July 19th 2005. I woke up that day with a big smile on my face that probably lasted all day. This is one of my earliest birthdays I can vividly remember. Little greedy hands of the classmates and teammates I invited attacked my cake once I cut it. As the birthday boy, I  only had one slice of cake, but I was unfazed by this because of how happy I was that day.

 

            There was a red bouncy castle in the backyard, which we all rushed into after finishing our cake. “I bet you can’t do a somersault?” My best friend at the time, Kofi, and I always had a very competitive friendship. I accepted his challenge but failed miserably. We all collectively laughed it off and Kofi proceeded to boastfully do a few. The bouncy castle was a sensational addition to the party.

 

            My grandmother came outside to gather all the kids inside because Jollof was ready. Jollof is a very common west African rice dish, and my grandmother makes the best Jollof in the whole west Africa as far as I’m concerned! I made up for the low amount of cake I consumed by eating a ton of the jollof.

 

            The party ended with a game of musical chairs, which is a very traditional thing to do at Ghanaian parties and ceremonies. I embraced my mother with a very joyful hug and thanked her for allowing me to have such a fun birthday.