DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: US Independence Day in Botswana or Lessons in Capitalism + It's a Small World after All

God Bless America!  Drove to Manyana, rushing to get as many book visits in as we could before we came back for the mission luncheon and US Embassy Independence Day BBQ.  Mads and I sang patriotic songs the whole way and were missing the fam and the traditional 4th of July Church flag raising and breakfast and Flag trip.

As we were driving back, I spotted a family all carrying wood on their heads.  Beautiful profile against the horizon!  We passed them and I drove off the road and coerced Madeleine into running back and getting a photo.  In a true display of capitalism, the woman and children chased Mads down demanding pula for the photo-op.  Mads climbed in the car and said the woman wanted money.  I had nary a pula, but some few Botswana coins and some American money.  I handed her the American money and the Bots coins.  Not happy.  (Does she know something I don't know about American currency??)  Finally convinced her that really, we had no pula.  Her kids were delighted to have the US dollars.  Ah, youth!  

The mission lunch was fabulous and the senior sisters outdid themselves...again.  Afterwards, we ran home, snuck in a very unsatisfying 15 minute nap and went to the US Embassy grounds for a BBQ.  Apparently, the real shindig was last week for all legit dignitaries.  We were hobnobbing with the under 13 crowd, playing croquet.  We understood from Wendell, who is unparalleled in getting to know folks, that the Ambassador's parents had lived in Phoenix and were coming to the event.  Wendell led us over the Ambassador, who was holding her 4 month old son, Max, in a front pack.  And she and Madeleine discovered the great equalizer -- they are both Washington High School alums!  Ambassador Michelle Gavin was unassuming and very nice. We chatted with her and her folks and discovered they used to live around the corner from us.  Small world, indeed.