The only sheet of ice in Zambia

A few days ago, it was my turn to be celebrated.  This past week I took another bold step into my thirties.  So far so good for the decade.

I woke up to find that my roommate Rob had decorated the house with balloons and a banner, and found a gift of some fancy chitenge pants at the breakfast table.  At work, I received many good wishes from colleagues as they discovered it was my birthday.

In the evening, Rob and I held a braii at the house to gather everyone together.  Inspired by our friend's participatory sushi rolling party, we cut up and marinated ingredients so that everyone could assemble their own kebabs for the grill.  In traditional form, Rob was the expert grill-master.  The whole party was just great. 

Assembling dinner!

One of the most memorable things about the day was when my friend Lweendo showed up at my my office with a gift.  I opened it and was completely blown away.  She gave me a t-shirt with the words "Mazabuka Curling Team" and the Canadian Curling Association logo on the front; on the back, the shirt bore my name.  She insisted that I wear the shirt for the party.

Little did I know that there were going to be three more members of the Mazabuka Curling Team - Lweendo, Victoria, and Victoria's nephew Mwaba - who all showed up in the team shirt.  Victoria also made a cake iced to look like a curling sheet!  Definitely the only sheet of ice in Zambia.

The only sheet of ice in Zambia!

Meet the team

 

"Skip" of the Mazabuka Curling Team and baker of the cake: Victoria

In fine Zambian tradition, my neighbour took advantage of me standing alone giving a speech to throw a pail of cold water in my direction.  I knew it was coming... the only question was, "When?"

The party was fabulous - folks brought lovely food to accompany the kebabs, wine (and even a bottle of sparkling wine), gifts of art, and a full tray of brownies dressed up with an appropriate number of candles.

Having fun!

The best housemate I could have asked for.

More fun!

Bring in the fire brigade...

I felt so loved and blessed that night.  I hope my speech conveyed that same message.  Naturally, I will really miss my Zambian friends when I return to Canada in a few weeks time.