August 7, 2010

The Waka Waka de Shakira

I should pre-warn you. This post is written by AMP, so lower your expectations.

It all started yesterday in the ball pit...

Chicken was feeling a little sick before we went to the mini-amusement park here in Barnaquilla, Colombia; but when coupled with the stress and semi-legitimate paranoia of having to wade through a ball pit in sweltering heat to get our son who needed to go to the bathroom, her symptoms were getting worse (BTW, if we hadn't hauled him out in time, I'm certain that the employees would have just kept admitting kids as I drug my dripping child from the pit, and I'm also sure that he would not have been the first kid to have peed in there).

This morning, she woke up in a near-vegetative state. Sore throat, pounding headache, the works. The hotel arranged for a doctor to visit in the room and our adoption agency's translators came by to assist. The doctor quickly announced that it was a virus that is common in this region called "Waka Waka"--I kid you not, you can't make this stuff up. Our translator agreed and said "Of course, you know 'Waka Waka de Shakira.'"

Now I am a well-known NPR aficionado (read: nerd), so I don't know much about popular culture unless it is covered by my friends on All Things Considered (they just did a piece on the BeeGees); but I did watch the World Cup while in Germany (lots of stories about drunk Germans), so I saw the Waka Waka video. FIFA used it as a theme song. There were "Save the World"-type videos with African kids and everything.

Which brings the story full circle...Shakira is from Barranquilla, Colombia. Everyone here is enamored with her. So, did she name the song/dance after the local flu virus? Somehow, it doesn't make me feel better to know that my wife is sick with the Waka Waka de Shakira; that just sounds dirty.

Update: Chicken responded well to the drugs the doctor prescribed, which made me want to title this post "Colombian Drugs are Great!" But even in an infirmed state, Ultimate Chicken still wields the veto power.

2 comments:

Jo said...

OMG - AMP, I heard your voice in my head as I was reading it. Thanks for the update. Glad Ultimate Chicken will survive the WWdS!! Hysterical (not that she is sick of course).

Unknown said...

I am so sorry! Being sick is the pits and to top it all off, you're not in the comfort of your own home! Thank God for prayer and some type of drug, albeit Colombian drugs...! I think I would give my left and right arm to be there too! Love my homeland! Never heard of WWdS, but, I'm not surprised; and thoroughly entertained!!!!!!!!