Advertisements were blasting out over the loudspeakers in the street “Are THESE the new Birkenstocks?”.

The new Birkenstocks! I couldn’t believe how excited I was. In order to view the advert, I had to look in an oversized Christmas tree bauble. Reflected in it I could see my friend C, shopping for shoes. Had she any idea that she was featuring in this campaign, I wondered. Perhaps that’s why she’s gone to Africa – to escape the attention.