a video about the war in Guatemala, and so forth. Despite the constant flow of information, one of my friends brought me a hideous red headband with feathers and antennas attached to wear. It was my special day for sure.
After a mishap getting off at the wrong bus stop on the way home, Sam, my fabulous training site mate, and I walked to the nearest bus station to meet up with the rest of our group. My friends ended up buying half a chocolate cake from a local bakery where the lady kept trying to get us to buy the whole cake since she didn‘t want to cut it--charging us for the box since we didn’t. No worries though since the huge half came out to be the equivalent of $5 USD. What a deal!
After a super long day, we finally returned home, relaxed for a bit, and then my friends came over for dinner. I helped my host family make the pizza with olives, onions, red peppers, basil, canned mushrooms, tomato sauce, and what I’m pretty sure was American cheese. The other pizza for non-vegetarians was covered in ham and some sort of bologna. Lets just say that I am constantly reaffirmed of my vegetarianism. The pizza was DELICIOUS! It must have been a horrific sight to have witnessed me inhaling the meal with such vigor. There were also a huge platter of refried beans, a ton of extra bread and tortillas, hot chocolate, and some queso fresco. What a feast!
Wilson, the three year old, was dying to hit the Winnie the Pooh pinata that was bought in my honor so we moved outside and began the second half of the party. Every time one of my twin host brothers pulled the rope to bring the pinata up, Wilson would spin around, propelled from his momentous swing, surprised and annoyed that he had been fooled again. Having a three year old around always keeps things interesting and lends to many of my stories starting off with, “It was so cute when Wilson…” We helped ourselves to some candy once Wilson ripped off Pooh’s leg and moved back into the dining room to eat the birthday cake.
What would a birthday cake be without singing Happy Birthday though? I had heard my family sing the song in English before, but when we asked them what language to do it in, they denied knowing English, replying “No, no, no! We only know it in Spanish.” Upon saying that, they broke into singing “Happy birthday to you”--in English. Granted, this version also had a few Spanish verses, but only upon going through the whole entire song. We laughed, ate cake, and then lamented how “satisfecho” we were. My friends ended up giving me a beautiful woven purse that I had been eyeing and a thoughtful card. Throughout the night and before I went to bed, Dona Susana and Brenda, my host sister, asked me if I had enjoyed my birthday and if I was happy. How could I not be? They had gone above and beyond to ensure that I had a great day. Dona Susana said that it must be hard to be away from my family and friends, but said that they loved me and were glad that I was there. Everyday I’m more impressed, touched, and grateful to have been welcomed into the home of such a warm family.
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