Birthday Abroad

I had the opportunity this year to spend my birthday in Korea. I have spent other birthdays abroad, but nothing will quite compare to the numerous festivities I received here in Seoul! My first exciting celebration was a month before my actual birthday when my good friend planned out a days worth of festivities for me! First we went to a Korean baseball game, which had been on my to-do list for a while. It was such a different experience than the baseball games back at home, as people were chanting, dancing, and waving around these blow up clapper sticks! With baseball being the main sport over here, the clear favorite, the crowd really got into the game. The energy in the stadium was out of this world, and I was so excited to get to experience it!

Then she took me to okkinomiyaki which is one of my favorite Japanese meals. I figured the surprises were coming to an end, but she had thrown me a surprise country birthday party also! There was sweet tea, cowgirl hats, and two-steppin boots all around! My friends enjoyed country music, yummy southern treats, and some fantastic trivia! We even played an egg tossing game where one egg happened to splatter all over me. We laughed like crazy out in the street, and the neighbors probably thought we were nuts! But we had to get a little rowdy and crazy if we were going to celebrate a southern girls birthday, right? It was such a sweet surprise and the night was one of the best nights I've had here in Seoul.

Because of this array of events that had already happened, I did not expect much on my actual birthday. I felt like I was already so lucky to have had a great day and night of celebration the month prior, but the day of my birthday surprised me even more. I got to school and all of my Kinder children had dressed up as superheros or princesses. I myself had put on some bedazzled hair accessories for the special day, but my kids looked better than I could have ever guessed! I couldn't believe they dressed up for me!

The moment I walked into my Kinder classroom I was flooded with cards and presents from these superheroes and princesses. They gave me huge hugs and kisses and said "Happy Birthday Ms.Nikki!"

I automatically felt overcome with joy that my special day was somehow special for the kids I love the most in Korea also. Their parents had put together a little birthday party for me including festive cupcakes, balloons, and a flower bouquet. I think its the first teacher birthday party in LCI's history, as usually the kids get the celebration not the teachers, which also made me feel so loved.

After Kinder ended I then got a sweet potato cake from the LCI staff and they sang happy birthday to me. I was surprised I actually liked this interesting cake, but I realized its just like pumpkin pie. Rich, sweet, and the perfect texture. It just works even though it sounds gross! Later I got another cake from an elementary student I teach that was a blueberry cheesecake. All my cakes were so delicious, and I probably ate at least 5 slices of cake by the end of the day.

My entire day at school was more fun than I could have ever asked for, and made me feel incredibly loved. I honestly didn't have a single moment when I missed home or missed my family. I was surprised by this, but it shows just how happy I was that day when I was receiving continuous love from friends and students. But the celebration was not over! After school I went to a fancy Korean barbeque dinner with some new and old friends.

We had some of the best wine I have ever tasted, melt-in-your-mouth beef, and lots of delicious side dishes and veg that was grilled. The conversation was hysterical, the people were so much fun, and I could not stop smiling and laughing!

We continued the fun with a visit to a local Japanese restaurant where we got some fantastic sake and more yummy treats. One of these was fried chicken and another was a tofu and cheese mixture. All together, it tasted so good with the smooth sake that was paired with it.

tofu and cheese mixture

Overall, my birthday was utterly perfect. Whether the love was from my students, friends, or family back home I felt engulfed in it all day. I was in disbelief of the kindness I received, and felt so genuinely appreciated by the people I care about the most. I felt like the happiest girl in the world, and couldn't have had a better birthday abroad.