My two friends — Jeannine on the left, Jana on the right — and me. This was 1982/83. On the left is our house where you can just see the backdoor, and on the right the double garage. Here I was fifteen, going on sixteen. (Author’s photo)

FROM MY LIFE | MAY PROMPT STORY

This Sweet Sixteen Party Almost Turned Into Disaster

Feeling a bit more popular after a good year in school, I invited those I was friendly with to celebrate my birthday

These days I’m thinking back on my youth a lot, and I know it’s because of the May journal challenge I’m doing in my bullet journal, where I’m answering fifty questions about my personal history.

Those questions have made me realize that there are so many things I cannot recall. For instance, I don’t know who taught me to ride a bike, and no matter how much I try, I just can’t remember.

Something else I can’t recall, are birthday celebrations. Birthdays are a big thing here in The Netherlands, but in South Africa it never was. I can’t recall one single birthday party during my childhood and don’t know if I ever had one.

Except for my sixteenth birthday.

That one I clearly remember in both a positive and negative way.

Organizing a birthday party

We lived in a corner house in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, and had a double garage. By the time my birthday approached at the end of February, I had already met my first…