Birthday Success!

I think the mark of a truly successful birthday is that after it is over you think to yourself, "man, how can I be so lucky!!"

If I am right and that is the case, then this birthday was beyond successful! From a surprise party Friday night, to having the best host family moment we've had yet on Sunday night, I spent the entire weekend feeling showered with love. My friends, some of whom I have now only known for one week, went out of their way to make this weekend truly fantastic.

I don't have a ton of pictures, but I have a few. I'll use those to narrative the story :)

The birthday festivities started off with a surprise party at my friends Kim and Nathan's house. So sweet of them!! There were balloons and a TON of confetti. I don't have pictures of the actual event, but someone does so I'll eventually try to put one up so you can accurately visual what I mean when I say there was a massive amount of glitter and confetti.

The picture I do have though is a good one. This is a picture of the Ho Chi Minh bust that they gave me. And a paint set. Now...one should probably not paint Ho Chi Minh in ridiculous colors in a country where there are altars set up to him, but come on!! Its a brilliant idea! Maybe I'll wait until MCC debriefing in Akron and then Hannah, Calah and I can spruce up this little statue together :)

My plans for Saturday were to go to Derek's house for dinner and games. We do this fairly regularly and the nights spent there are definitely one of my favorite things of this year so I was stoked for that in itself. But after a delicious homemade Mexican meal and a very chocolatey cake, Calah started talking about going for a walk. We played a few games first, but then she kept talking about this walking business. Eventually we agree and start to head out, but Hannah really wanted me to change clothes first. I tried to tell her, Hannah, we are just going outside for a walk, I dont need to change---I wasn't even wearing ugly clothes! But she insisted. Eventually she cracks (just like young Vietnamese will ca-rack in America---right Hannah and Calah?!) and tells me that we aren't really going for a walk. Nor are we staying at Derek's to play games. We are going out! The girls talked to Derek and we had special permission---yes, I did just turn 23 but live the life of a 16 year old---to return late so we can go downtown without the worries of a host family. It was the best gift ever. Truly. You know how in those question game things there is always the question, what is the best gift you have ever received? I think this is now it. It was so relaxing and so freeing; to just be with friends and not under pressure to hurry back or have fun within time limits. And we got to go dancing! It was everything I ever could have wanted! And we got to be with people at midnight, the official start to an already fabulous birthday.

Sunday I did fairly normal routine activities: church, Indian food for lunch, coffee afterwards. It is amazing how routine things can seem so exciting when done on your birthday though :) I did treat myself to a xe om (motorcycle taxi) instead of my usual bus home. And it is a good thing I did because I essentially got a marriage proposal and then got the chance to talk all about my non-existing boyfriend in Vietnamese. haha. I don't usual lie about my relational status, but this man was persistent and it was easier to say instead of, no, I don't want to marry you and I'm not looking for a husband in your country.

Anyway, that is besides the point. The point is that then I spent the evening with my host family. They took me swimming at this fancy fancy pool. It was a palm-tree lined paradise at the Daewoo Hotel, one of the nicest around. We swam and played and then the two aunts and I went to the sauna. The family goes once a week so for them it was normal, but it was by far the nicest thing I've done in Hanoi!

After swimming we went to dinner at the restaurant owned by Co Sa's company. The aunt that I really like and her family joined too. Restaurant experiences in Vietnam are different for one main reason: kids are allowed to do whatever they want. About half way they decided they were done eating, and proceeded to run around the restaurant. Then they decided to create concoctions with whatever left of foods they could find on the table. It was a good time :)

Below: On the left is them being forced to be in a picture with me.
On the right is the concoction mixing.

The last stop on birthday weekend was just home. I wasn't really expecting much, it was 9 o'clock, I was tired from my long day, everyone worked the next day. But I didn't want to just go to my room quite yet, so I brought down something my mom had sent me--a giant coloring poster. I figured I could get Vang to color with me, if not Minh also. Before I knew it is was a family wide event! We all crowded around the coffee table, coloring everything we could. We chatted about colors and drawing and laughed a lot. It sounds small, but it was a very normal family moment and I loved being a part of it.

After almost an hour, we finished. Isn't it beautiful?!

Do you see it? How wonderful the weekend was?! I was able to spend quality time with all the different people who I care about here in Vietnam. I was able to have fun and celebrate. I was able to sit at coffee and just be. It was beautiful.

Normally on birthdays I think you are supposed to feel older. It seems like friends and I are always joking, "oh man, 23 sounds sooooo old". But the thing is, this time, it really doesn't. Being in Vietnam makes me feel really young. In part because people tell me all the time that I am so young. But also because feel like I'm just at the beginning---there is so much to come! Places to see and things to do. I feel so lucky to be 23 and at the place I am at. So Happy Alicia's Birthday to you :) I hope you feel as forunate to be alive and loved on this beautiful day as I do.