Happy International Women's Day

March 8th is a very important day. It’s a special day for women! Actually the whole month of March is a time of celebration in Congo, especially here among our hospital comrades. The hospital had its opening ceremony in March, the founder’s anniversary of death is in March, and to make things extra exciting this year the president of Gabon and of Congo, along with several other presidents from various countries, are visiting Oyo this week. But of course today is the day the women are excited about the most.

International Women’s Day is interpreted in different ways, depending on who you talk to. The most common opinion I have heard voiced is that it is a day for the women to buy new clothes, dress up, go out and do things with their friends. Some people party to the extreme, others just enjoy an excuse to buy a fancy new outfit.

If you are lucky enough to be married, then your husband is supposed to cook and do all the housework that day, take care of the children and make you feel special. I guess it’s a little bit like Mother’s Day in the States. But here in Congo, everything seems to be brighter and more dramatic, louder and exaggerated, so the comparison to Mother’s Day is not the best.

For some women, March 8th is the only day in the entire year they will get a break from the daily routine of cooking and doing laundry. It might be the only day of the year where they get to feel special and valued, or the only day they get something new just for fun. 

This day reminds me of how blessed I am to be well-loved and provided for... because for me it’s not just one day a year. My husband makes me feel special every single day. He does so much for me: some days he cooks, or cleans the house, often he washes all our laundry by hand, he buys us food and keeps me secure and safe and loves me unconditionally. 

This past Saturday after working the night shift he came home and spent almost two hours washing all our laundry from the week!

For me, every day is International Women’s Day. May I never take it for granted.