Number 1: I was in Ecuador.
Number 2: I left my teens.
Number 3: I have some pretty amazing friends here.
Another friend in my BCA group, Julie, had her birthday on Monday, March 21. We celebrated on Tuesday by going out to Crepes and Waffles to eat ice cream and play Bananagrams. It was on Wednesday that Hannah (another BCA friend) said that the week had turned in favor of celebrating my birthday. So Wednesday, I guess, is when the festivities really began .
Not many birthday-type things happened on Wednesday, but there was one activity I did that was better than any present I could have asked for. It was about 8:30 in the evening when Andres called me to see if Wesley and I wanted to go play soccer with them. They rented out a field at Plaza Deportiva, which is where the little kids that we volunteer with play their games. There was no way I was passing up a chance to play soccer with some real players. So Galo (director of the volunteer program) drops by my apartment complex at 9:30, we swing by Wesley's place to get her (by this point there are 7 people in Galo's 5 person SUV), and then we head over to Plaza Deportiva by 10. Andres and Galo have managed to round up ten players, so it's 5 v 5. I'm on a team with Galo, Andres, Seppe (from Belgium), and Alex (from France). Wesley's on the other team with an Italian, a German, and two more guys from Belgium. As Andres said afterwards, we played an international soccer game. Haha. I don't think I have ever had more fun playing soccer. Holy cow. These guys were legit. And the game was close. We won like 9 to 8 or something like that. Wesley and I each scored one goal. Obviously we weren't as good as the guys. I was tired after 5 minutes, but then another 5 minutes and my body got accustomed to being tired. The guys learned my name and would always look to share the ball with me. They trusted me on defense, and I will proudly say that I made some pretty stellar stops. Against Belgian guys whose legs were longer than I am tall. Seriously. By the time we finished at 11, I was exhausted but happier than a kid in a candy store. Galo took Wesley and I home, and on the trip back we managed to fit 9 people in Galo's SUV, long legs and all. That was when my birthday celebration actually started.
On Thursday I had a little get together in my apartment with my closer BCA friends: Ashley, Wesley, Hannah, Rachele, Julie, and Joi. My family had wanted to celebrate with me and since I already had plans for Friday night, we celebrated on Thursday. My brother Sebas and his friend Nicolas also hung out with us, which was really cool. My mom made pizza, had a chip buffet set out, and bought us ice cream. We hung around chatting and eating and then we played some games. The first game we played was Ashley's idea. We all wrote down the names of four famous people on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. My people were George W. Bush, Fidel Castro, Santa Claus, and Jesus Christ. We then divided ourselves into three teams. In the first round, a person would draw a name and then describe the person (without actions). His or her teammates would guess the name and once they got it, another name would be drawn. Each person had a minute to describe as many people as possible. After all the names had been described, the slips of paper go back into the bowl. In the second round, when you draw a name, you can only say one word. It might sound easy because you already know all the names, but there happened to be a lot of cantantes (singers). And my brother and his friend put a lot of rock and roll names in the bowl that not many of us were terribly familiar with. After that round was over, the names went back in the bowl and in the third round, we had to act out the person without using words. Needless to say, it was a very entertaining game. Especially when Brittany Spears gets messed up with Jesus Christ. Then we played charades with movies. All in all, it was a super successful and fun night. Lots of laughing. Lots of memories.
The gang (Yes, there are candles in the pizza)
Friday. March 25. My birthday. Set my alarm for 8 because my only class is soccer at 10. Seven thirty rolls around and I find myself woken up to the sounds of a mariachi band. My mom and Sebas walk into my room. My mom has a mariachi band youtube video up on her laptop and has her camera in hand to take pictures of my I-just-woke-up face. She then proceeded to post those pictures on fb. Thanks, mom. Haha. Turns out they got me a card, a Japanese chocolate cake thing, a Galapagos t-shirt, and a stuffed dog that looks like Bibi. They're great. Got ready for school. Went to school. Hung out and chatted with January (BCA girl) before soccer class. Went to soccer where we stood around for about half an hour deciding whether we should play in the gym or outside. It was a long decision process because it was raining and then it wasn't raining and then it was raining. We finally played inside for about 20 minutes. Then I hung around and passed around with a girl from my class until the boys who have soccer class after us came. I don't have class at 11, so when they asked if I wanted to play with them, I was like "Why not?" Not as fun as playing with the Belgians, but better than sitting around waiting for my friends to get out of class. Hung out with Wesley and Rachele from noon until 1, when Ashley finishes class. Then we all went to the Empanada company where I got an Extravaganza (peppers, mushrooms, cheese, ham) and a dessert one with strawberries and chocolate. Delicious. Then it was off to Iomi, a frozen yogurt place where I had a cup with strawberries and chocolate chips. It was my birthday. I'm allowed to splurge. Don't judge. We hung around chatting for awhile because we were all done with class. Then we headed home where I chilled until it was time to head to my party.
Picked up Julie and Ashley in the taxi and headed to La Chacha. Got there and were ushered upstairs, which was outside, but still covered. Very classy and cute and we had the upstairs to ourselves so that was chill. Lots of BCA people came so it was nice to know that I'm loved. We all ordered pizza and then Andres brought out the cake. Not as good as the cake we had at Wesley's birthday celebration, but delicious nonetheless. I love the atmosphere at La Chacha. Andres and Galo are such great guys. They made me feel special on my birthday, the service is great, and the food is wonderful. They hung around with us for awhile just chatting and laughing, too. I'm really going to miss volunteering with them when I have to go back to the States. The party had nearly winded down when Wesley took a chunk of cake and smeared it on my face. Haha. Oh Wesley. I'm gonna miss her, too. After La Chacha, the party kinda broke up. Wesley, Ashley, Rachele, and I went club hopping, but they were all kinda empty and lame. So we went home. End of my birthday celebration. And what a celebration it was. One that I'm never going to forget.
Thanks, Wesley. Haha
Back Row: Galo
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