Happy Easter! It may be a few days post-peeps-overload for you, but Easter here’s a 4 day holiday: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday. That’s a lot of mass. For most… For me, it meant a lot of yoga and The West Wing. Where was I in 1999 and why wasn’t I watching The West Wing? That show is fantastic. Yet the fact that there are 7 seasons could seriously impede my work, heck, bring it to a screeching halt; but I’m in luck (I disagree with you, Renee, this is bad luck!): I only have the first season on my computer. The West Wing’s off the air, I acquiesce, but is 30 Rock? It shouldn’t be. Tina Fey’s comedic genius mixed with perverse and often inappropriate bits that would never make the cut of a West Wing taping, make that show perfect for a rainy, or frustrating day. Can you see I’ve spent my time wisely as of late?
In my defense, I’ve been on holiday for the past week. School term ended last Thursday. No more students (I miss them)! No more books (There never were any)! No more teachers’ dirty looks (I ruffle a few feathers)! But really, it’s been nothing but final exams, staff meetings and report card filling since my birthday (take note: April 14. I’ll be 25 next year, that’s HUGE, people). So I’ve passed my second birthday in Uganda. This one, though, has the last beat. I spent my 23rd in bed during training, nursing an unfortunate bout of giardia. I spent the 24th eating cake surrounded my lions. You might think that that kind of thing’s made only for a Malcolm in the Middle episode (F I need to update my pop culture references), but it can and did indeed happen. Here’s the long and short of it: Hayley bakes me a delicious chocolate cake, from which I really only got a small nosh because tradition has it here that the celebratee has to serve the celebrators before his or herself. Hayley has an office staff of around 15. I noted, to my dismay, that on any normal day there are about 6 loitering around. I can only conclude that the cake memorandum had leaked. So during my 5 minutes ever employed in servitude, Brian and his girlfriend Kristen showed up. (Get this story: Brian came to Uganda w/ me a year ago as a PC volunteer. The SAME DAY, his long-term girlfriend Kristen left for PC in Paraguay. Her visiting the past few weeks was the first they’ve seen of each other in over a year. A-frickin-dorable). They were meeting up with Benjamin, Hayley’s coworker and Queen Elizabeth National Park safari game guide. Now, I had finished my work there, and when the two of them offered up a free tag-along position on safari, how could I not jump into the car at the opportunity?! And luckily I did, fore it resulted in the coolest lion experience I can imagine. I don’t think Benjamin was supposed to go off the path like that…
It would logically follow that if two birthday have passed with me straddling the Equator, than two Easter’s have also elapsed. Not true! Easters are screwy. But yeah, two actually have, ha. This one was a little strange. It was the first “big” holiday I spent alone in the village. Obviously I wasn’t alone. I spent 3 hours in a church service to which we preemptively brought our own chairs. That should tell you a little about how overcrowded it was. (Ugandans are also opportunistic Christians!) Strange though: the 3 hours swam by pleasantly because my favorite little sister, Somaya, filled my lap… and also my heart…? Gross, I hate kids and I hate sentimentality. But it had to be confessed. I can’t get enough of my extended family here, even though Easter met me with a profound longing for the Vuillaume family traditions. Or maybe I just wanted my hidden chocolate eggs and quarters. 24-year-olds are still entitled to Easter baskets!
Easter ended in a homemade, hearty meal prepared lovingly with my family, which included everyone’s favorites (and ALL of mine: cabbage, millet bread and groundnut sauce). Much like everyone’s at home Stateside, I’m sure. And I actually have been doing some work. But more on that later; the project’s not finished and I’m hitting the road, than the air, than the sea in South Africa for a few days. How better to celebrate our official 1-year-as-volunteer mark, than to… well I actually don’t know what we’re going to do in South Africa, but we’ll sure as hell figure it out as we go! Nelson Mandela, the Zulu and braiis: let us in! (Us being myself, John and Joe; should be an interesting trio) Catch ya when I get back, please don’t anticipate Egypt-like accounts. Better yet, please pray that I DON’T return with Egypt-like accounts. Happy Easter and Happy Spring, kids!
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