Party time

Many of you have asked about my December 1st birthday here, a few assuming that it would be a sad day far away from home. Well, turns out, it was one of my best birthdays ever! I took the day off of work--it was on a Friday, so it turned into a nice 3-day weekend. I woke up to a dining room festively decorated by my flat mate Sabine. There was a gift on the table from Elizabeth, balloons hung around, a candle burning, and a gift certificate for a free dinner at the restaurant of my choice. What a lovely surprise!

My British colleague Gabrielle and I started off the day with pastries and espresso at "The Mandarin", a favorite restaurant just down the street. We stopped at the French Cultural Center to get the month’s program of events. Then we headed for the market where I bought some cute new shoes and Gabs shopped the used clothing section where we saw a lovely assortment of 80's American clothes. At one point Elizabeth called me from Nkayi and sang the happy birthday song, so I started dancing in the aisle and all the market ladies really liked it :o)

In the afternoon I took some cloth to my tailor to have a new outfit made. This is one of my favorite African activities, so I enjoyed that. I'll have to post a photo of the outfit 'cause it's my most classic African styled one yet. The Congolese men basically fall at my feet in adoration when I where it :o)

Last but certainly not least, I had a great party in the evening hosted by my dear colleagues. A big thanks to my teammate Byron who did most of the planning! We got schwarmas (kebab sandwiches) from the Lebanese restaurant down the street and several people brought salads and cakes. There were about 20 of us there, all SIL or CMA missionaries.

I made a haul in the gift department! My mom and sister had sent packages from the US (I’m still waiting for a few packages other people sent that haven’t gotten here yet!). I got seasons 1 and 2 of Arrested Development and DVDs of Babbet’s Feast and Elizabethtown, just to name a few. My favorite was getting photos of my niece and nephew and a note from Hiller—he’s learned to write since I’ve been here! Byron and Annette had “Supersize Me” sent here, so we watched it with the projector after dinner. No one else had seen it before and I think it made a big impression!

Overall, it was just a fun day and I felt very loved. Thank you to all who have sent me emails and notes!!