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my 25th "jezhinee le daik boon"
First, a big big thank you (or "zor supas") to all the folks who sent a birthday wish my way over the past 48 hours or so. It was quite humbling to hear from so many friends. You do realize your love is pretty overwhelming, don't you?
So, how did I spend the day, you ask? It was a long day at school (I spent five class periods going over science fair procedures), and spent the afternoon laying out on the couch in our cardinal-and-gold living room (I'm not even joking...I'll have to post a shot of it). A few days earlier, I'd inadvertently found out that some of my friends here were conspiring to throw a little party for me, and though I knew I'd appreciate that, I didn't want anyone to trouble themselves for my sake. Still, since I knew something was going down, I basically killed time throughout the afternoon and early evening, waiting for whatever was coming.
It turned out to be a nice lil' shindig. My roommate had arranged for the rest of our (American) staff to come over, as well as our co-conspiring friends who work with another ministry here and are all in their 20's and 30's. So we had a good deal of Americans, but I was also honored to have a few Iraqis--one of my fellow teachers, and a pair of sisters involved with the church here--on hand to celebrate as well.
It wasn't anything spectacular. It was a simple cake-and-presents deal (one chocolate cake and one strawberry pie...both insanely good), but it was absolutely beautiful and memorable. After another 25 years down the road from now, I may have forgotten the names of everyone who shared it with me, but I certainly won't have forgotten the experience: celebrating a milestone birthday with some dear friends in a foreign land during a fascinating time in my life. The only thing that would've made it better was if my loved ones from back home could've shared the moment with me.
I think someone snapped a few shots, including several in which I demonstrate the dance moves in my repertoire, including the Lawn Mower, the Shopping Cart, and yes, the Charlie Brown (this after one of my friends--a break dancer back in the 80's--showed us some ridiculously cool moves...I was pretty lame by comparison). Hopefully I'll be able to upload one of those photos for you to see (and laugh at).
During the school day, several students brought gifts, and several more--upon finding out that their friends had given me gifts--came up to me and asked what I wanted for my birthday. "Nothing," I'd say over and over, but they'd insist, so I would suggest candy to them. True to their word, a few more students gave me gifts today, and a few more students promised to bring something tomorrow. Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore these kids?
Some of their gifts are quite odd, though; one girl gave me a porcelain statuette of a Dickens-era man and woman, and one boy gave me perfume. In both cases, I'm sure they're trying to suggest something, but I can't quite figure out what that would be.
I also got a note from one of my students. It's the kind of thing that just warms the heart, it really is. And since I promised to be maudlin this time 'round, well, here it is:
So, how did I spend the day, you ask? It was a long day at school (I spent five class periods going over science fair procedures), and spent the afternoon laying out on the couch in our cardinal-and-gold living room (I'm not even joking...I'll have to post a shot of it). A few days earlier, I'd inadvertently found out that some of my friends here were conspiring to throw a little party for me, and though I knew I'd appreciate that, I didn't want anyone to trouble themselves for my sake. Still, since I knew something was going down, I basically killed time throughout the afternoon and early evening, waiting for whatever was coming.
It turned out to be a nice lil' shindig. My roommate had arranged for the rest of our (American) staff to come over, as well as our co-conspiring friends who work with another ministry here and are all in their 20's and 30's. So we had a good deal of Americans, but I was also honored to have a few Iraqis--one of my fellow teachers, and a pair of sisters involved with the church here--on hand to celebrate as well.
It wasn't anything spectacular. It was a simple cake-and-presents deal (one chocolate cake and one strawberry pie...both insanely good), but it was absolutely beautiful and memorable. After another 25 years down the road from now, I may have forgotten the names of everyone who shared it with me, but I certainly won't have forgotten the experience: celebrating a milestone birthday with some dear friends in a foreign land during a fascinating time in my life. The only thing that would've made it better was if my loved ones from back home could've shared the moment with me.
I think someone snapped a few shots, including several in which I demonstrate the dance moves in my repertoire, including the Lawn Mower, the Shopping Cart, and yes, the Charlie Brown (this after one of my friends--a break dancer back in the 80's--showed us some ridiculously cool moves...I was pretty lame by comparison). Hopefully I'll be able to upload one of those photos for you to see (and laugh at).
During the school day, several students brought gifts, and several more--upon finding out that their friends had given me gifts--came up to me and asked what I wanted for my birthday. "Nothing," I'd say over and over, but they'd insist, so I would suggest candy to them. True to their word, a few more students gave me gifts today, and a few more students promised to bring something tomorrow. Have I mentioned that I absolutely adore these kids?
Some of their gifts are quite odd, though; one girl gave me a porcelain statuette of a Dickens-era man and woman, and one boy gave me perfume. In both cases, I'm sure they're trying to suggest something, but I can't quite figure out what that would be.
I also got a note from one of my students. It's the kind of thing that just warms the heart, it really is. And since I promised to be maudlin this time 'round, well, here it is: