My Ugandan Birthday

Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special and for making me feel so loved!  It was truly a birthday to remember – my first summer birthday, my first Ugandan birthday, and my first birthday in which I was in the slums of Kampala, singing, dancing, and being tickled and hugged by a swarm of kids.  

The morning was pretty normal - I had my bread and tea for breakfast, went to early classes, and did a bit of hw. However, what followed was pretty awesome:) I went to the canteen (an awesome little restraunt on campus) with my cousin Prudence and another friend, where I got a rollex (best thing ever - egg wrapped in a chapatei), smoothie, and some type of pound cake.  Then I was off to Off-Tu, my practicum site in Kampala, a city with not only malls and traffic, but also great poverty.  It was truly an afternoon to remember as I held the hands of a beautiful little girl with big brown eyes and danced with her, held her in my lap, and later was given the sweetest card by.  She didn’t know it was my birthday…and yet it was the first card I had received that day, saying that she loved me with the three English words she knew in every possible order.  It made my day.  That afternoon we were also able to teach the kids on hygiene – how one should wash their hands, go to the bathroom in a toilet etc.  We were then able to wash their hands, and I was in charge of the soapJ  By the end of the afternoon, after having walked through the slums with the kids, it was time for good-bye.   Literally 15 of them crowded around me and began hugging me and fighting over holding my hand...and then it turned into a tickle war in which I couldn't help but really laugh.  I think I felt almost too loved:)   I wouldn’t have traded that afternoon for anything else…so cool to be doing what I wanted to do with my life, on my birthday.

I then got home around 7, and was greeted by countless happy birthdays and hugs, and to my surprise, a mysterious box of my favorite chocolate cake in the whole world, on my bed!  It took me a few days to figure out who it was from, but I’m pretty sure I know nowJ Since it was Tuesday, it was then time for prayer.  It was a really convicting and worshipful time, a perfect way to end the day.  But the day wasn’t over!  My mom had lovingly made a delicious meal of insanely good chicken and chips (fries), followed by a surprise party of chocolate cake and strawberry fanta soda!  The day was then perfectly ended by receiving a call from home…and then talking for a good 2 hours with my mom and dad.  During that call, I found out that my story from living in Camden that past summer had been read in chapel that day at my high school.  Crazy to think that the topic of loving the least of these, coupled with my story, had been spoken about on my birthday as I was loving and being loved by kids in the slums.   

And the celebration continued...two days later, my friend Ashley and I decided to celebrate at an american restraunt about a mile away from school.  I had chips and a BLT...pretty delicious.  As we were walking home, it started drizzling...and then pouring...and then seriously hailing, so that soon, we were drenched to the bone and laughing hysterically at being caught in a hailstorm in the middle of the summer.  All the people on the road had run to shelter and were beckoning us to follow, but at that point we were as wet as we could get, so we decided to just keep walking and enjoy the moment.  It was awesome...we even saw two cows jump up onto higher ground with an insane vertical, I don't know how they did it...but I guess rain can send anyone running to safety.  About 15 minutes later we arrived back at the school, drenched, and with a class happening in 20 minutes...I'm sure we looked pretty awesome at that point:)

And then on Friday it was my sister's birthday, and so my aunt and I decided to go into Kampala to surprise her by taking her out to eat.  After buying some food, trying to find her in her dorm, and then going through some pretty dense traffic, we arrived at a small little restraunt on the side of the road, which turned out to make the best burgers I have ever tried in my life.  They didn't believe me...but it was so thick and so full of spice...I couldn't get over it!  So good:)  It did take about an hour to be served though, and so the big liter of fanta, icecream, and bananas came out on that table to the dismay of the waiters:)  It was a fun night.

So that was my Ugandan birthday!  I am now officially 20, which in Uganda, is the year of adulthood...of responsibility.  Pretty crazy!  Life goes fast.

Love you all!!!

<3 Jess