My 22nd birthday!

Wednesday was my 22nd birthday and my first time to celebrate my birthday without my family. I woke up in the morning to find a card my host sister, Devita, made me lying underneath my door. It was made of orange construction paper with glittery paint on it saying Happy 22nd Birthday. Around the card she wrote various inspirational messages like ¨You have a part to play and God is going to use you in amazing ways.¨ She also drew a cake in the middle of the card. After reading that I opened a card my parents gave me before leaving the States. It was a nice way to start my birthday morning.

Both of my host parents gave me huge birthday hugs and wished me lots of happiness along with the common phrase here ¨Dios te bendiga¨ (May God bless you). Then we went off to work where it was a pretty normal day. Most of my co-workers went into the communities to do various activities. But during the afternoon two of my co-workers, Cesar and Reynita, came up the stairs with a gift bag behind their back. Inside was a beautiful skirt, but it didn´t fit. We then had to go back to the store and find something else. I ended up finding a nice black tank top that I really like. It was perfect and so thoughtful of them. I wasn´t expecting to get any presents. And it was even better because just the day before I had begun to hate all of my clothes that I brough with me. I wear the same thing almost every week.
We returned to the office and everything was pretty normal. Then a little later Cesar came into our office (I share my office with 4 of my co-workers) and said one of the women from the rural communities is down stairs and asked for you. I thought it was a little strange since it was already almost 5 and the people from the rural communities never come after about 3. But I said okay and went downstairs anyway. About halfway down the stairs I realized he lied to me only to get me down the stairs. All my co-workers began to sing happy birthday to me and then a song that says we want cake, so hurry up.
We all sat down and before distributing the cake it is the tradition here for those gathered around to give birthday wishes and blessings to the birthday person. It was Cesar´s birthday on the 2nd so we were celebrating both of our birthdays. All of my co-workers gave us both birthday blessings and some words of encouragement. It was really neat. After the blessings concluded I was given the knife to cut the cake. We ate the cake and drank juice while we sat around to chat and laugh for a while.
AFter work we went to Diriamba, the neighboring town, to drop off my co-worker Gabriela (in te back left of the above picture). But we made a slight detour. We stopped in front of a restaurant that makes pupusas. My host dad then looked at me and said ¨Do you like?¨ We all got out and went inside to eat pupusas, which are one of my favorite foods here. They are corn tortillas filled with cheese, cheese and beans, or cheese and pig skin. They are so tasty. After dinner we went back home where my host family dispersed to their rooms to do homework. I received a call about 30 minutes later from a good friend back home who wished my a happy birthday. All and all it was a great birthday away from home!

Picture 1) of Cesar, me, and our cake 2) of the cake with my name mispelled although my host parents wrote out the name for the bakery 3) laughing during the party from left to right - Zoilita, Gabriela, me, Reynita 4) same group listening to Reynita tell a story 5) at the pupusa restaurant left side Francisco (my host dad), Levi (my brother), Gabriela (my co-worker and host aunt), right side Devita (my host sister), me, and Reyna (my host mom).