I intend to live forever… or die trying

Soooo….. Quick note. Yesterday (actually day before yesterday, but I wrote all of this yesterday and was not able to post until today) was my first African birthday :D and now I am officially 26. Oh good lord. Not sure when that happened, but it certainly is not happening any slower.

My birthday was however very amazing. I was able to talk to my Father, Mother, little Sista, Grandma, Aunt Christine and Emma on the phone! I love phone calls to The Americas (Though the delay is a little strange and it is always a sort of difficult to figure out what to talk about because there is so much to say you can’t really decide what is most important). I got a lot of texts from my Peace Corps friends and I even had a small birthday party… I was also really productive at work for the first part of the day. Less cool, but still very nice.

The birthday party was extra amazing because several of the Brikama ladies came over to help celebrate AND Lily, Erin and Kim coordinated their trip down from up country to be able to surprise me for my party :) Caroline coordinated with them and I definitely had no idea. They even put together a birthday card in the gele gele on the way down (see exhibit below). Talk about crafty! Speaking of birthday cards… Caroline not only coordinated with Lily, Kim and Erin she also painted me an awesome bday card and gave me some delicious sour life savers…. Which I am saving for a rainy day when I will eat them all at once and be super happy about it (see exhibits below). A few additional highlights were 1) Kane came over early and had a drink with me (made with some supplies provided in the mail by my lovely Mother) while I made guacamole in country for the first time (It was not bad. The avocados were sub par. Not my best showing.) 2) Mbosse, one of my neighbors, came over and sang Happy Birthday to me (Fatou)! and 3) We made a delicious spaghetti dinner with garlic bread at my house when everyone arrived.


Birthday card painted by Caroline… we always get lost together as we both have a terrible terrible sense of direction. Not a good pairing. Often times when we are lost we get stuck in the rain. It is not sweet.


Birthday gifts from Caroline. Please note the wrapping paper that she has reused and that I also plan to reuse at a later date.


This is the card from Erin and Lily. It was craftily made on the gele gele on their way down from up country. I am told them also made a birthday crown, but forgot it at home. Maybe next year?


Inside of card from Lily and Erin… looking forward to my Gambian gift on the beach….