They say it's your...

21st: Indian food in Turkey with Ian
22nd: Mel cooked great meal in Branford basement for friends
23rd: something in Egypt…(mom, what’d you figure out?)
24th: 3-day water fight in Bangkok with high school friends Keith and Bridget, riding around on a truckful of whiskey-swigging Thais we had only just met

That brings us up to yesterday, number 25. A quarter of a century!


In my mind, I think I’m usually disappointed by birthdays. But in my memories and looking at that list, I think that may be inaccurate. I think I anticipate disappointment, so as to not expect too much and then be let down.

Yesterday exceeded my lowered expectations. It was a grand day, starting with birthday wishes from a Rwandan friend in Cairo, the nicest I think I’ve received:

"Dear Jill, The world comes together to recognize the greatness of the day you came to this world. May this day be blessed and honored world wide just like it has touched the hearts of those in Cairo. I wish you a happy B'Day."

I decided to play hooky from work when JHS told me he wouldn’t go to school so he could spent the day with me. We had a late breakfast and headed to the zoo at my request (what better way to combat getting old than to do something young?!). At the gate, the friendly old man chatted me up by asking if I was Ghanaian and saying I should be because I was walking with JHS, “his brother.” When he then attempted to charge me the foreigner fare though, I smiled my way into the local rate: “But you said I should be Ghanaian!”

Note: it is not recommended to visit zoos in developing countries. The tortoises get more cage space then the lions or leopard.

Next up: beachfront restaurant hidden away behind a residential area and some churches. A great secret garden type place, aside from yet another pet monkey landing on my lap and making me paranoid about monkey diseases. A bit of tuna and kenkey to tide me over till dinner and then some lounging at home.

Stuffed myself with Indian food in the company of my roommate and her Ghanaian friend, Scott, Jane and Manon (all featured in previous posts). I even got a birthday cake made from scratch, with candles, the embarrassment of ‘happy birthday’ being sung to me in a nice, fancy restaurant. The frosting was left off since Jane knows I don’t like it so much, but it was there for those who wanted to add it to theirs.

We headed to Substop, a restaurant owned by an Egyptian/Ghanaian married to a Scottish girl. Selected because there is free vodka on Wednesdays. Other people joined us there (a Canadian journalist, Egyptian engineer, two Ghanaian brothers, Nigerian childcare worker, American public relations guy, and JHS). A brief stop at a reggae beach party.

It was a happy day. So much so that yesterday’s goodness has carried over into a skippy today.