“How are you
celebrating your birthday? Big
party? Night on the town?” Those were some of the questions I was asked
on November 11. See, it was my 23rd
birthday and I had the chance to celebrate it in Bangkok, Thailand. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it; I
just wanted to celebrate with my teammates – my family. So instead of having a big party like many
others have done, I went out for a “nice” dinner with my team –
“nice” means Pizza Hut in the mall, followed by Dairy Queen for
dessert. It doesn’t compare with a
homemade meal or a birthday cake from a box covered with the best homemade
frosting in the world, but the food made my day pretty special.
The other exciting things
that I did to cerlebrate didn’t actually occur on my birthday. So, in order of appearance, here are my other
birthday presents:
1. A new bracelet from Siem Riep, Cambodia – I
saw this when Heather and I were walking through a market and just couldn’t
pass it up…super cute!
2. A wonderful package from
my mom…filled with some essentials that are hard to get here, but also full
of surprises like a pink feather boa and silly putty and fun foam and candy and
earrings. I got it when we got back to
Bangkok on the night of the 8th and couldn’t wait until my birthday to open it
(don’t worry, though, mom…the candy isn’t all gone yet!)
3. A cute little blue stud
in my nose. That’s right – I got my nose
pierced in Thailand. It was clean and very cheap (30 Baht – $1 – for the stud
and the actual piercing) and it looks super cute. And it’s blue, so it brings out the color of
my eyes 🙂
4. A haircut/head massage –
while we were at the Well on the 13th I decided my hair needed a trim, so I
just went for a whole haircut – wash, massage, blow dry, cut, straighten –
again, super cheap (80 Baht) and super cute!
5. A new necklace and
earrings. I bought these from girls that
have formerly been involved in prostitution on Bangkok and are now at the
Well. They make beautiful jewelry and have
amazing patience for my horrible Thai language skills.
So that was my special
birthday, spread out over about a week.
And if you’re wondering, I don’t really feel any older…but I am
🙂 Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
