How I Got My Birthmark

I have a large birthmark on my left ankle* It has become darker over the years, fading during the winter and returning with my freckles when the sun returns* My cousin Amanda first noticed it when I was 6 and we were on a roadtrip in Oklahoma* Like the birthmark on my neck it was barely noticeable* My mom scrubbed my neck aggressively for what seemed like years before she realized that it wasn't dirt* Based on my past experiance I shouldn't have been surprized by the reactions to my birthmark and freckles in Kenya, well at least not all of them* In Loitokitok my host mama thought I wasn't actually washing my feet everyday, it took me awhile to convince her that I was* When I went to Gatunga in Eastern Province everyday the women in the compound would wash their feet together* The first day they were concerned* The first sign was when they handed me a rougher cloth so that I could scrub more effectively* Then one of them started scrubbing, which I have to say hurt a lot, as I tried to explain the misunderstanding* When she went for the steel wool I freaked out and she backed off* Kenyans, or at least the ones I know don't have birthmarks* They have scars from vaccinations and cuts but otherwise their skin is flawless* My freckles and birthmarks confuse them* The majority of people think that I should have them lightened or removed* I don't agree* People have many theoies about how I got my freckles and birthmarks* One nurse at my dispensary was very concerned about my health one day because she thought that my freckles were mosquito bites and that I was going to have some serious malaria* Granted if they had been mosquito bites I would have had hundreds, something I'm not sure my Malerone could handle* Another woman at the dispensary had a creative theory about my birthmark that I enjoyed* She said that my mother must have drunk some strong tea (tea without milk aka black tea) right before I was born, when feet were higher than my head* The tea landed on my ankle and stained it* I then told her that story reminded me of my mother's "theory" about why I am so short* My mother says that when she was pregnant she wanted a cheeseburger in the middle of the night and asked my dad to go and get her one* He said no* My mom says had I received the benefits from that burger I would have grown up to be a lot taller* The women at the dispensary loved the story because it was something they could relate to and laugh about, a sort of old wives tale that showed that people all over the world make up the same kind of stories to explain things that they may not fully understand* The day I told that story marked the first day I truly became friends with two women at my dispensary* I have always loved my birthmark and freckles and although I don't completely understand why I have them I'm ok with that because sometimes a good story is more fun and I am thankful to Kenya for giving that to me*