate this 'east-west' distinction; let's be real. There's something to it. Within minutes of meeting a few of the delegates from Nigeria, Liberia, Uganda, South Africa, Lesotho, and Sierra Leone, among others; I had the sense that these people would invite me into their homes if I asked. I also just felt a more easy rapport for some reason with these delegates than with most other countries, barring a few random meetings with an Italian priest who lived and worked in Uganda for almost 30 years and was gracious enough to provide a few contacts he know of there...

Back to the title and this theme of Rock Star. Maybe that could be my cover. Hide my true identity as a researcher and pretend that I am really there to make music. hehe. For those of you who know me well - you know this would be my dream come true. Aw yeah. ;-)

Love it.