My First Indian Birthday, I Mean Week

Every country celebrates birthdays differently but what's the same regardless is that the people who love you, share that.

It's not easy for me being away from home on my birthday because in my family birthdays are YOUR special day. They're a big deal. So I wondered what my birthday would be like here.

Well, it's been a birthday week. Truly a week. I always teased my sister, probably due to being jealous, about how her birthday by chance of where it falls on the calendar, about her birth-week.

My special week's included:

• Enjoying special Sofitel lunches with great friends.
• Serenading phone calls from my parents who definitely sing with feeling. I may need to tape this next year.
• Reading birthday cards written with invented Portuguese spelling by a Kindergartener who used to live in Brazil.
• Smiling after being surprised by my library family who shared cake, tea and snacks with my friends at work.
• Reading Emails and receiving hugs from colleagues in the hall.
• Opening lovely gifts from your new home including presents from India, Tibet, Indonesia and the U.S.
• Reading special cards and notes and messages.
• Enjoying beautiful gerber daisies.
• Sharing a chocolate cake delivered to school from a friend far away who knows how much I like chocolate cake. 
• Listening to phone messages.
• Reading Emails and cards from friends far away.
• Sipping caipiroskas while swapping clothes.
• Licking fingers during birthday dinners with friends.
• Deciding which yummy cupcake to try.
• And smiling at photos of how you celebrated your birthday with your "family" who live in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

It's been a good week. It's been a wonder filled week. Thanks for making my first Indian birthday so special.