Birthday Celebration

The last two years for my birthday I made it a point to go somewhere I'd never been before. This year it was kind of hard to do that. First, it was because I had a lot to do on my actual birthday. Second, my birthday snuck up on me. I'm one of those people who will annoy you and tell you my birthday is a month away. I think I was so focused on spring weather this year that my birthday felt so far away. Either winter lasted way too long or I am just old and forgetful. Both are quite possible.

I had just a small get together this year. I told everyone not to get me anything because I don't need anything, and after living here for two years and understanding that the Russian salary is nothing (like I make less than $400 a month), I really didn't want people spending money on me. Against my wishes, I was given gifts. According to Russian tradition, if someone invites a group of people out for the celebration they are responsible for paying for everyone's food and drinks. Apparently I forgot about this because I just looked back at this post and saw that I had written about this very thing. I bought tea for everyone but not the food. I felt really guilty when Anton brought it up later, and I still feel guilty now because of the fact that everyone got me a gift. I'll file this under "Awkward Cultural Differences."

All-in-all it was a great birthday. I'm looking forward to many more! :)

April 13, 2017

If you read this post from last week then you know that I celebrated my 28th birthday. Can you believe I graduated from high school and started college 10 years ago? Anyways, it was a pretty simple day. I didn't get any sleep the night before because I was mulling over my decision for next year. I said it wasn't an easy decision, and it really wasn't.

I had an individual lesson and then a work meeting. I walked in late to the work meeting and my director and everyone started singing "Happy Birthday," and they presented me with chocolates and a rose with an abnormally long stem. I hate having attention drawn on me in that way but I was grateful for everyone who celebrated with me. After our meeting I sat in the office in the office and talked with one of my colleagues for a while. Around 5 I met A and we went to one of our most frequented cafes for dinner.

After dinner we picked up a cake. I took a picture of A holding all my gifts and cake, but in reality I carried all my stuff back to my house. :) I had an interview that night, which I should have cancelled since I had accepted another job beforehand but decided to keep it because I'm the world's worst interviewee so I figured the extra practice couldn't hurt. Then A and I had some cake with tea to finish the night.

Thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday!

Twenty-Eight

Today is my 28th birthday. I'm 28, and I still get carded for alcohol (even in Russia where the drinking age is 18). I'm 28 which means I never set foot in the USA during my 27th year. I'm 28 and still have never been married, but, honestly, I'm okay with that. I'm 28 and officially older than both my parents were when they got married and had me, which is depressing because I still don't feel like I'm ready to be an adult. I'm 28, and I have more gray hair than any 28 year old should. I'm 28, and I've already had the opportunity to travel to nine countries and live in abroad for two years. I'm 28, and I still have a lot to do to complete this list. I'm 28, and I still imagine I'll marry Leonardo DiCaprio just like my 8 year old self. Some things never change.

So, here's to the past 28 years and all the people I met and the friends I made and to the next 28 years. I can't wait to see where life takes me!

My Twenty-Seventh Birthday

I had a great 27th birthday here in Russia. I am so thankful for so many great friends who celebrated with me. I started my day by meeting my friend, Alesya, for lunch at Эврен. She only had an hour break so we just met for a little bit, but I was so grateful she took the time to meet with me. Russians are seriously the best with birthday wishes. I was surprised but how long their birthday wishes were. I'm used to the American, "Happy birthday," and that's it. Hopefully, some of the Russian well-wishes will rub off on me so that I can make holiday wishes more sincere.

Afterwards, I met Anton and we took a bus to Лесопарк лесоводов Башкирии (Bashkortostan Forester's Park) because I really wanted to go to the Forest Museum, which I will write about in a later post. After we saw the museum we walked to the park because they have animals there. I don't like seeing animals caged up like this, so I asked whether these animals were here to be cared for. I'm told SOME are, but it is unclear whether it's the case for all of them. We went to this museum in the winter but all the bears were hibernating, so I'm glad they were out and about. It's been so beautiful and warm here lately! I wasn't expecting it, but there were four bear cubs! They were so stinking cute! They were barking and walking on their hind legs and even trying to climb the fence. The animal keeper came to bring them to another building and the first two ran right up to him. The second two were giving him such a hard time, and the last one refused to come out. They were so cute. I almost died from cuteness overload.

My 27th Year

I can't believe I am 27 today. Where did my 20s go? I already had the day off (and they are letting me skip the 3 pm meeting), so my day will consist of taking photos and meeting up with friends. I hope your day was as good as mine!

This also means I only have three years to finish my 30 Before 30 list!