So, I know that the picture is a bit blurry, but it was the best out of the bunch really. The two figures in the middle are Steve and Mari. For those of you reading this from Londonderry, you will be interested to hear that this is the son, and daughter-in-law of the Clark family... who live in the historical barn on the corner of Perkins and Stonehenge Road. My Dad does construction work for Mr. Clark senior, and they insisted that while in London, I meet up with their son! This is the place that Mari recommended - Salsa! Now, it is important to keep in mind that I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and tha this was probably a once in a lifetime occurance. Upon arriving to Salsa, I fet a bit out of place, because I don't know the first thing about salsa dancing. Mari showed me a few moves, and after getting me to drink this interesting mixture of vodka, lime, and lots of sugar, they pulled me out on the dance floor. Now, the proces goes like this - you stand in a circle on the dance floor while couples dance on the inside of the circle. Everyone moves at their own pace, but you can't just dance with your friends - you wait to be asked to dance by someone else standing in the outside circle. I was sure that in my sundress and cardigan, I would not be the first shoice of many, but apparently I attracted more interest than I would have liked.

A short, Brazilian man approached me to dance, and I realized that I was screwed! Mari told me that I should at least try, so I did. But I assumed that because we were complete strangers this guy woluldn't try anything too daring.... I was wrong. Pulling me right up against him (he was quite sweaty by the way) he whispered in my ear, "can you make eye contact". I laughed and said, "I suppose". Making eye contact did make it much easier to dance with him, but it was still not the most comfortable pairing I could have been in. When the dance was over, he gave me a kiss on both cheeks and laughed, asking if I was a regular. BIZARRE! Clearly I was not a regular, and clearly I was not going to give this guy my number, as he must have been nearly 15 years older than I... so I quickly moved away and laughed about it with Mari for a bit. We spent the rest of the evening eating and enjoying ourselves, but just as we were about to leave, I was approached again - this time by a younger, taller man who insisted that I dance with him before I left. UG! I agreed, and realized that he was a much better dancer - but I still was not that good.

It was an interesting evening, and I was glad to tell this second guy that I literally had no phone number with which to exchange with him. He insisted that I should take his number and call him for a night out - his friend in the booth nearby seemed quite excited for this :) So I took Ondre's number and left ASAP - Somehow, a young guy telling me that I looked very intelligent and beautiful was not as flattering as you might think. But it was an experience, and I enjoyed the company of Mari and Steve... I think that they were quite entertained to see the interest these Brazilian men had in me - especially with my terrible dancing...