1. Dance
Ever since I was in 10th grade, I have danced on my birthday. In high school, my birthday always fell on the weekend of our school musical. Thus, I was always dressed up as something ridiculous: a cat (Cats), a fork (Beauty & the Beast), or a girl from the 1950s/1960s (West Side Story... this one actually wasn't so bad!)
Then, at Hope College, my birthday was always during the week or weekend of our faculty dance concert. This brought about some ridiculous outfits as well, but the crimped hair had nothing to compare with the spandex cat suit.
Birthday costumes over the years...
Anyway, this year I also got a chance to dance on my birthday. On Friday morning (stuffed with a wonderful breakfast... more on that later), I waddled into Karen Taft for my first rehearsal with Barbara Fritsche. Over the next 2 months, 2 of the scholarship girls at the academy and I will be rehearsing to help create a 5-10 minute piece for Barbara's repertoire. There are no plans to perform it anywhere, but when we record it, I'll try to get permission to send it to those who are interested.
Nevertheless, the most important part of this was that I got to move and create and be artistic on the day that celebrates my being. What better way to bring in a new year of life but to use my body in the way it was created?
2. Stop to smell the flowers
This first requires having flowers. Numerous times over the past few years, my brother or Dad has sent flowers to my apartment or school to celebrate my birthday. However, this year, when I got a call telling me that I had a flower delivery, I was thoroughly confused. They don't speak any Spanish. How in the world had one of them managed to order flowers?
I had to wait until 17:00 to find out who the flowers were from since I was at rehearsal in the morning and then the shop was closed for siesta. But I didn't mind a bit of suspense in my life. When the flowers did arrive, I was blown out of the water because the senders were quite unexpected. They were from Napala's and my good friends, Dan and Juan! What sweet boys :)
They claim that the flowers don't compare to the puzzles that I gifted in the past, but I beg to differ.
So pretty!
Now, every time I enter my room, I pause for a second, smell the flowers, and smile, thinking of the wonderful friends I have.
3. Spend time with friends
When I first considered this birthday, I thought I would ignore it. I haven't been here for that long and I didn't want to make a big deal of the day.
But then, after talking to Napala, I decided it would be worth trying to organize a dinner to hang out with my friends. So, I sent a WhatsApp to Dan and Juan, Napala (who would've guessed that she made the list?!), Erica (a fellow Michigander), Juan (a reverse Fulbrighter), and the house church. And believe it or not, almost everyone came! So on Thursday night, I got to have dinner with 15 friends (plus baby Noah!) from all different parts of my Madrid experience. It was better than anything I could've asked for.
Then, on Friday morning, Kara invited Liz and I over for a birthday breakfast. French toast, mini egg bakes, coffee, and orange juice: oh my! A great way to start off any day, especially a birthday! Especially because it was such an unexpected demonstration of love and generosity. And it included more time with friends :)
Now you understand why I waddled into dance rehearsal...
4. Allow yourself to be overwhelmed by gifts you don't deserve
So many people went out of their way to make my birthday special this year. (My parents both sent me packages from the states for goodness sake! And with Skype, my Dad could even watch me open them! What did they ever do without technology...) It's so humbling to know these people are so kind to me when I have done nothing to deserve it. Whether they intend it or not, I am reminded by all of them of Christ's unfailing love for us.
Napala got quite crafty! The shadowbox is filled with pictures and ticket stubs of our European adventures.
The most surprising gift of all, however, came from my students. Tired and slightly overwhelmed with getting ready for the week, I arrived late to my first class on Monday with little enthusiasm. (I was about to teach William Blake's "The Tyger" to less than excited students with a less than exciting lesson plan.) Then, a student interrupted my first instructions to tell me that Fabiola wanted to meet with all of the kids from Global Classroooms to congratulate them. A little bummed about missing my break and tired of so many meetings, I reluctantly agreed to one last gathering.
And I'm very glad I did (but equally embarrassed of my reluctance!). When I walked into the room, I was greeted with the largest card I have ever received, addressed to "The Delegation of Amber." The kids had all signed it and written sweet, thankful messages. Boy was I overwhelmed! (There are balloons stapled to the side... you would be too!)
And the messages inside are even better.
Then, two girls came running in with 2 muffins (mmmmmm, muffins) to serve as a cake. Apparently they wanted to bring a candle to put in one, but someone forget, so I blew out a ceremonial lighter. (No, I did not ask why the 14-year old had a lighter.) And they bought me gifts. What?!? They are setting unrealistic standards for my future students! I laughed as the girls told me about how they had gone into Hermes, thinking they would buy me a nice scarf since I often wear one to school... then they realized that one scarf costs 300 €. Hilareous. They then kept me laughing by recounting the stories about WhatsApp conversations (mostly about the cute boys) that they are having with all the other "delegates" from the conference.
How did I get to work with such great kids?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When Kara asked me on Thursday night about my most memorable birthday, I couldn't pick one. The surprise Sweet 16 party and Disney-themed 18th birthday dinner party are difficult to compare with the 20 hours I spent with my Dad on my 21st birthday (he drove to MI for the day) and the many trips my mom made to see me dance on my birthday. And now I have another memorable birthday to add to the list. So thank you to all who made March 1st wonderful! These Fulbright adventures never cease to surprise me... but mostly because they are filled with great people like you!
