Turning 23

An inevitable part of spending a year in one place, I celebrated my 23^rd birthday in Guatemala this month! My birthday (October 13^th) fell on a Sunday this year. I wanted to do something with my section a few days in advance, so on Thursday I went down to the section with brownies, cake, and bingo. It was a great night with so many boys I love so much!

"Boys can we take a NICE picture please?" Nope, guess not haha.

I have to say that the NPHG crew does birthdays really well. We have to since we’re all we have. Luckily, my birthday was no exception. We celebrated as a volunteer group Saturday evening by having a potluck Italian dinner. Since I eat beans, rice, and tortillas so much, I have come to really appreciate a good meal. Thus, the birthday girl (and all the other volunteers) was looking forward to this birthday dinner, especially since it was going to include so much of the luxury item cheese!

On Saturday, of course the oven in our house ran out of gas… as did the oven in our national director’s house… and the oven in one of the lounges. Thank goodness we still had two to work with! We got through the oven problems and finally the hour came to chow down. The dinner was in another volunteer house. When I walked down the steps to the house, I was surprised to be greeted by an Italian flag on the door and a big 23. When I walked inside, there were some red, green, and white balloons and even a set of candles of the same colors on the table. How thoughtful, right?! The Italian food was delicious. Just to name a few things, we had tortellini, antipasta, lasagna rolls, pizza, and oh so much more. After the meal, a chocolate birthday cake with peanut butter frosting topped with burning candles suddenly appeared. UM, YUM. Also, very American haha. The group sang “Happy Birthday” to me in Spanish, I made my wish, and closed my eyes to blow out the candles. I got ‘em all in one go! The rest of the evening was spent enjoying each other’s company, talking, and playing games. It was lovely.

Aww how fun! :)

Celebrating my birthday in Italia in Guatemala.

Ahhhh CHEESE AND GOOD FOOD.

Delicious and so American! Definitely licked my plate clean.

On Sunday, my actual birthday, I got to start my day with Mass. It was a little early for me but I was still grateful to have that be part of my day. Then, I ate breakfast with my kids. We got chocolate milk with our cereal for once! I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast, which was totally okay with me. I walked back into the house to find several birthday cards in my door- everyone was so sweet! After breakfast, I headed off to Antigua with a few other volunteers I’m good friends with. We spent several hours window (stall) shopping in the artesian markets. I could look at all the colors and patterns of the fabric in there for hours. Everything was beautiful! After that, we went to this cute little restaurant to enjoy some crepes for lunch, which were delicious. The week leading up to my birthday had been busy. Thus, I was completely content to head back to NPHG after lunch to enjoy a quite afternoon to myself.

After many months of rain, the weather was finally starting to change and I was blessed with a day full of sunshine on my birthday. In fact, it was such beautiful weather that I couldn’t resist the urge to be outside. I decided to go for an afternoon run… during which I had several buckets of water poured on me! That’s the tradition down here in Guatemala. (It’s better than having eggs smashed on your head like they do in Nicaragua!) I got to end the evening with a good, long Skype with my family, which was exactly what I had wanted.

Splashing into 23 in true Guatemalan style!

The goodness kept on coming for several days after my birthday. At work on Monday, the doctor gave me an African violet plant, which I am actually really excited to have. I hope I can keep it alive for the year! I also got a bag of goodies from the NPHG office. Finally, on Thursday I received a birthday care package from my family that came with a visitor group. IT WAS FANTASTIC. I think my two favorite things were a headlamp and the multiple bags of chocolate chips, but there were so many good things in there. I felt the love from so many people for so many days!

It's like a pet!!!! Sort of... But I was still really excited.

Snackage from the office. Always welcome.

The best gifts ever!

It was hard to be away from my family and ND friends, but I still had such a wonderful birthday. It was very different, but then again every birthday for the last few years has been pretty unique from the last one. At the very least, this was a very memorable and special birthday. You only turn 23 in Guatemala once! I’ve really enjoyed my twenties so far… Every time I’ve had a birthday, I get nervous because I can’t see how the coming year can possibly top the one I just finished. This birthday was no exception to my nerves, but hey- I’m in Guatemala for most of the coming year. 23 is definitely going to be one heck of a year! 24, prepare yourself. You’re going to have a lot to live up to!

Again, I’m very grateful for everyone and everything that made my birthday so special. Thank you!