Halloween in Jinja

30+ kids ages 1-8, the accompanying adult chaperones and lots of candy. A pretty “American” holiday in sunny, warm Jinja, Uganda. We took off for the one night adventure ready for anything (or at least we packed enough stuff…). We weren’t, however, ready for Naomi’s diarrhea, the super huge pool at the hotel filled with all 30+ kids and a full night of getting kicked in the head by the little one who won’t sleep in a baby cot. All told, it was a very memorable Halloween filled with watermelon carving, a beautiful sunset over the Nile, many new people and a lot of laughing. It was a huge logistical masterpiece in so many ways: the organizers had arranged for us all to have small huts, bandas, to decorate with our carved watermelons, candy had been brought in from the U.S., and kids had costumes from ninjas to fairies to happy potters. They just forgot to order the sleep fairy for us! Lendell and I were so tired after the day and wrestling her into her lion costume that we closed up the banda, went to the bar and enjoyed our Halloween beers while she chased cats and made ferocious lion growls in the bushes. I felt a twinge of guilt when the other kids trick or treated at our door and found the Halloween humbugs weren’t answering, but I got over it. Later, I would eat most of Naomi’s share of the candy as I was sure she’d never miss it. The pictures, however, make it look altogether idyllic.