April 11, 2009
Another birthday has come and gone. I didn't have any plans for this day, but expected to just let it pass without giving it much attention. I had a few really great friends who stepped in and made my birthday really special.

My friend Renee thought ahead and sent me a birthday care package about a month ago, assuring it would arrive early. She sent me all sorts of fun snacks that I can't get in this country. Things like cheesy garlic biscuit mix, pop tarts, peanut butter M&M's, and much more. It was very sweet and thoughtful, especially the part where she custom wrapped the entire box in skiing trail maps from Breckenridge. Thank you Renee!

I made a birthday cake for myself, so I could share it with my teachers and friends when they stopped by my house this week. I was pleased that it wasn't too sweet for them, and I knew they all liked it when they ate several pieces each.
    
     

(Pictures above is me showing off the earrings Rose gave me.)

I woke up Friday morning to an early phone call from Lucy, who wanted to sing "Happy Birthday" to me. It was really sweet because birthdays aren't usually a big deal here.

On Friday night my American friends invited me over to have dinner and play games. I really appreciated the time they spent trying to make it a really special night for me. Each of their three boys made me a birthday card. My friend Andrea wrote my mom an email asking for tips on special foods I liked, and then she made a Mexican feast, all from scratch! (She had to, cause we can't buy any of that food around here.) She also made ice cream and put together an Oreo ice cream cake. It was GREAT! I forgot to take pictures of everything while we ate cause it just tasted so good. But I did take a picture of the cake.

After dinner the boys had their baths and then we all played games together. It was a lot of fun. We also played with their new little puppy. His name is Mercy.
   
                   
  
   
  

After the boys went to bed I hung out with Brian and Andrea. We stayed up talking for a long time, and I loved every minute. It's so great to have friends that have more in common than all being Americans. I am so thankful that they moved to this city, because I feel like we can relate to each other well, and I always have a good time with I'm with them. They made my birthday great because they worked so hard to make it special, which made ME feel special. I'm so grateful for friends like that.

I received a few phone calls, text messages, emails, and Skype calls throughout the day, getting happy birthday wishes from other friends and family. Thank you, everyone, for making my birthday a much happier day than I was ever expecting!

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April 19, 2009
I have some very very exciting news to share this week! I recently found out that we now have a donut store in my city! How exciting is that???? (At the bottom of this blog is some REAL exciting news). So my friend Rose and I went to check it out. They have a system where you can have your donut dipped into 4 choices of frosting, and then you have assorted choices of toppings to have sprinkled on top. I went with a plain strawberry frosting donut and was surprised how awesome it was. Rose tried two kinds of donuts. I dared her to put some of the "hair" on one of her donuts. She did it and said it tasted delicious, but I know for a fact that stuff is nasty. It's some sort of pork shavings, but it looks like hair, and to me it tastes like a fish that died, washed up on the shore of a river, and then sat rotting in the sun for a couple of days. Was that too descriptive?      Anyway, here are pictures:
   
   
               
Rose ordered a drink with some sort of fruit pieces in it, but I told her they looked like tadpoles swimming around in her cup. You make the call:
   

It's great having good friends like Rose who I can totally joke around with. We spend all our time together laughing. I enjoy being able to speak about some of the things I see in my city which strike me as strange. Most of my friends here don't understand American culture very well, so I keep my observations to myself, but Rose watches so much American TV and movies that she can laugh at my jokes. Humor is usually the most difficult thing to share between people from different cultures, so it's something I really appreciate in my friends.

Rose and I spent all afternoon together while my motorcycle was in the shop getting some repairs done. We had donuts and we also sat in a shaded spot by the river for a couple hours, talking and enjoying the beautiful Spring weather. We kept going back to the repair shop to see if my motorcycle was fixed yet, but the guys were working very slowly. I had a backpack full of books, so I kept squatting Asian-style while we waited. Rose told me I looked like a beggar (which our city is full of) and she thought I should hold out my hands like I was asking for money. I complied to her great laughter.
       

I also spent an afternoon with Lucy last week. She had several hours to kill before being on duty to watch over the students who are required to sit in study hall for several hours each night at their college (how lame). So we walked to a near bye park and enjoyed a beautiful day. I got her to try out one of my mom's classic picture poses (see below). Even as I enjoy some beautiful places in my city, I am never far from the poverty which underlines the culture here. But Lucy and I had great, encouraging conversations. I am so proud of how much she has learned and how much she has grown in her life with dad in the past year.
   

Today was a really special day. Normally I do some studying with friends at McDonalds on Sunday mornings. Half of our group has had to start meeting on Saturday nights because their jobs are currently requiring them to work 7 days a week. Lucy is still free Sunday mornings, so I get to double up on my weekly study time with these ladies, which is something I am happy to do. Lucy has been talking with many coworkers, friends, and family about all the things she's been studying and learning. A good friend of hers wanted to begin to study with us, so she joined us this morning at McD's. During our study time this friend, who's name is Spring, believed that everything we studied was true, and decided to be our new sister. It was a really special time. Lucy was thrilled because she has been reaching out to people for a year now, and this is the first time she's been able to see direct results. I know she is so encouraged to do more and more, as she sees her Father working around her. The picture below-right is Spring having the most important conversation of her life.
   
Spring is a OBGYN doctor, which has lots of serious implications in a country like this. I know that as she grows and studies more, she will face some very difficult decisions. We will all be thinking for her as she takes her first baby steps along this new path.

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April 27, 2009
This past weekend I visited a famous city a few hours bus ride away from my home. This city was shown on "The Amazing Race" a few weeks ago, which was exciting for me to watch. I have some friends who live in this city, and it was fun to hang out with them for the weekend. I traveled there with a couple friends from my city. We had a great time together, and walked around downtown taking pictures and exploring for a few hours before meeting up with my friends from that city.
   
   

We went over to one of my friend's house and sat around talking while she made chips and salsa from scratch. It was sooooo good, and the conversation was great too!
       

Later that night my local friends hung out with some other local people, and I went around the town with another American friend. I took some fun pictures of classic sightings that are unique to find on the streets of this country: some graffiti with strange English and a Operatic drama on the sidewalk which had drawn a crowd. I really enjoyed spending time with my friends and relaxing together "American style."
   

Lucy and I were hanging out earlier this week. We like making different variations of fried noodles. She is really a great friend and I'm so grateful to have her in my life.