in which i join new activities with both successes and failures

I have a new favorite sport, but I hesitate to tell you. I'm actually kind of embarrassed about it. Remember how I tried yoga and it caused great pain to my wooden arms? (Too many of the poses involve leaning on your arms. Also people are so SERIOUS about it. It did NOT start at the beginning, it started with people who knew what they were doing standing on their heads. And big words in other languages apparently indicating standing on your head but which were not explained to us. I was so confused that it was like living as a practical joke.)

I had to pick something else instead and my criteria were as follows:

1. not hurt the arms
2. cardio (in combination with some sculpting is better yet)
3. something i enjoy so i actually go to it
4. approximately 1.386 million time constraints (class, babysitting, THAT ONE IS JUST TOO EARLY IN THE MORNING sorts of constraints).

So I found one. And I went. Kind of embarrassedly. But I LOVED it. I loved it. It was everything I wanted and more.

It is... well... water aerobics.

What? That's too small to read? Oh, fine, it's water aerobics. Water aerobics, okay? And it's FUN. No, there are no old women. there are me and a college student and two middle aged women and anyway you can just do it faster if you need to work harder, so that's what I do. But water aerobics is exactly like playing in the water as a kid. You skip. You hop. You jumping jack. You float on noodles while doing leg motions. And it's all GOOD for you! Who knew? I have never outgrown thinking it's fun to jump over a noodle in the water about 100 times, so this is perfect for me. Fun fun fun, all the time fun! (for 55 minutes twice a week). I love water aerobics.

The other class I joined is West African dance. There is no way to describe how terrible I am at West African dance. Ten years in Liberia embued me with no skill whatsoever. And I have not the butt for it. I cannot wiggle my butt independently of the rest of my body. The teacher made me stop using my arms so that I could attempt to get the feet and butt right. With no success at all. Did I mention that I can't dance, I mean, any kind of dancing? Dancing that requires rhythm and unique body movements is never going to be easy for me. Once Kabera tried to teach me a Congolese dance at the Guest House. HAHAHAHAHA. I couldn't learn it.

Even though I came late to West African dance because of another meeting, my body hurts all over from moving in new and unexpected ways. But it was fun, except for the embarrassment. I'm going to keep going. I plan to beat a rhythm into myself. Must. Learn. To. Dance.

These gym classes are the best thing ever.

...

Why do I keep hearing a horse clopping by outside my window?