As facebook so wonderfully publicized, I turned 25 again this week! (I'll leave you to wonder how many times I've done that! ha!)
I wasn't sure what to expect for my first birthday away from home, but it turned out to be one of my favorite birthdays yet! The day was mixed with usual American traditions and new Bosnian ones, relaxation balanced out by tiring sports activity.
As I'm sure you've probably figured out by now, I'm big into taking pictures, and I definitely made sure to document this day. So.. here you are! Here's how I celebrated my birthday, Bosnian and American style!
After sleeping in a bit, my team treated me to a fantastic breakfast at one of their apartments. Yum, yum!
It was complete with one of my favorites- coffee cake!
Me trying to blow out all the candles without spitting all over the cake.
Jacque=the hostest with the mostest!
During the early afternoon, I took some time to digest the food, relax, enjoy some bible reading, and be surprised by amount of facebook and email messages I was receiving! (Gotta love facebook!)
An American friend asked what I wanted most for my birthday, and I said I wanted nothing more than to play some sort of game- ultimate frisbee, tag football, basketball, etc. They worked it out perfectly! Plus, as prayed for, the rain stopped just enough for us to enjoy it. It was GREAT!
Testing to see if the -ole football-throwing arm is still in working condition.
Liz and Andrew talking a little bit of smack before we start our game of Ultimate.
Us wrapping things up after a satisfying afternoon of ultimate frisbee and basketball.
After playing, I reconnected with my good friend, Alex through a way-to-quick Skype call. I MISS YOU Alex!!!
As usual when talking with her, I completely lost track of time! So, I hurried to get cleaned up and get to the Bosnian part of my birthday...
The festivities continued at the ESL class. Per Bosnian custom, the birthday girl (or boy) brings cake for everyone to eat to celebrate their big day.
Adela surprised me (and everyone else) with a thoughtful toast while we were enjoying the birthday cake!
(P.S. This room is a work in progress! We moved in last week!)
We went to a coffee bar later that night, but I (uncharacteristically) forgot to take a picture. So.. here's a fun picture I found online of a Sarajevo coffee bar. :-)
It was raining on the way home, and I saw a car broken down near apartment building. Near it was a mom with her daughter. I decided to see if there was anything I could do to help. Wouldn't you know it? I know just as much about cars in Europe as I did in the states (uhh.. close to nothing!). So, I wasn't able to help that much, but I was grateful to know enough language to talk with her for a little bit, offer my phone, umbrella, etc.
The end of the great day- these are a few of my birthday goodies! The OREOs and Celestial Seasonings were gifts given by teammates that originate from the states, and the cookies behind are coconut flavored treats from Sarajevo that a Sarajevo buddy gave to me. Yum, yum!
This is me kissing the OREOs goodbye. I don't imagine they'll last too long in my apartment. :-)
(You can also see check out some of my language learning methods behind me.)
Thanks to everyone for making this such a special day!!! In addition to all the fun I had here, I was once again reminded of all the support I have at home. I can't thank you enough for all of it- thanks to everyone contributing to what turned into a great day!
Till next time-
Kat
3 comments:
It looks like you have had a fabulous birthday! Happy Birthday! I would be kissing on some oreos as well!
Looks like it was a great day! Hope year 25+ is full of adventure!
I'm so glad you had a great Birtday. I was thinking of you!
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