Letting loose

After a whole day packing and preparing for my trip to Mubende the following day, I was thoroughly exhausted, especially since we had stayed up super late the night before for Gerie’s birthday party. I was supposed to go to Mulago to work for a bit and say goodbye to Dr. Etolu, but I was simply too tired to make the 25-minute journey there. I just stayed home all day, transferring all my photos from my camera to my computer, charging all my electronics, packing, watching TV and lazing around. So it came as a surprise even to me that when Gerie asked me after dinner whether I wanted to go out with her, Paul and some visiting students from Boston, I actually said yes. I guess I was ready for my first clubbing experience since arriving in Uganda. We had gone to a place called Little Flowers the weekend before, but that didn’t count. It was the “club” where AFRIGO band, the oldest band in Uganda (with a sprinkling of both old and new members) would play old Ugandan songs, with some super talented dancers shaking their booties on stage. And Gerie and I were the youngest people there – most of the other customers were in their mid to late fifties, but that didn’t stop them from shakin’ and jigglin’ the whole night through. It was great fun, but it was no club – not the type I mean when I say “club”.

So Gerie and I got all dolled up for the night out. I wore a black tank top and my Guess denim shorts, while Gerie wore a cute striped dress with a denim jacket. We looked totally cool, if I may say so myself. And then we proceeded to wait, and wait, and wait… We were ready by around 9.30pm, which was when we thought we were supposed to leave. Paul didn’t get to the house until 11pm. I was almost asleep by then, and if he had called just a few minutes later, I would’ve been so soundly asleep nothing short of an earthquake would have been able to wake me. But as it was, I dragged myself off my bed, and went out to the car. Paul was very flashily dressed with a glossy shirt and dress pants. We made a good-lookin’ party of partyers!

The club was abright with technicolored dance lights. Heavy beats pounded in our eardrums. I was super excited! We passed through security, and the security guard gave me the once-over, shook her head, and told me “Too short.” “Excuse me?” I asked her. She pointed at my shorts. “Too short,” she repeated. I gaped at her in bewilderment. I looked at the customer that she had let in right before me – her dress barely covered her ass, but my shorts were too short? I told Gerie and Paul about this. Paul talked to the head of security, who came over to “inspect” my outfit. “So, we have a dress code in this club,” he told me. “Is this your first time here?” “Yes,” I replied, and it may well be my last time here, what with the royal treatment I’m getting so far. Ok, so tell me about this dress code of yours. What does it entail? Do your shorts have to be less than a certain length from the knees, or more than a certain length from the butt?” I asked him. “Well, we don’t allow shorts… I mean we do, but they have to be longer, you see. They have to cover the butt, with no part of the butt showing.” I turned around and grabbed my ass. “See here? This is where my butt ends. Do you see how far lower my shorts end? Can you see any part of my butt? Please tell me.” The head security officer laughed. “No, your shorts are not too short, but it’s sometimes difficult for our security guards to tell, so I have to be called to make the final decision.” “Well yeah, maybe it’s difficult for them to tell my butt from my legs, since I don’t have a gravity-defying curvaceous bum like your African women here do. Or maybe that security guard lady just doesn’t like the way I look.” The head security officer laughed again. “No, no, it’s fine.” And he waved us through. I honestly didn’t know why he was laughing. I was not cracking any jokes. What a way to start the night.

But we went into the club, and I started feeling better. There were two floors in the club, with the lower level playing mostly “world music”, and the top level playing mostly Ugandan music. We each got a Nile Special and headed to the top level. Nobody was dancing. “What’s wrong with everybody here? The music is great, but nobody’s dancing!” I exclaimed. A really great song came on, and Gerie and I got up to start dancing. For about 3 songs, we were the only ones dancing, but slowly, others joined in. Finally, the whole club was alive with gyrating hips and jiggly bums. It was so much fun! We each got another Nile Special, and the fun bumped up a notch on the fun-o-meter. Finally, Paul’s visiting student friends came to join us, along with some local students that they had been hanging out with during their trip. It was such a weird mix of American club dancing and African club dancing – a fusion of cultures and dance moves. Finally, Paul was ready to leave. Gerie and I could’ve stayed longer, but I had to wake up early to meet a friend the next morning, not to mention my trip to Mubende the next day. So we reluctantly exited the club to return to the quietness of the night.