It was kind of weird not really having any friends or family around. Not that I was really celebrating but even in Cali, Australia and France I was with friends I had met traveling that I was close with...this year I just woke up and went to work.
My morning went as it usually did, my first class from 7-9 and then my second class (which is my favourite) from 9-11. Other than the birthday wishes I had already gotten on my FaceBook wall they were the first people to wish me Happy Birthday. As soon as they came into class they walked up to me gave me hugs and kisses and said "Happy Birthday Mees." They completely made my morning with these sweet wishes. However on their break just as I was getting ready to grab a tea one of my students opens the cupboard at the back of the class, I was just about to ask her what she was doing when she said "Mees, it's your birthday!" She pulls out this massive Birthday Cake. They came prepared with plates, spoons, cake cutter, cups for the orange Fanta they brought as well as chocolate cookies and then sang happy birthday in English and Spanish. Yup you guessed it...I cried. My eyes welled up. 
I have only been a teacher three weeks and my students are already buying me a birthday cake? I must be doing something right. This was seriously the highlight of my whole birthday. As a teacher I'm supposed to be a leader, someone my students can look up to and trust. I'm supposed to be able to make an impression. I guess I'm doing my job. They made me feel so loved and appreciated...happy me.
My birthday wasn't really a huge deal. I mean yes I wanted people to come out but Birthdays now are not what they used to be when I was in my twenties. And to be honest, this year I was not celebrating turning 25 (for the 100th time)...I mean big deal right another year older woohoo <--- sarcasm. No, this year I decided to celebrate my life and not how old I was. So much has happened in my life in the past 9 months. Dan and I seperated which was harder then I aloud anyone to know. It was heartbreaking and confusing and hard to wrap my brain around at times. I traveled across my beautiful country, met an amazing guy, spent five incredible months on the west snowboarding and spending time with my family that I hadn't seen in years. I went to Italy with my parents. I took the TEFL course which was a huge challenge and I almost dropped out thinking I was way in over my head. Graduating was a huge achievement for me, I really didn't realize how much it had meant to me until I was taking the course. I backpacked Europe and had one of the best times of my life. I skipped my flight and didn't budget, I drank what I wanted, ate what I wanted and went where I wanted. For te first time I wasn't "mother budget hen," and it felt great. I decided that I was going to be selfish and whatever I did and decision I made was going to be about me and no one else. It was the first time in three years I didn't have a special someone in my life that I always had to consider, it is just me, myself and I. I took a teaching job in Peru and now here I am. Happy as a clam, doing what I love and worked my but off to become.
In the past 9 months I have had heartache, love, amazing friendships, life challenges, achievements, amazing experiences and opportunities I never could've dreamed of. In the midst of all this I fell in love. No...not again...dont freak out. I fell in love with life...with my life. Even with everything that happened I managed to find everything beautiful in my life and everything else it has to offer. I'm greatful for everything in my life, even the bad because it is my story and it's a beautiful story. Everything in life happens for a reason. I regret nothing, not even getting married because it's part of the the building blocks of who I am, the puzzle pieces of my journey. It's part of what I have become and what I have achieved to be where I am. If I regret marriage and separation then I regret where I am...and I definitely do not. How can I ?
I am so greatful and so very lucky to have seen what I have seen, to experience what I have experienced, to have loved and have been loved, for the beautiful people in my life...my students who have shown me so much love in such a short time, my friends that are spread out over every continent of the world, the birthday messages on my Facebook from people who I thought I would never hear from again, to a friend telling me she looks up to me more than I would ever know which means more to me then she will ever know (I look up to you as well), to having the parents that I have and the wonderful opportunities I have had throughout my life and to explore and get to know the people of this beautiful planet...I am thankful.
There is so much to celebrate this year...and it's not my age. It's you and everything you and this world have given me.
- My Beautiful Life -
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