Happy Heart(break) Day

Valentine's Day in Tanzania is not the heartfelt, sugar coated day that is celebrated in America. The small population of people here that do recognize the holiday, use it to honor their love for America, rather than their significant other. It's an excuse to go to a club, a concert, or a local beach party. In other words, Tanzanians have a holiday dedicated to "partying like an American." While it's far from the genuine intent of Cupid's arrow, Americans can't get too offended. Just look at how we emblematize St. Patty's Day and Cinco de Mayo. I'm sure our pop-culture perception is far from the traditional purpose of those holidays. In my opinion, Tanzanians are actually pretty Americanized in their V-day voyeurism, just maybe not in the intended sense.

Unfortunately, I didn't spend my Valentine's day in any of the exciting ways my colleagues did. Instead, I spent most of the day in bed bearing physical pain and mental exhaustion.

I woke up Thursday morning feeling the onset of two terrible toothaches, one on either side of my jaw. I wish I could say they were the aftermath of too many conversation heart candies, but a girl can only get so lucky in Tanzania. Within a few hours, my mysterious mouth pain had spread into multiple lobes of my head. Being the sissy that I'm known to be, I was becoming overtly overwhelmed. On top of some earlier frustration and dire homesickness, I knew the dam holding my composure was about to burst. When my roommate/ colleague, Said, sensed my breaking point, he took immediate action to get me home.

Normally, I wouldn't let a toothache send me home, especially not from school. But all things considered, I'm not beating myself up over it. Six weeks into my trip, I've finally emotionally caved, six weeks later than I secretly expected. Of course, of all days, I wouldn't have chosen the day of love for my unloving mood. On the bright side, though, I'm in the homestretch of my trip. Knowing that I'm just a few weeks away from being reunited with the people I love, and maybe some belated V-day candy, helps bring me out of any homesick funk. Ibuprofen and long naps happen to help, as well.