Happy Birthday To Me (22.08.08)

Fiona and me blowing out the candles on our 30th birthday cake. We celebrated the night before my actual birthday as half the group were off to Machu Picchu the following day.

Some school chiuldren performing songs for our birthday - any excuse to get up on stage and hear their voices ampliphied in the microphone.

Receiving flowers from Jon. Fiona and I are holding a card the grade twos made for us (well the teacher made it on their behalf).

Lining up for hugs.

I have never received so many hugs and kisses in my life - one from every child and teacher at school that day.

Who would have thought so many of us would be celebrating our birthdays this month. Six volunteers aged another year in Peru (Tracey, Jon, myself, Fiona I, Julia and Susanne) as well as Selvy, making seven in total. I must say, we quite enjoyed all the celebrations. Not only was it an excuse to party but it also meant lots of cake!

Selvy, Fiona and I, all turned the big three zero this month. Fiona only two days after me, hence the joint birthday cake and dinner. A birthday tradition in this country, or at least at Pumamarca, involves having your face implanted in your birthday cake. Fiona and I managed to avoid this but Selvy was not so lucky. People here seem happy to eat the cake after this.

A special birthday highlight was having the children of Pumamarca perform songs for Fiona and me on the Friday at the school. The actual classes we ran before our birthday celebrations were mayhem as all the teachers were on an excursion (yes,the teachers, notthe kids) and half our group was on their way to Machu Picchu (we are going next week). I was ready to tear my hair out. I was on art class with grades one and twos which we had combined so there were 40 odd kids running around the room trying to make butterflies out of pipe cleaners and paddlepop sticks and getting impatient the craft glue did not stick instantaneously. They then moved onto kites which they seem to be much better at making. Who would have thought kids five years of age could consturct expert kites out of plastic bags all by themselves.

By the time it came to wish us a Happy Birthday I was well and truly ready to go back to our house. However, it was very amusing and memorable having the children perform for us. The kids seem to love hearing their voices amplified in the microphone (I dont think they really gave two hoots about our birthday), so they were all keen to line up and sing (more often shout). We even had a bit of dancing which was quite hilarious. Jon had organised bunches of flowers from somewhere which we were presented on stage. After a rendition of "Happy Birthday" that involves awkward clapping in between each sentence, we were showered with birthday hugs from all 150 children and the teachers who had by that time come back from their excursion. I was well and truly hugged out by the end (especially as I dont normally do hugs).

I will definitely remember the day I turned 30 in Peru.