William's birthday

What a day it was! We started the day with presents from grandma and a special cereal she had sent.

Shortly thereafter, I, Lisa, got together with our neighbor's daughters to go buy supplies to cook everything for the party that night. Our neighbor, Rich's Senegalese mother, had offered a month ago to have his party at her house. Two of the daughters came over and prepared the cakes, which are similar to our pound cakes, and the fatayas, which are best described as meat pies. After all that, which took until after lunch time, they left to finish the fatayas and would do the popcorn at their house. After they left, I made his cake with the icing and tried to get a little rest.

I had invited everyone for 5:00, knowing it would start late. At 6:30, I started to worry because no guests had shown up yet. Anyway, shortly thereafter they began to straggle in. Not having ever done a Senegalese birthday party, particularly for a child, or attended one for a child, I told the neighbor's daughters they would have to tell me what we were doing and when. The party was basically dancing to Senegalese music. They were waiting to eat until late, because that is how they are. But Pape could not wait and others started asking for something, so then we ate. They kept waiting to do the cake and singing. Then the electricity went out leaving the place pitch black. I suggested we go ahead with the cake, because people began to talk about leaving. So they sang and Pape blew out the candles. We served the cake and not long after the electricity came back on. People then began leaving after that to go home for dinner. We waited a while and then came home a little before 9:00. We were all wiped out!

It was not much like it would have been in the states, but at least it was memorable! Happy 2nd Birthday Buddy!