Birthday Abroad

March 15, 11:50 pm
Sandra and Erin running down the streets in Madrid trying to locate an open establishment to toast in the new (birth) year.

11:55 pm have identified the only open place on the block, this will do.
11:56 pm Let Anne know where we finally end up.
00:00 am BIRTHDAY!!!!! Toast, Hug!!!!!!
00:02 am Anne arrives.

Sandra asked me what I wish for for my 27th year...
Friendship, global travels, wisdom, spontaneity, hard laughs, employment....

3:16 am alarm set, I will be in class at 9 am

Being in class on your birthday at any age is the same, though I wish that a mom showed up with cupcakes. My class sang Happy Birthday to me in their native tongues (all at once) so it was funeral worthy at best. Very low inaudible drawl. Maybe people thought they would be heard solo so they sang under their breath. It was perfect. In my group meeting my group mates wrote Happy Birthday in multiple languages. It's really an international birthday.

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We had class until 5:30 that evening then I went home to nap but it was difficult to ignore the messages that were coming through, especially the Google voice messages from folks in the US. One of the most memorable has to be the Mrs. Garber's 2nd Grade "Cha, Cha, Cha Birthday" singing:



A week earlier, Verity offered to host a birthday dinner with 10 girlfriends at her flat. I arrive a little after 9 pm and the table was beautifully set and the gang was there. Hugs all around, Verity was pouring me a glass of wine and told me they'd just gotten their patio furniture which she and Lorne had been looking into as recent sporadic sunny days were hinting of summer to come.

SURPRISE!!! Another 20 friends were hiding on the patio!!!! (And they have not yet received the patio furniture which I will call home in a few months when BBQs and sun bathing are in full stop).  It was SO great!! I had nooooo idea!!!!! Verity told me the table was all a sham; they put the dishes away and pulled out appetizers! We ate, drank and were merry. Verity, Anne, Lily, Korey and Sandra got me rollerblades!!! (Retiro better get ready!)

We took the party to a local bar for dancing!! We were almost the only folks in the place and the dance floor was all ours. My group mate Constantin was an absolute riot!!! The next day Greg pointed out that he's only ever seen conservative Constantin in a shirt and sweater in class but that man has a little Joaquin ("J") in him. It was a fantastic birthday abroad!!!! Thank you to all who participated and to those too that were there in spirit!  Slide show of the day...

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