I Felt Like a Princess...

Yesterday, one of the sweetest things every done for me happened.

Catherine had declared yesterday (a Friday) a day off for the Teacher Exchange staff (being herself, Danielle, and me). I was jovial.

I slept in until 8:30 and then trucked my little tookus to the toilet. Groggily, I wandered down the hall to check out the breakfast situation. Jennifer popped out of the kitchen and sang "Good morning, Karen!" and I replied "Good morning, Jennifer! How is your morning?" and she sang back "It is fine. How is yours?" and I sang back "It is marvelous now that I have seen you!" and we hugged and then she handed me a strange piece of paper that simply said "Clue #4" on it.

Hmmm... well, another teacher named Jen walked over and said, "Jennifer! You're not supposed to give that to her until she shows you she has clue number three!" I looked at Jennifer (the teacher) and I said I thought maybe I should get dressed. She thought it was a smart idea.

I excitedly shuffled back to my room and... behold! There was a piece of paper directing me to go and see my smiling face in the mirror in the back room of our home! It was written in cut out words from magazines.

I found the first clue upon that mirror. It said to find the next in the quietest place "in" the house. Inside was written "Don't worry, ____ happy."

The next clue, found out on the front porch, stated that I would find the following clue in the rodent's last residence (a large rat died in one of our rooms... and it was vacated). Inside it said, "___ my goodness!"

Clue number three instructed me to find the best mandazi maker in the house and give her a hug (explaining Jennifer's previous confusion). Inside was an "M&Ms" wrapper with one "M" missing. Clue number four, now gladly given to me by Jennifer, told me to put the missing letters together and meet my secret sisters there at 11! Inside, it said "If interns got a grade, you would get an _____+!" The letters spelled "Boma" which is a spa of sorts here in Gulu.

I spent the next few hours in complete elation. I could not believe that my dearest darling co-workers, roommates, and new friends had done something so special for me. And I still had no idea what awaited me at Boma!

When I arrived at 11, Catherine greeted me with Danielle following close behind. They purchased me a cup of African coffee (that is, coffee brewed with milk) and told me that whenever I was prepared, I would have a hot shower and... A MASSAGE awaiting me and then a lovely lunch with them. I nearly cried tears of joy. Honestly, their care and appreciation means the world to me. They wanted to show how much they appreciated my work ethic, my selfless spirit, and my willingness. They have enjoyed having me here at the IC office and showed it through this. Oh, it just warmed my heart so, and I still can't keep from smiling every time I think of how wonderful these ladies are!

All in all, I want to continue the spirit of the ladies and work to do more special things for the lovely people that mean so much to me in my life. I can't wait to get the opportunity in just a few days from now. Oh, the wonderful things I will do!

With a heart filled with love,

Karen