"Volunteers Finally Beautiful!"

With the past few days of slight homesickness looming over me, I fully anticipated to have a not-so-special birthday away from my family and friends. I am not a crazy birthday person to begin with, so I assumed that perhaps this year's festivities could simply be a non-existent. Maybe I could close my eyes, cover my ears, and let it sneakishly slip past as I hum an innocent song and look in the opposite direction. Well, I was wrong.

I was immediately awoken the morning of by hugs and well wishes from the girls who stay in my "dorm." People at breakfast surprised me with a board of "Happy Birthday Maegan" in several languages and I even received a cake, balloons, and beautifully created card at lunch. Let me tell you, cake is not something we easily just come by down here. I know that the effort to get it was not slight but was rather an exhaustive effort that required a taxi and plenty of time. But the reward was well worth it. We were all so excited to have even a single slice of something sugary and delicious. It was incredible.

Most of the volunteers are at a home stay this week, meaning that they are off at surrounding villages and helping them with whatever assistance they need for the week (I go in two weeks!). So, it is safe to say it is very empty around here. That did not stop the five remaining girls who are here from attempting to show me an unforgettable time. We got dressed up (hello, make-up, haven't seen you in weeks), ordered a little "taxi" to drive us into town, and enjoyed a lovely meal in a beautiful setting. Before we left, Katoon, one of the volunteer directors, saw us in "regular" clothes and make-up and immediately shouted "volunteers finally beautiful!" Well thank you, Katoon, yes we do not always look like crazy jungle women. Only 99.5% of the time.

While we were enjoying dinner and live music outside, my friend Yvonne immediately (and secretly) went up and asked them to sing happy birthday to me. You could probably see my blushing cheeks from space, but I was truly grateful.  It is just amazing to me how people who have known me for such a short time are willing to go out of their way to make sure that I have the time of my life. We sat in the back of the truck on the way home singing cheesy songs at the top of our lungs and feeling wildly carefree. I remember looking right at the stars as the wind was blowing past my face and thinking , "this is what it's all about."

 My birthdays have always consisted of the same friends and family that I hold so dear- the ones who I could not imagine spending a birthday without. However, this year was special. This year involved a foreign country, a huge step, and faces that I knew I would probably never celebrate with again. These girls, this setting, this time. They all transformed the day into a moment in time that will never and could never be exactly recreated.  I thought that would make it worse- the fact that it was so different. I had no idea that that's exactly what would make it one of the best I've had.

Thank you to everyone!