This past Sunday was my birthday, and I was 23 on the 23rd. My golden birthday, how exciting! So of course I couldn't just sit in my house by myself. No, a golden birthday calls for Tana-sized celebrations. Luckily I had other business to take care of in Tana, so I was able to come in for the weekend. Even luckier was that my friends Bobette and Megan were also in town, so I got to spend it with them!
When I got to the Meva, I saw that Bobette had decorated a bunk for me with paper cutouts and colorful decorations, and even had a tin full of presents! She had individually wrapped everything and put stickers and ribbons on it all, which was just so thoughtful I could die. The gifts were goodies from America like candy, instant coffee, and ranch powder (!), plus some stuff from Madagascar, like locally-made bracelets. How sweet it that? Then, she, Megan and I made the funfetti cake that Megan had gotten for her birthday but had never gotten to bake. So we made a cake and some cupcakes, and probably ate about half the batter raw. Funfetti...yum. Since no birthday is complete without a party, we went to a cocktail party thrown by one of the U.S. embassy workers, and had some tasty drinks and snacks there. The foreign service is a pretty tight-knit group, but they're always so welcoming of Peace Corps volunteers.
Not to make this whole post about food, but that's mostly what my birthday weekend consisted of-- eating good food. To celebrate, we went to the Cookie Shop for brunch and overindulged in their smoothies, sandwiches, and brownies, and then promptly went into sugar comas. After emerging from those, we went to a late dinner at a really swank Indian restaurant where I had the best garlic naan and samosas I've ever had. Seriously. So. Good.
Of course, I did officially go to Tana for my short-term leave days and some business. I met with my program director to propose a project and try to get some contacts for NGOs that might be interested in collaborating on it. It would be a pretty big undertaking, so I'm keeping quiet about it for now because there's a big possibility that it'll fall through, but I met with the country director of one NGO today who seemed fairly receptive to it. I have a follow-up meeting next week with someone else from the organization, so I'll have a better idea where things could go after that.
Whew! That was a whirlwind weekend, but so much fun. Time to go back to work though, as always happens after the weekend. Until next time, dooo take care!
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