The Best Birthday!

Nobody likes to go to school on their birthday, right? WRONG!  Being the nerd that I am, my whole life I have wanted to spend my birthday at school with my friends, passing out cake, juice, and goodie bags but having a summer birthday denied me that bliss my whole life…until now. Because of the year round school system in Tanzania, I was blessed enough to be at school with the most loving and generous children I know. Even yesterday, students were already excited for my birthday today, reminding me every chance they got, because of course now that I am 23 and old in their minds, I would have forgotten my own birthday.

My whole life I have also always wanted a surprise party but never got it….until now. I spent the morning before the first bell sitting at my desk concentrated on writing lessons plans for tomorrow, all the while not knowing that my first class (English Standard 3A), was hard at work in their classroom writing birthday wishes and drawing cakes  on the blackboard. When I got to the class, the door was closed, which confused me because it is never closed. When I opened the door, every student jumped up out of their desk and Godfrey (a favorite student of mine) flicked on the lights and they yelled “SURPRISE!” in unison. They immediately began singing “Happy Birthday” and beaming at me with their perfect little smiles. It has absolutely been the best birthday I could ever ask for. I handed out stickers and chocolate (and extra stickers to my Muslim students who are fasting for Ramadan) and read them “Barbar and the Wully-Wully,” one of my favorite books from when I was their age.

And just when I thought that would be it, I was wrong! At the end of the day, I was finishing up a meeting and preparing to go home when a student in Standard 4 ran up to me exclaiming, “Teacher! Teacher! Teacher Bethany is calling you!” So together, we ran down to the classroom where Beth was orchestrating something with her Dance Club students. Suddenly they all started clapping and stomping in rhythm and started singing “Happy Birthday Teacher Leena! Congratulations!” It was the greatest end to the most perfect birthday ever...who said that going to school on your birthday is not fun? 'Cause it was the best!