Ya Gotta Believe......

…..I believe in the power of organic bananas, the passion of sports, and Mr. Roger Federer!

There are many things you have to get used to being a PCV, and while I've adjusted well to not being tied down to the shackles of technology, even basic technology like the TV, there are just some things that are down right sacred to me, and that's Tennis! So when my favorite player made it, for maybe the last time, at the age of 30, into the Wimbledon final, there was no way in hell I was gonna miss it.

I love being a sports fan, it means you have an appropriate outlet to scream, to act crazy, to be passionate, and in my brothers case, to be depressed if you live and die for teams like the Mets and Jets. All emotion is acceptable in sport, except if your watching a tennis match in Botswana. I went around my village asking people if they get this super sports channel, and while some did, nobody was able to sense the depths of my desperation, and thus, nobody offered to let me in their homes to watch. So instead of strangling someone, or going off on a rampage of their total lack of human evolution, I hitched to Kanye to see if the only Cafe would turn it on for me. Walking in and seeing a Cricket game on, I politely told them there would a one person revolution if they didn't let me watch.  They looked at me, and like a good Batswana, who don't like controversy, the channel was switched!

Ok, here we go, Wimbledon is on, I have a beer in hand, and I'm the only person with emotion. But on this day, I could care less that they are pointing at me, talking about me, asking me why I like tennis, and asking why I'm acting, well, like an American who loves tennis. I was in my glory and that's all that mattered--that--and Mr. Roger winning!

When Roger finally won and fell to the ground, tears welted in my own eyes, like he was my own son, (not like I have a son), who won this event. A great career winding down, his grace is like no other in sport, it's compelling moments like these that put me in tennis heaven. When the glory was over though, I looked around the Bar, looked outside to realize I was in the Peace Corps and it was pitch black, the kombies were long gone, and I wondered where on earth I was gonna sleep tonight since my family was not home....but all that really didn't matter, my man won, history was made, and for one Peace Corps night, it was great to be normal again.