Girl's Night!

On Friday evening I organized a dinner party, my first time hosting any type of social function in our flat here in Maputo. Prior to Friday, I'd been unwilling to have people over because for quite some time I was embarrassed about the condition of our flat (i.e. no furniture and a generally unkempt, non-homey aspect). I also didn't have any friends to invite over for a cocktail or a meal.

In several short months, much has changed. While still simple, the flat is much more welcoming and feels increasingly like a home. The terracotta accent wall Rico and I painted really does so much for the whole feel of the flat. Also, I've managed to find a lovely group of girlfriends to hang out with. Two of them I already knew were coming - L. from Belgium who moved here together with her boyfriend, and J. who was born and raised in Brasil but from an Armenian family - as they'd found me on the blog and we'd been exchanging e-mails for several months. The other two girls are short-term consultants with TechnoServe, a local nonprofit business development firm, and are American. Interestingly enough they also found me through the blog! Unfortuantely the TechnoServe girls leave in December, while L. and J. are here for the long haul just like me.

I invited everyone over for a dinner party, a small gathering for the people that have a connection to my blog. It was such a lovely evening. I made all sorts of salads as the weather has been unmercifully hot and humid lately. We had wine, and J. brought 2 cakes that the cats managed to get into and knock off the counter while we were having the main course. We managed to save the dessert, though, and enjoyed it even though the frosting was totally smushed.

A funny part of the evening came after dinner when the subject of this post came up. Of course, since all the girls found me through the blog, they'd read this appetizing description of what I permit in my kitchen. I assured them all that my standards for what I eat and for what I serve others are radically different. I'd never dream of putting out fruit or any other food item that had been even potentially contaminated.

It was a great evening, and I look forward to hanging out with these girls many times in the coming months. I realized once everyone had gone home around 1am that I'd neglected to take any pictures. That's okay. I hope this becomes a regular event in our lives, where I can take photos any time I please.