Kivu Today: Two-step and Tickling

Hi all,

Tonight I am sitting here inside the office, warm breeze flowing, fan spinning on the roof and country music in the background. I think I'm getting a little taste of what it feels like to grow up in the southern states and the chance to hear, see, and feel why people love it down there.

Life at camp is very fast paced and doesn't often give you much chance to breathe but tonight is a little bit different. There were storm clouds brewing at the head of the valley but history tells us that it never rains on barn dance night so at 6.45pm we all gathered at the flagpole for a picnic dinner. The last rays of sun were streaming over the hill and it was a beautiful night to share with our friends new and old here at Kivu. We had delicious fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, corn bread and delicious cobbler and sweet tea to wash it down. this meal was enjoyed on the lawn with many laughs and fun stories told about the day.

After this everyone went to brush their teeth and get ready for the dance part of the night. Would you believe that you could have 50 flannels being worn in southern Colorado? Everyone was looking the part exceptionally or faking it well as we all headed to the gymnasium for beginner lessons to dance the night away. Young ladies were taken by the hand by the young gentlemen for this time as they learnt the moves. One story I heard from this time was from Caroline Decker. She mentioned that while she was learning to dance she couldn't help but laugh as her partner Levon Tychoporyan tickled her through the two-step practice.

From practice we all headed back to the barn for the real thing. As you can imagine nerves get ahold of the guys as they contemplate asking a girl to dance. As they see their friends plucking up the courage though they start asking ladies to dance and the floor fills up. Throughout the night the campers gain confidence and we see some exceptional swing dancing and as the night gets darker the campfire also gains popularity. Root beers get drunk and true is found and lost as each song goes by.

It really is a fun night and it is a testament to the relationships that have been built over the last 11 days that the campers can have so much fun. I imagine if we did this on the first day both genders would still be thinking that the opposite had cooties. In the end though the fact that the warm breeze was still flowing and now the moon and stars had come out made the atmosphere even better. I think a final barn dance for these campers was turned into a memory that will stand the test of time.

Thanks for reading, and have a great night yourselves. Feel free to turn on the country music and join in wherever you are.

Good night friends, talk again soon.