Berbery

Context: 1) I work as a receptionist at an AMAZING school. 2)Berbery is a very strong Ethiopian spice comparable to Turmenic, or Curry.

I had reached my capacity for weird at 1:15. It was little things, really.

A fourth grader called the front desk to inform me that he was terribly sorry but would not be coming to school today.

A certain high ranking government official came to the school, I welcomed him and asked him to wait one moment while I got someone, and his body guards (there were two) looked at me like I was ridiculous, and let themselves right in. By the time I picked my jaw up off the floor he was in the cafeteria.

Shortly thereafter I went to one of our student’s parents house for lunch. They are Ethiopian, and know of my fondness for Ethiopian cuisine. What I did not know is that today, January 7, is Ethiopian Christmas, and I walked in to a complete party, where I was stuffed with food, asked to show off every Ethiopian phrase I know, and invited to meet with an Ethiopian priest who can teach me about Orthodoxy. I was also hugged and kissed and patted repeatedly by total strangers. (I liked this part very much.)

As I rushed ten minutes late into my office, my boss noted that she smelled Ethnic food. Her nose led her around the office, to my hair, and to my horror, I discovered that I was a walking Berbery Air Freshener. I started to really be hyper aware of the smell and sat in a corner self-consciously, warning everyone that came to my office to please wait at the door. Then, when no one was around, I bent over in half and shook my hair out with my hands. As I flipped it back right side up (you know my hair, I looked like Diana Ross) I found myself face to face with one of our schools board members. I tripped over my words, explaining that I wasn’t doing anything weird, it was that I smelled like I had washed my hair in berbery lamb shampoo. I thought that would ease the tension. He smiled sympathetically, and walked away.

Then, just before I sat to write this, I had our office manager spray bathroom freshener in my room, and walked through it. So now I smell like steamed Ethiopian lamb bathed in Hawaiian Aloha Hibiscus.

Weird.