Lucy CP-6

Normally Kader is my tutoring partner but this session was definitely more Conversation Partner, unless you want to say that he tutored me in how to throw a ridiculous American college party with a lot of foreign students.

And that's what happened this fine evening.

Kader turned 21? or 22? and threw himself a...rager? Can you tell I don't really know what this is?  Anyway, he invited me and all night paraded me around to his big and very friendly African friends. 

"THIS IS MY TOOT-AHH"

Indeed. 

He seemed so happy that I'd come, and I honestly had a great time. It was infectious to be around so many happy people. There was no awkwardness or pride or contrived, insipid small-talk or even many, shall we say, 'juice-induced solicitations'. Nobody so sloppy as to be scatter-shot with them anyway. 

So how then, you might say was this truly an American college party? You would have walked in and said it was, trust me. The music was booooming (American and African beats) and of course the alcohol was being alcohol. Somebody had even made a kind of hunch punch in a big orange igloo. I was proud, a little.

This is Kader, in the white shirt. Blurry because he's dancing, but with the hugest smile. 

Kader and I danced and talked music and I met all of his Ivory Coast friends and other CIES people who I'd only heard about. Kader also got to meet my boyfriend at the time, Jon, who to his credit, handled the whole experience quite well. We were the only white ones there, but it wasn't weird at all because everybody else was a CIES student, and race just isn't a divisive issue in CIES. Everyone was awesome. I had soo much fun. 

Happy birthday, Kader!!!