By midday all the 2nd graders had sung me happy birthday in English and Setswana. I received hugs and blessings from students and staff. After working on a drama I wrote with the kids about nutrition for this large school programme I helped organized for some officials from the Northern Cape Department of Education, I left to visit Naomi. Naomi, my life skills counterpart, has been out of school following a surgery for over a month and she has my same birthday. I went with my friends Masego and DK, and we sat talking for hours about the school projects I was working on and gossip from school.
Soon it was dark and after a HHHHUUUGE slice of Bar One cake, I got a lift home through the dark in time to catch watching Generations (a South African soapie) with my host family. My host mother Thenjiwe was waiting for me with a tiny little vase filled with a few roses from the house garden.
After Generations, I signed onto Skype and talked with some friends back home who wanted to wish me happy birthday.
Even as I jumped into bed, my phone buzzed throughout the night.
What you realize after a day like this though at time you may feel very alone at site far away from your friends and family, yet despite the distance people still reach out to you to make you feel special. You my friends and family have been there for me, some more than others, but it gets me through the day and makes me smile. I couldn't feel luckier in this moment and more connected to some of you on the other side of the world. Thank you for being there and taking the moment to reach out to me :)
Sent via my BlackBerry from Vodacom - let your email find you!
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