A couple of hundred people were gathered, all in traditional woven dress. There were long speeches, in Karen and in English. There was singing, and dancing and a fashion show, or as the MC billed it, an "old fashion show" - Karen teenagers in national costume, posing demurely. Later there was feasting, too. People were clearly happy to be getting together to enjoy their culture, and I was happy (like many other local volunteers) to have the chance to join them, if only for a little while. You can see a few minutes of the action here.
This afternoon the Girl and Boy were otherwise occupied. The Man and I took ourselves off to the Albany Institute of History & Art - and ended up wishing we'd had the kids with us when we found the hands-on exhibition of popular toys from the '50s, '60's and '70s. (As it happened, the Exiles also visited the same exhibition today, sensibly equipped with a full quota of children.) Still, I personally enjoyed playing with the yo-yos and Slinkys, admiring the Pez collection and (as directed) sniffing the Play-doh. It was a little odd seeing the toys of my childhood as a museum exhibit. Slightly depressing, in a way - but not as depressing as a book called "1,001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die", which I came across later today. I guess that's the exhibit my kids will get to visit nostalgically when they're my age - in a virtual museum, of course.
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