Regarding: February 24th - March 5th, 2017
So, Lent started this past week, and I have sworn to do a blog post each weekend in lieu of giving up sweets (because that's just not happening this year). I've also made the covenant with my mother instead of God, and I'm not quite sure this is what Jesus thought his trek through the desert would evolve into, but I figured when in Africa…
So this post covers my birthday celebrations (woo!) and Welcome Weekend!
My birthday took place recently and was truly one of the best birthdays I could have imagined. You might wonder what a traditional "birthday" in Uganda looks like. Well. I'm not quite sure to be honest. My impression is that birthdays aren't celebrated much here. You might get a congratulatory "Happy Birthday", but otherwise there are no cakes, candles or party hats. Some of this may be due to people not really knowing, or placing great import, on the specific date of their birth, or it may come more from a culture of celebrating holidays, in general, with less fanfare. Don't get me wrong, weddings and some other life events are celebrated to a degree I couldn't imagine (thousands of participants and tents full of food and dancing), but my first Christmas and New Year's here I was surprised at how little celebration took place. Christmas was nearly indistinguishable from other days of the year except everyone had a huge dinner with meat (a real treat, and for good reason: Ugandan goat is probably the best meat I've ever had in my life). New Year's was rung in with fireworks at midnight, and some celebration after, but no family parties, streamers, or countdowns.
This all being said, I think I need more exposure to Ugandan birthdays to have any authority on this subject, so look for an update in a few months.
At any rate, going back to my birthday, I wasn't expecting much. Even in college, I might have had dinner with a few friends, but I never made much of a big to-do over my birthday and, besides, our region was holding its "Welcome Weekend" (to be discussed later) in the next few days, so I figured I would roll my birthday into that. But, to those at home, have no fear: my amazing site mates took it upon themselves to give me one of the best birthdays I have ever had.
My birthday is on March 2nd, a Thursday this year. On Friday, February 24th, I received a text from one of my site-mates asking if we could hang out at my place because she'd had a rough week and needed to talk. When she and my other site-mate arrived, however, they barged in with drinks, smiles, party hats and a resounding "Happy Birthday!!"
I was stunned. Have a successful surprise birthday party thrown for you: check.
They'd brought a very special gift as well, which I won't go into, but needless to say, it was an absolutely incredible weekend. We all went out for dinner and wore our party hats the entire time. I was cheers'ed continously and, all in all, was thoroughly celebrated.
Thank you West Nile (& Co.) for truly being the Best Nile. I'm so lucky to be here.
And, the party kept going! Because the next weekend was Welcome Weekend.
Welcome Weekend, for those who don't know, is a weekend where the old PCV's officially welcome the newest PCV cohort (#Education2017). A month or so after the newest cohort swears in, PCV's in Uganda come together by region and hold a weekend of festivities to meet 'n' greet the new folks. My region is West Nile (AKA Best Nile), and our Welcome Weekend was held this past weekend.
First, I have to brag on Best Nile. Best Nile is one of the smallest and definitely one of the most remote regions in all of PC Uganda. We're 7 hours minimum (usually closer to 8 - 9 hours) outside of Kampala by public bus. This bus drives 8 - 9 hours without A/C and makes how many pit stops?
One.
Yes.
One stop for 9 hours. #DehydrationStation. You can imagine how many people come to visit…
Small but mighty is our region, and affectionately, deservedly renamed "Best Nile". There are roughly ten of us and we're so lucky that we have ten of (in my humble opinion) the best PCV's in PC Uganda. Through this weekend, and interactions beforehand, I have found the people in my region to be everything I thought Peace Corps volunteers would be: warm, welcoming, friendly, talented and diverse in wonderful, complementary ways.
So, you can imagine how great our welcome weekend has been. The first night, Friday, we had dinner at a GHSP Volunteer's house. GHSP = Global Health Service Provider. This program takes nurses with master's degrees from the US and brings them to countries under the Peace Corps' umbrella. Their service is 1 year and they are guaranteed housing with hot water (ayy) and electricity. This specific volunteer also has a stove and knows how to use it. Ayyyy.
Friday night, then, we were treated to a wonderful, home cooked meal of lasagna, pizza, salad and wine, and a movie. The power flicked on and off before the movie, giving us the treat of an Italian dinner by candlelight and then, alternatively, the opportunity to actually see each other. We were also able to spend the night so no one had to venture home in the dark after the movie.
Saturday night we went to another volunteer's house where we were treated with pork patties, South African wine, guacamole, chips and, a Best Nile specialty: a gin kettle. We had a wonderful evening sitting around playing games and being able to relax together. Sunday morning, we finished the weekend with a pool day at a local hotel with great food and great WiFi.
Now the festivities are at an end. I'm sitting in an internet cafe on the other side of the most pleasant initiation ever conceived. I've been trained, sworn and celebrated. I am a Peace Corps Volunteer through and through.
I can't wait to spend the next two years with the Best.
