Book Club

I attended my very fist book club last night. I was invited by a friend who is now out of town. I must say it took a lot for me to muster up the courage to show up not knowing the hostess or the other members. I felt like I was in Middle School all over again. What would I wear? Did my friend who invited me, remember to tell them I was coming? Even though she said I didn't need to bring anything, what should I bring? the list goes on... And finally, to add to these other silly fears, I would have to attempt driving at night. Of course Ian offered to take me, but I just felt like this was a fear I needed to face or I would never overcome it.

I think it will take me a while to not be scared of driving in Gaborone at night. It is extremely dark! As my mom would say, I was driving "white-knuckle-gripped" the entire way. There was so much to focus on - I'm not even sure I took a breath. First, I was constantly telling myself "stay-to-the-left." (It's harder to remember when there aren't other cars on the road to follow). Second, people are still walking along the streets in the dark, so I was being super vigilant about that while remembering other advise given to me by several women; #1 Never drive with your purse in the seat (make sure it is hidden) otherwise it is quite possible for someone to bash in your window and steal your bag. #2 If driving at night, and there is a red light (with no other cars) don't stop - to avoid #1 from happeing. Third, those darn pot holes. As I've mentioned before - not only are they everywhere, they are serious holes! They are really difficult to avoid when you can't see. Needless to say, I was praying for NO FLAT TIRES! Finally, the baboons. The house happened to be out in the bush and I knew I would be taking the road where the baboons are always playing. I really didn't want to kill any monkeys! Oh, and to make things just a little bit more frightening...there is no radio in our car. The positive side of this driving experience is that I forgot about being nervous for my first book club.

Book club was GREAT and well worth the scary drive. This group of expat women meet once a month. Not that I've ever been to one, but I am sure this is a bit different than your traditional book club. The hostess prepares dinner, wine, and the books. But here's the cool part. You read any book of your choice. There is a large crate that travels to each meeting. When you are hosting, it's your turn to add to the collection. You can either buy new books, or if you don't mind giving up books from your personal collection, you can do that as well. So after some wine drinking and eating, the hostess shares the books that she is adding to the collection. Our hostess last night, Marianna, is from Denmark. She added a book written by her favorite Danish author (that was translated to English) and about 6 other books. Then everyone has the opportunity to recommend a book. If you are returning a book to the collection that you've just finished - you can share your thoughts to the group etc.

Although it was my first meeting of most of the women (there were a few from playgroup), conversation was rich and meaningful. I could probably write a different blog for each conversation. There were nine of us - two from South Africa, one from Denmark, one from Sweden, one from Australia, two from the UK, one other American and me.

I brought two books home with me (to share with Ian, of course); The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad and House of Stone by Christina Lamb. I can't wait to get started - let's hope Finn takes some long naps!