Bathday.

That fetal-position-inducing bacteria in my intestines put me out of commission for several days, but I’ve been able to sit up for most of the daylight hours of this week, and finished the medicine last night. The bacteria also laid off substantially for my Sunday birthday, and I celebrated much more than I thought I would be able to. I went to sleep on Saturday night, resigned to a quiet passing of the next day. In an attempt to avoid the Ugandan tradition of regularly drenching the “bath-day” boy or girl, few people knew of its coming. Soon after I entered my final dreams as a 20 year old, I was awoken up by a group of fellow USP students singing though, who blindfolded me and led me outside in my pajamas, circled me around, and ended in the nearest kitchen. There were candles lit and an entire yogurt parfait bar. A surprise party for my Ugandan birthday! And I didn’t get drenched!

The next morning, Aimee, Sarah, and I headed into Kampala to go out to breakfast and finish shopping for friends and family. We caught the matatu (public taxi in the form of a 15 passenger van) per usual. Not until the matatu was venturing down Jinja Rd. did we realize there were also chickens aboard- 80 in total, shoved under seats and between feet, squawking and flapping occasionally. It was hilarious. One laid an egg. Even more hilarious was when they and their owner were dropped off just outside Kampala, and they were loaded onto two boda-bodas (public transport in the form of a motorcycle): attempt to imagine 40 live chickens tied by their feet in pairs, draped over the handle bars of a motorcycle. Amazing.

The day was good- we laughed at the public transportation system and our own glee over the anomaly of pancakes and coffee for breakfast. I finally bought gifts for the men in my life (Dad, brother, brother-in-law…). A definite birthday highlight was arriving back on campus in time to receive a phone call from the entirety of Fitchville Baptist Church, complete with a group crooning of “Happy Birthday.” Sick and a birthday made the Atlantic Ocean seem very big last week, but in a matter of a phone call I suddenly felt loved enough to suffice the distance.

Happy Thanksgiving! CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) brought the Queen of England to Uganda this week, and also gave us a long weekend with Thursday and Friday as National CHOGM Holidays. We had a big Thanksgiving-ish dinner with the ex-patriots from the area. A Charlie Brown Christmas made up for the lack of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Again I talked with love across the Atlantic, and felt a part of things far.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for: international phone calls; Franny and Zooey (just read it for the 2^nd time this semester); Linus and the meaning of Christmas. I’m thankful for the continent of Africa- all its bigness and my smallness, and how often it reminds me of such. I’m thankful for the Atlantic Ocean, its reminder of distance, and what can cross it.