23 and On Top of The World!

Yesterday was brilliant.

The sounds seemed normal, as though everyone was getting ready for school like they would any other day of the year. Just as I let my guard down, I hear Daniela say "Shahnaz?" - I refused open my eyes, so she had to elaborate: "Te mandan un mensaje de Suiza..." I had to turn around, and bam! The whole family was there, some more awake than others, to wish me a Happy Birthday! I got to blow out a candle and start the day laughing at the balloons which had been made into faces (one alien, one with glasses, one with weird eyes from watching too much tv, one with french fries eyes from eating too many Burger King fries...) and reading the poster-size Birthday card Daniela, Maria and Sergio had made for me. They misspelled my name and couldn't remember my dad's name, but that's beside the point.

As for the rest of the day? I spent the morning at the Children's Hospital, then had lunch at Tia Alicia's (salteñas and mango cake, mhmmmm) before swinging by the Hogar Soria and heading to the Black Market with Martin and Monica (another cousin, whom I met at lunch), making it back to Tia Alicia's just in time for tea... and then rushing off to get home and be off to Tia Lila's, where all the cousins met up for Pizza and a delicious cake of unidentified flavour.

If a year is a step, then I'm officially one step closer to the quarter-century! Hehe.

Thank you mom for calling me everywhere, and to everyone who remembered me and sent me emails, e-cards, text messages, smoke signals.