My 26th Birthday




-->
This year I celebrated my third international birthday party. I added the Philippines to France and Senegal where I have hosted parties and celebrations in honor of another year of life God has given me to live on this earth. Life should never be taken for granted, and each day should be lived to the fullness of God’s grace. I remember that when I was 18, I thought I had nothing to learn and no improvements to make. (How prideful and foolish I was!) At the precipice of the impending adventure of my 26th year, I have humbly and joyfully realized the immensity of what I must learn and how I can change for the better service to my Father in heaven and to my brothers and sisters all around this great world. 
-->
I guess that it why I love birthdays so much: it is my personal Thanksgiving and my unique New Year’s celebration. I am always able to share in my thankfulness and rejoicing with those around me, and this year, I had quite the party! I planned a Mexican meal with beans and fried rice (the Filipino fusion I added to the mix), homemade tortillas and salsa and chocolate cake. I made two three-layer chocolate cakes, baking them in our 19th century wood-burning oven. Considering the lack of baking materials, I would say they were a great success. I was so overwhelmed by the chocolate and the sugar at the end of the day that I am completely avoiding sugar all day today! I made my guests wear their best clothes, and they came through—dressing up in dresses, skirts and formal wear. They even dressed up the tables with white tablecloths and purple banquet draping. A basket of flowers and leaves from the property artfully displayed served as a beautiful centerpiece to the head table.
The staff took me out to lunch before I taught my afternoon class. After finishing up the remaining details, I freshened up, put on one of my party dresses I had made in Senegal and along with some mascara and was ready for my party. The students flattered me with many compliments and truly made me feel appreciated and honored as the special guest—and host. We danced after dinner to high beat songs that riled everyone up to dance competitions and pure fun. With cake and coffee, we finished out the evening. The fellowship, dancing and food truly made this one unforgettable event and experience to add to my book of birthday memories.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Going Bald So I finally went through the shaving of my head, which I have wanted to do for a long time. It was a really interesting experience: I did it while I was in Bicol because I wanted the staff to see me without any hair, as I had been discussing it with them for the past month. They are so great! No one said that I would look bad without hair or that I would be a disgrace or something, but they had some practical questions I needed to consider. One said: “You shouldn’t shave your head because the mosquitos will get you even worse!” And another said, “Are you sure you want to shave your head? You are going to need a lot of extra sunscreen!” Both of these comments are certainly true. Without hair, one loses her natural protection against the elements, but I was too set on shaving that I simply laughed and had a good time with their comments. I cut my hair short in stages, which you can see from the pictures. (The first was taken in May 2009 at my college’s research symposium. The...
Read more

Glimpse of Beautiful Ecuador

Image
In Cotopaxi National Park --> Since arriving at the end of September, I had been almost exclusively on the farm in Ibarra, in northern Ecuador. Although I have loved being on the farm, dedicating my efforts and time to the activities of this peaceful milieu, I was happy to be able to explore some fantastic parts of Ecuador. My boyfriend, Alex, joined me for a nine-day adventure around central and eastern Ecuador. We traveled to Cotopaxi National Park, where the second highest peak in Ecuador is located, to Tena and La Selva Vida (the rainforest) and to Ba ñ os, a breath-taking area of waterfalls and green-gilded mountains. I found this snow-capped peak quite mesmerizing, as it appeared from and disappeared behind the clouds. Cotopaxi National Park is about one and a half hours from Quito, the capital, so it was our first stop. We stayed at a fabulous hostel in the middle of nowhere at 11,000 feet, where all our meals were provided. Even though we did not summit t...
Read more

College Friends in China and Los Angeles

Image
Starting the walk up and down the Great Wall at Mutianyu Dinner potluck party at Esther's home My friends from high school and college are all around the country and the globe, so I was blessed to see three college friends this past February before starting a new vocation on Raspberry Hill Farm in Sullivan, WI. I started the month with a two-week trip to southern China to pay a visit to my friend, Esther, who works for the State Department at the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, a city of 18 million people. She will be there for two years, starting back in November, so I was glad to have the opportunity to see her in her new realm of work and society. While she worked most days, I took my time to read and do CrossFit work outs, knowing that once I returned to WI, I would have a lot of items on my plate, transitioning into a new career. I enjoyed seeing her home, meeting her friends and eating and cooking together. She even hosted one of my friends from high school, who happen...
Read more