Feliz Cumpleaños

“I lost my own boy, Treelore, right before I started waiting on Miss Leefolt. He was twenty-four years old. The best part of a person’s life.”

That was the first thing I read in an absolutely fantastic book, The Help, on December 12, 2012. It was the morning of my birthday, and I too was turning 24. Since the Peace Corps has a rule saying that you can’t travel or accept foreign guests during your first three months in site, I wondered how, exactly, I was going to enjoy my birthday in Aurahua, Peru. I was going to be away from my family and my friends in the States, and so far I had only formed loose friendships within my new community. So, what exactly was it going to be like to spend the first day of the best part of my life here in Aurahua, Peru?

As I was getting dressed in the morning, I tried to tell myself to not let my hopes get too high. Today would probably be just another day. As I bumbled around my room in my pajamas, I heard a knock on my door. In burst my 15-year old host brother, Rubven, who grasped me in a stifling bear hug shouting, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” I was then told to get dressed quickly and come downstairs as soon as possible. When I wondered into the kitchen, there was my mother with a huge breakfast spread: potatoes with cream, boiled eggs, and a large fruit salad tossed in yogurt. I was stunned. Fruit is rather expensive for my family, and yet they had splurged to ensure that I got to celebrate first thing in the morning. As I stumbled for words, in walked Omar, the high school science teacher and one of my closest friends here. He came over specially to wish me a happy birthday and celebrate with me.

For the rest of the day, I was showered with birthday greetings. Everyone who I passed on the street beamed with smiles and wished me a happy birthday, and I also received phone calls and texts from my parents in the US, my host family in Lima, various Peace Corps volunteers, my site mates, my two health directors, my host sister in Chincha, and the director of the Aurahua health center. I was stunned by how many people remembered and went out of their way to wish me well. As I passed the local high school, the teachers came out to treat me to lunch. Before I could protest, they had whisked me off to a small restaurant and treated me to yet another meal.

Even though it was my birthday, I still felt like I needed to do something productive and work. So, I spent a majority of the afternoon in the health center, working on various projects and helping out as much as I could. When 6:30 rolled around, I told the technicians that I was going to head on home. Before I could get up, they asked me to stick around a bit longer. They wanted to buy some things from one of the nearby stores, so they asked me to watch over the health center while they stepped out. I agreed, assuming they were going to buy some late-night snacks. When they came back, I realized that they had secretly gone out to buy me a birthday dinner. They had plates of salchipollo, a street food that involves fried chicken, French fries, and salsa, a huge bottle of Pepsi, and a paletón, a basketball-sized sweetbread filled with candied fruit. We had a small feast and watched soap operas, laughing and celebrating together.

When I returned home that night, I was informed that the local elementary school was having a graduation party and that I should attend. So, at 10:00 I left the house to watch the kids parade and dance around in fairy princess-like dresses and suits. It was absolutely adorable. However, word soon spread that it was my birthday and before I knew it, I was being surrounded by people wishing me well. I was whisked off to eat even MORE food – carapulca, boiled potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce, and sopa seca, noodles tossed in a dry herb sauce. Suddenly it was announced that there was cake and that I should most definitely eat that too. At this point, it was close to midnight and I was about ready to burst. I thanked everyone profusely, but politely declined. I literally could not eat another bite.

After walking back home, I collapsed on top of my bed, extremely tired but overwhelmingly happy. My town doesn’t have a lot, yet everyone had gone out of their way to give what they could and celebrate with me. They all understood what an important day it was and, even though I was away from my own friends and family, they were determined to make me feel at home.

What a great way to start the best days of my life.