It's true. I admit it. Last night I met a young woman and I fell in love with her instantly. And then, a couple of seconds later, I met another one. Same thing happened.
And they've both moved in with me.
If you have never seen the African Children's Choir, then you simply must. They'll be in California for a while (in Sacramento on Wednesday) so some of you may get the chance. They sing and dance with exuberance, absolute adoration evident in every note and stomp.
We enjoyed Easter dinner with the children before the concert. They were so grateful and polite. I kept elbowing James and glaring at him with a "Seeeee?" expression on my face. While my American son asked if he could be done after eating a quarter of the contents of his plate, these sweet Ugandans finished everything they were given and then lined up to sing us the "Yum yum" song afterwards.
The concert was a joyous whirlwind. I was actually sore afterwards from the intensity of the children and how completely they draw you into the performance. During the intermission, each of them took the microphone and said, "Hello. My name is _______. I am ___ years old and when I grow up, I want to be a _______." At least six of the boys wanted to be pilots. One of the girls wanted to be a pastor. I hope she finds a great church in Africa.
After the show, DCB spoke for many of us when he turned to the children and said, "Hello. My name is Doug. I am 44 years old and when I grow up, because I was born and raised in the Church of Christ...I want to dance!"
After the kids changed, we were introduced to those we would be housing. Marjory greeted me with a huge smile and a bigger hug. Trivisan followed on her heels, telling me that she saw me during the concert. I told her that I saw her too and she almost fell down laughing. They all poured such energy into their performances that Lisa and I assumed that they would be exhausted. No. Oh, no. Both girls sang and ran around for another hour or two after getting home. They grabbed anything they could find with words and began reading. They wanted to talk and laugh and, well, tickle. Both girls enjoy the tickling. Well, my friends, I can tell you that they have not yet begun to be tickled.
They are at school now, as they will be every day, and then will come home for dinner at 5:00. They are not allowed TV or computers so, alas, they'll have to play with James who, needless to say, is in heaven. Bedtime is at 8:00. We'll see how that goes.
My two new loves will stay with us until Wednesday when they drive north to meet their next hosts. Thinking about them leaving already makes me sad.
