Birthdays are a funny thing.
I often find myself asking someone how it feels to be X-years-old on their birthday, as if they would feel any different than the day before.
No, we usually don’t wake up and all of the sudden feel our age, feel wiser or even feel like we’ve physically changed.
But, we have woken up and completed yet another year of life. And within that year we’ve grown, learned and changed.
My 26th birthday was Wednesday. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect for my first birthday in Peru. I figured it would just be another day.
My host family had urged me to invite friends over for dinner and dancing. I invited a few of the PCVs from my group, not expecting anyone to make the 2 hour drive during the middle of the week. To my delight, three women made the journey.
My host brother-in-law cooked and we feasted on chicken and rice. Later, my host mom surprised me with a cake, which ended up all over my face after everyone sang “Feliz Cumpleaños.” And while I was cutting the cake, my host brother-in-law smashed an egg on my head and my family shouted “Santo vivo,” basically wishing me well for the next year.
Startled, I began laughing as egg yolk trickled down my arm. Someone handed me a napkin and encouraged me to rinse it off in the bathroom. When I came back to the party, my hair a hot mess, we ate cake (which was delicious), drank wine and pisco and danced until almost midnight. While my celebration was small and humble, I couldn’t help but be grateful for the love my family and friends showed me and the moments we shared together.
No, I didn’t feel any different being 26. But, as I lied down to sleep, I did feel the culmination of changes I had experienced over the year.
Birthdays are indeed a funny thing.
Brittany McGee 