Toto, I don't think we're in Upstate NY anymore

In accordance with the strict goals we layed out for April, great festivities did indeed ensue in celebration of the auspicious trifecta of birthdays that the month contained.  Like my thrilling tales of Easter vacation, this is now very old news, but as a birthday-phile, I think the occasion warrants reporting, despite the fact that it is long since past.  Especially since the 23rd anniversary of my birth was such a special and unforgettable day thanks to thoughtful, wonderful friends and students with huge hearts and even huger supplies of energy.

The day started with a morning trip to the market, as every Thursday does for Chat and I.  This is a ritual we highly enjoy, as we face a barrage of determined San Mateo women ready to use any means necessary to obtain the last avocado.  In our efforts to provide nutritious fruits and vegetables for the Foundation family we risk life and limb as we are chucked into baskets of tomatoes, castigated for not having small bills to pay with, and consistently giggled at as we are bumped and bustled by women half our height and three times our age.  It’s a delicious challenge, and well worth it as we stand surrounded by the spoils of our expedition and sip rice drink at the end of the shopping trip.  There are several stands that sell a very sweet, milky rice drink at the market, but we are loyal customers at one owned by the family of some of our students and the royal throne of the Rice Queen, who we are convinced brings in tanker trucks of the delicious nectar every morning to meet the demands of the throngs of subjects who come begging for her wares.

So, a particularly nice market trip began my day on April 19th, but if you can believe it, that wasn’t even the best part of the day!  I went to school and was besieged by sweet birthday greetings from the kids all day.  The casanovas of tercero even stopped throwing desks and notebooks at each other long enough to present me with some wild roses.  A chorus of catcalls and whistles commenced when I discovered a ring hidden in one of the roses from Francisco “Romeo” Eleazar.  Oh those charmers- is it any wonder Mary Beth fell under the spell of their romanctic enterprises and perfectly-gelled hair?

Brian also commisioned all of Segundo to serenade me with Happy Birthday as I passed their classroom.  This was sung in delightfully-accented, but clearly intelligible English and was a very cute surprise.  But wait, not even this was the crowning moment of the day!

That afternoon, the long-awaited, highly-anticipated, tri-birthday, all-school fiesta finally came to pass.  To celebrate the happy existence of Fernando, Chat and I (all April babies) we brought vast quantities of sugary treats and music up to the primero barn (classroom) where all 150 students were patiently waiting.  And by patiently waiting I mean jumping out of their seats every 3 seconds, screaming We Want Cake!  The cake was a beautiful pink and white, frosting-rose-covered confection worthy of any 8-year-old’s birthday dreams.  It was purchased at Chaz Chaz, the finest (and only) restaurant in town.  Sadly, we realized we had not thought to purchase plates or napkins for serving, so as someone ran out to obtain the necessary party supplies, we pacified the restless crowd with cookies, lollipops, sweet bread and watermelon.  Finally the napkins arrived, the suprisingly-tasty cake was served all around, and the party was an overwhelming success.  Almost….   Despite the conclusion of the commestible portion of the party, all the students were still seated in the tiny desks, looking slightly uncomfortable and awkward.  No one was dancing!  Another disappointing reminder that it’s like pulling teeth to get kids to dance in public around here.  I don’t think it’s a social taboo, because marimba dancing is a big part of the culture.  They always claim it’s because they don’t know how to dance, despite my assertions that you can just do whatever you feel like.  Unconvinced, they usually try to bully us goofy gringos into getting out there and dancing while they all form a circle around and gawk.   On this day however, this awkwardness would not stand, and we finally resorted to grabbing students one by one out onto the floor to dance with us until they squirmed around and we had to rope another one in.

Our party also included a very sweet presentation of gifts and cards from several of the classes, which was unexpected and very generous and really appreciated by all three of us.

The day concluded with a fabulous culinary event a la Brian.  After dinner we enjoyed more cake and a viewing of that shining jewel of the Disney collection, “The Little Mermaid”.  What more could a 23-year-old girl ask for?